Academic community of a higher education institution is comprised of higher education teachers and researchers, who are employed by the higher education institution for a fixed number of hours a week, and the employee part and student part of the academic community of the higher education institution. Academy community members have a right to submit candidates for the rector.

As defined by the act on higher education institutions, academic self-governance authorities of a public higher education institution include the academic senate, rector, scientific board, and disciplinary commission for students.

The academic senate of a public higher education school is comprised of academic employees and students. The minimum number of academic senate members is 15, out of which one third are students. If the higher education institution has faculties, each faculty must have equal representation in the senate.

Members of the academic senate of a public higher education institution cannot hold the position of rector, pro-rector, dean, pro-dean, bursary or faculty secretary. The term of office of the academic senate members is maximum 4 years.

Academic senate selects candidates for the position of the rector; removes the rector; upon rector‘s proposal approves higher education institution’s organisational changes, long-term intentions, and reports; approves the statute, internal organisation, budget, proposals for pro-rectors; and fulfils other tasks defined in the law.

Rector is a statutory body of a public higher education institution, managing it, acting on its behalf and representing it outwardly. The rector is accountable for his activities to the Academic Senate of a public higher education institution. The rector is appointed and removed by the president of the Slovak Republic upon a proposal of the academic senate of the public higher education institution. The proposal of the academic senate of the public higher education institutions is submitted to the President of the Slovak Republic by the Minister of Education.

Members of the scientific board of a public higher education institution are appointed and removed by the rector upon approval by the academic senate of the public higher education institution. The term of office of the scientific board members is 4 years. At least one quarter and at most one third of the members of the scientific board of a public higher education institution are people who are not academic employees of the public higher education institution. The scientific board regularly evaluates the quality of the higher education institution, decides on the requirements for the habilitation and inaugural procedures, and fulfills other tasks defined by the internal regulations of the public higher education institution.

Disciplinary commission of a public higher education institution discusses disciplinary offences of higher education institution’s students who are not enrolled in any study programme implemented at a faculty, and it submits proposals to the rector to decide. The members and the chairperson of the disciplinary commission of a public higher education institution are selected from the academic community and appointed by the rector upon approval by the public higher education institution’s academic senate. Half of the commission is comprised of students.

The category of management staff of public higher education institution includes the bursar and the heads of individual units of a higher education institution. The posts of management staff of public higher education institutions are filled based on a selection procedure. The rules of the selection procedure for filling posts of management staff of a public higher education institution are set out by the internal regulations of a public higher education institution.

Bursar provides for and is responsible for economic and administrative procedure of a public higher education institution and acts on its behalf within the scope set by the Rector. He is directly subordinate to the Rector.

A public higher education institution can be divided into faculties; other pedagogical, research, artistic, development, economic-administration and information workplaces (university library); and dedicated facilities (dormitories). 

Academic self-governance authorities of faculties are faculty academic senate, dean, faculty scientific board, faculty disciplinary commission for students.

Dean is a representative of the faculty, providing management, representation and operations in matters of the faculty. Dean is accountable for his activities to the Academic Senate of a faculty. He is accountable for his activity to the Rector in the matters in which he acts on behalf of the higher education institution, for economic management and for other activities to the extent set by internal regulations of the public higher education institution. 

Management staff of a faculty is represented by the Faculty Secretary and individual heads of teaching, research, development or artistic, economic-administrative and information units and special-purpose facilities of the faculty. Posts of management staff of the faculty are filled by selection procedure. The rules of selection procedure for filling posts of management staff of a faculty are set out by employment rules of a faculty or employment rules of a public higher education institution, as the case may be.

Faculty Secretary provides for economic and administrative run of the faculty. He is directly subordinate to the Dean.

Requirements for appointment

Every member of the academic community is entitled to propose at most one applicant for candidacy to the post of Rector. A candidate may also apply by himself for candidacy for the post of Rector. Only a member of the academic community of the respective higher education institution with qualification of a university teacher may be a candidate. Proposals of Rector are submitted in non-anonymous form, in writing.

The Chairman of the Academic Senate of a public higher education institution may candidate at this public higher education institution for the post of Rector three months upon terminating the post of Chairman of the Academic Senate of the public higher education institution at the latest.

The rector of a private higher education institution is chosen by the owner and rectors of public higher education institutions are chosen by the minister.

From 1 July 2019, the same person may candidate as a rector, vice-rector, dean or vice-dean repeatedly, without any restriction.

Conditions of service

The term of office of the Rector is four years. After recalling the Rector or after early termination of the Rector’s execution of his office for other reasons, until appointment of a new Rector, the Rector’s office is executed by a person charged by the Minister at the proposal of the Academic Senate of a public higher education institution. Pro-rectors (vice-rectors) take the rector’s place within the extent defined by him/her. Pro-rectors are appointed and removed by the rector upon approval of the academic senate. Prorectors’ term of office is 4 years.

The academic senate of a higher education institution will always submit a proposal for removal of the rector if he/she was convicted of a deliberate crime or received a mandatory prison sentence. The salary conditions of the rector are set by the higher education institution’s management board. Public higher education institution management board is a body that strengthens the ties between the public higher education institution and the society within the scope defined by the law.

The rector determines the salary of deans of the faculties which are a part of the public higher education institution.

Dean is a higher education institution’s employee and as such is assigned to a faculty which he/she manages. Termination of employment related to the function of a dean is conditional upon the prior termination of the dean’s term of office. The dean is accountable for his/her activities to the faculty academic senate. The dean is accountable to the rector for his/her activities in the matters in which he/she acts on behalf of the higher education institution, the economic management of the faculty, and his/her activities within the extent set by internal regulations of the public higher education institution. The term of office of Dean is four years.

Dean is appointed and removed by the rector upon the faculty academic senate proposal. The rector will appoint the candidate proposed by the faculty academic senate if it is not against law. Faculty academic senate will always submit a proposal to remove the dean if he/she was convicted of a deliberate offence, if he/she received a mandatory prison sentence, or if he/she requests to be relieved of his/her office.

Pro-deans (vice-deans) take the dean’s place within the extent defined by the dean. Pro-deans are appointed and removed by the dean upon the approval by the faculty academic senate. A prodean’s term of office is four years.

Legislative references

National Council of the Slovak Republic, 2002. Act No. 131/2002 on higher education and on the change and supplement to some acts (Zákon č. 131/2002 Z.z. o vysokých školách a zmene a doplnení niektorých zákonov) (last accessed 29/12/2022).