Higher education in the Slovak Republic is provided by higher education institutions with accredited study programmes. Higher education institutions are self-governing institutions whose mission, powers and activities are defined by Act no. 131/2002 on higher education (Zákon č. 131/2002 o vysokých školách). Higher education institutions are legal persons.
Compliance with accreditation conditions is assessed by the Slovak Accreditation Agency for Higher Education (Slovenská akreditačná agentúra pre vysoké školstvo).
Study programmes are implemented at three levels
- First-cycle study programme – Bachelor study programme (bakalársky študijný program, Bc.),
- Second-cycle study programme – Master (magisterský, Mgr.), Engineer (inžiniersky, Ing.), doctorate study programme (doktorský študijný program),
- Third-cycle study programme – PhD study programme (doktorandský študijný program)
Study programmes may combine two levels of higher education into one whole. Study programmes may be provided as full-time or part-time. Full-time study is the daily in-person participation of students in educational activities. Part-time study is characterised mainly by individual study and consultations. Study programmes may consist of either one or two fields. If a bachelor's degree program is conducted in more than two fields of study, it is considered an interdisciplinary study. Higher education is achieved in the respective field of study or a combination of the respective fields.
A study field is an area of knowledge that can be the subject of higher education at one of its three levels. A field of study is defined by its content, which is primarily characterized by the areas and scope of knowledge, skills, and competencies that shape a graduate's profile.
A study programme consists of a set of courses that include educational activities such as lectures, seminars, exercises, final thesis, project work, laboratory work, internships, excursions, professional practice, state exams, and their combinations. It also includes a set of rules structured to allow students to obtain higher education upon successfully completing these activities while adhering to the established regulations. A study program is designed to enable academic mobility or to provide experiences equivalent to academic mobility.
The Ministry of Education issues the system of study fields of the Slovak Republic in the form of Decree No. 244/2019 Coll. on the system of study fields of the Slovak Republic (Vyhláška č. 244/2019 Z.z o sústave študijných odborov Slovenskej republiky). Changes to the decree require the approval of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Health. The system of study fields includes the fields in which higher education institutions in the Slovak Republic can provide higher education, along with their descriptions.
The profile of a study programme graduate, conditions for the regular completion of the study, and organisation of the study are in the self-administration competence of the higher education institution. Higher education institutions are, however, obliged to ensure the organization of studies in compliance with the decree and the description of the study field
The Ministry develops, updates annually, and publishes the long-term plan of the Ministry of Education (Dlhodobý zámer vo vzdelávacej, výskumnej, vývojovej, umeleckej a ďalšej tvorivej činnosti pre oblasť vysokých škôl) every year in compliance with the act on higher education. The long-term plan of the ministry is created for five to ten years. Other conceptual intentions of the higher education development are defined in the Higher Education International Strategy 2030 (Stratégia internacionalizácie vysokého školstva do roku 2030), Recovery and Resilience Plan (Plán obnovy a odolnosti), National Strategy for Research, Development, and Innovation 2030 (Národnej stratégii výskumuv vývoja a inovácii 2023), and other strategies.
Higher education institutions can associate in bigger units, so-called consortia, to support strategic development and competitiveness of higher education institutions, complex renovation, modernisation and building of integrated research, education and accommodation infrastructure.
The academic year starts on 1 September and ends on 31 August of the following calendar year in agreement with the Act on Higher Education. The higher education institution decides if the academic year is structured into two semesters or three trimesters. The number of weeks of each semester/trimester and the number of weeks in which the education, examination session or holidays take place are determined by each higher education institution itself.
Higher education in the Slovak Republic is provided by
- 20 public higher education institutions,
- 3 state higher education institutions,
- 10 private higher education institutions, and
- 6 foreign higher education institutions.
The list of higher education institutions (Zoznam vysokých škôl) is available on the Ministry of Education website.