National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic (NSP)

The programme funds mobility stays rather than full degree programmes: Master's students, PhD students, university teachers, researchers, and artists can apply for a scholarship stay of 3 to 10 months at a Slovak public or accredited private higher education institution or research organisation, to conduct part of their thesis research, complete coursework, or collaborate with a Slovak academic host.

Financial support is generous relative to the short-term nature of the stay: recipients receive a substantial monthly stipend, and international students and PhD candidates can additionally receive a travel grant calculated by the distance between their home institution and their Slovak host, helping offset international airfare.

Because it funds mobility rather than a full degree, applicants need an existing academic affiliation (as an enrolled student, faculty member, or active researcher) and, in most cases, a letter of invitation or acceptance from the Slovak host institution before applying, making early contact with a prospective supervisor an essential first step.

Slovakia's relatively low cost of living, EU membership, and growing base of English-taught research groups (particularly in technical universities in Bratislava, Košice, and Žilina) make the NSP a practical way to add an EU research or study component to a degree being completed elsewhere.