Study field

The first cycle study programmes – Bachelor study programmes correspond to the 6th level of the National Qualifications Framework/European Qualification Framework.  Bachelor degree can be obtained in 45 study fields divided into the following study field groups: 

• Natural Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Informatics, and Cybernetics
• Technology
• Medical and Health Sciences
• Agricultural, Forestry, and Veterinary Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Humanities
• Arts and Art Studies

The standard length of bachelor study programmes including professional practice is a minimum of three (180 credits) and a maximum of four (240 credits) academic years.

Higher education institutions prepare a recommended study plan for each study programme. If studying according to the recommended study plan, students can complete their study programme duly at the standard length of study.

Admission requirements

All applicants have the right to study at a higher education institution in the selected study programme provided they meet the basic admission requirements for study and further requirements specified by the higher education institution. The basic condition for admission to Bachelor's study is the completed upper secondary education or upper secondary vocational education (the education completed by the school-leaving examination). Higher education institutions can admit only applicants for accredited study programmes. The number of applicants to be admitted is determined by each higher education institution/faculty. 

Due to the conflict in Ukraine and the related arrival of many students without the required documents according to § 56, paragraph 2 of the Higher Education Act (Zákon o vysokých školách), in the case of individuals granted asylum, supplementary protection, or temporary refuge, the basic admission requirement for study can be demonstrated through a solemn declaration and a general study aptitude test. The details are determined by the internal regulations of the respective higher education institution.

The admission examinations are organised directly by faculties, which set the admission requirements in such a way as to admit only the candidates with the necessary abilities and skills. Faculties or higher education institutions shall announce the form, content, and the way of evaluation of admission examination results. In compliance with the Education Act (Školský zákon), further requirements must not exceed the knowledge content range of the complete upper secondary education.  The admission examination is held mostly in written form. Some schools also include oral examinations or interviews for selected programmes. They aim to evaluate the overall applicants’ prerequisites for the chosen study programme, language skills, etc. Higher education institutions or faculties may also admit applicants based on their upper-secondary education results. 

The admission procedure may entail a talent examination, for example, in some teacher training study programmes or artistic study programmes. The dean of faculty decides on the applicant’s admission. If an applicant appeals against a decision, the rector of the higher education institution makes the final decision on the student’s admission. Almost all faculties publish the results on their websites. The faculty or the higher education institution is required to deliver a written statement on admission or non-admission to students within 30 days.

An applicant, who successfully passes the admission exams, becomes a student of the higher education institution. The requirements for the admission of foreigners to study at higher education institutions are the same as for the citizens of the Slovak Republic. Higher education institutions may require language proficiency tests in the language in which the study programme is conducted, which is typically applied in the case of foreign students. The form and manner of the admission examination for applicants with special educational needs is determined with regard to their disability upon their request. In compliance with the Act on higher education, each higher education institution has a coordinator working with students with specific needs.

As regards State higher education institutions, the procedure may vary with respect to the limitations arising from their status. In some cases, the number of admissions is determined by the respective ministry, or the preference is given to applicants employed in the respective sector. 

Curriculum

Higher education institutions and their faculties are autonomous in the study programme creation.

Legal regulations govern some basic requirements for study programmes, such as the standard student load (60 credits per academic year), the standard period of study, or the division of subjects into compulsory, optional, and elective. All students must complete all compulsory subjects, the required part of compulsory optional subjects, and the remaining number of credits is earned from elective subjects. Students pursue study programmes according to study plans that they compile themselves within the limits of the study programme's rules. The regular completion of the study is also conditional upon the defense of a bachelor's thesis.

Most study programmes are organised in Slovak (the state language) but higher education institutions also offer study programmes in national minority or foreign languages. The study in a foreign language is offered for a fee. 

Teaching methods

There two forms of study: full-time and part-time study. The full-time form of study is organized in such a way that studying according to the recommended study plan corresponds to a student’s workload of 1,500 to 1,800 hours per academic year, including self-study and creative activities.

The part-time form of study is organized in such a way that studying according to the recommended study plan corresponds to a student’s workload of 1,500 to 1,800 hours per academic year, including self-study and creative activities, in the case of a first-degree study programme. 

Educational activities can be conducted using in-person, distance, or blended methods. The in-person method of study is based on direct contact between the teacher and the student. The distance method replaces direct contact with communication through various means, primarily using computer networks. The same teaching methods are applied in both full-time and part-time study programmes. If using identical methods is not feasible, any necessary differences between full-time and part-time study must not negatively impact learning outcomes.

The content and teaching methods within the framework of individual subjects are in full competence of higher education institutions and faculties in agreement with the fundamental rights and freedoms of higher education institutions.

The choice of teaching methods in higher education institutions is determined by the type of teaching and specific requirements of each subject. Lectures, seminars, proseminars, exercises, courses, consultations, excursions, practice teaching, and seminar papers are the main forms of teaching. Technical and science subjects also include laboratory work. The lecture component uses dialogue methods in combination with computer technology and other teaching aids.

Higher education institutions are autonomous in the selection of textbooks or educational software as well as in their creation. If a higher education institution teacher writes a higher education textbook, this output is partially considered when determining subsidies for the given higher education institution. There is no special system of central-level support for the development of teaching materials or higher education textbooks. 

Progression of students

The pace of study and order of subjects is determined by students themselves. Studying according to a study programme in the full-time form must not exceed its standard duration by more than two years. Studying according to a study programme in the part-time form must not exceed its standard duration by more than three years.

The study rules of a higher education institution and the study programme rules determine the number of credits necessary to progress to the next part of the study. The parts of the study are usually expressed by academic years, i.e., at the beginning or the end of the academic year, it is assessed if the student meets the conditions for continuing the studies – usually expressed by a minimum number of credits to be obtained during the year.

Students may enroll in one subject at most twice during their study.  If they fail the subject for the second time, they are expelled from the study.

It is possible to transfer from one study programme to another at higher education institutions, provided conditions set out in the study rules of faculties and higher education institutions are met. Students may also complete their studies at a higher education institution other than the one they originally started in.

Employability

Professionally oriented bachelor's study programmes were intended to support the employability of graduates. However, their number remains low. The current practice and possibilities of admission to the next level of education cause a prevailing part of graduates of Bachelor study programmes to continue in further higher education study.

Higher education institutions are legally obliged to provide their students with career guidance and help them find employment. Selected workplaces at higher education institutions and faculties provide professional and methodological counselling. Higher education students can also access career guidance in counselling and prevention centres until they finish their professional training.

According to Act No. 269/2018 Coll. on Quality Assurance in Higher Education (Zákon č. 269/2018 Z. z. o zabezpečovaní kvality), higher education institutions must involve employers and other stakeholders in the creation and modification of study programmes. This ensures a stronger connection to the labour market and practical needs. A bachelor's degree is sufficient for the performance of certain healthcare professions and such graduates can be directly employed in practice (e.g. midwives, nurses, physiotherapists). 

Higher education institutions arrange traineeships or practice for their students in many bachelor's study programmes. Teaching practice is a compulsory and integral part of study programmes for teachers; it must be taken in contracted schools that provide pre-primary, primary and secondary education. 

Students assessment

Details on student performance assessment throughout students’ study are set in the study rules of higher education institutions and faculties. Student assessment procedures at higher education institutions vary.

The organisation of all levels and forms of higher education study is based on the credit system. The credit system of study enables the assessment of a student’s study load connected with the study programme’s units in compliance with the study programme rules. The standard load is expressed by the number of credits as follows: 60 for an academic year, 30 credits for a semester, and 20 credits for a trimester. Each subject in a study programme is assigned some credits, which students obtain after they complete the subject.

The student assessment in subjects is carried out, in particular, by

• continuous monitoring of study results during the teaching part of the given period of study (examination questions, written tests, tasks for individual work, papers, coursework, etc.),
• examination for the given period of study.

Completion of a subject is assessed by a grade. The grade expresses the quality of knowledge or skills in relation to the aim of the subject. The result is recorded in the student's record book (index).

Assessment by a grade is carried out according to the system of grading composed of six grades:

• A – excellent = 1
• B – very good = 1,5
• C – good = 2
• D – satisfactory = 2,5
• E – sufficient = 3
• FX – fail = 4

To assess students' overall study results in a defined period, the weighted average is used.

In healthcare study programmes, students keep books of records on clinical practice to record each action they have performed during clinical practice at a workplace.

Each study programme must be completed by a state examination or state examinations. The state examination is conducted before an examination committee. The course of the state examination and its results are public. However, the committee's decision-making regarding the results takes place in a closed session.   As part of every study programme, students must complete a final thesis. The thesis with its defense constitutes a single course. The defense of the final thesis is considered a state examination.  

Certification

Graduates from Bachelor’s degree programmes are issued

1. A higher education diploma is a document certifying the completion of an accredited study programme in the respective study field and the awarding of an academic degree

2. Certificate on the state examination and

3. Diploma Supplement. 

The diploma supplement also includes information on the higher education system in the Slovak Republic that was created and published by the ministry. The supplement gives information on the qualification level according to the National Qualifications Framework and the qualification level according to the European Qualifications Framework achieved by the graduate. 

Higher education institutions award the academic degree of Bachelor (Bc.) to the graduates from Bachelor’s degree programmes.

As regards academic recognition of documents on education to continue the studies, the recognition of studies in another higher education institution abroad falls within the competence of higher education institutions. The recognition of documents on education from abroad for professional purposes falls as a rule within the competence of the Ministry of Education, Research, Development, and Youth of the SR. Documents issued in the SR, except for foreign higher education institutions, are valid in the SR without further recognition.