Scholarships for Slovakia

Study Languages, History, Or Political Science In The Slovak Republic

Slovakia, once known as Moravia, is a Central/Eastern European country that borders on Poland, Hungary, Austria, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic, from which it separated in 1993. Slovakia is now a member of NATO, the European Union, and the eurozone, and has attracted a significant amount of foreign investment, particularly in the banking, automotive, and electronic industries.

Like the rest of the world, Slovakia feels the economic downturn, but its post-Soviet Era economic reforms have placed it in a stable position for recovery. The country welcomes foreign students, even establishing a National Scholarship Programme to assist those sponsored by Slovak universities. You can download the International Student’s Guide To Slovakia from the British Council to gather some ideas about what your studies in Slovakia will bring.

Government Scholarships

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, underwritten by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, permits a more diverse population of students to complete part of their education abroad. Any undergraduate who receives a Pell Grant may also apply for a Gilman scholarship, which can be for as much as $5,000. If you are studying one of the Critical Need languages such as Arabic or Russian, you may qualify for a supplement of $3,000.

The Gilman awards look for students who might not otherwise study abroad due to financial need. To send a more broad cross-section of students overseas, the Gilmans include community college students, those in sciences or engineering, disabled students, and those with varied ethnic backgrounds. Details on the Gilman program can be found here, and you may start the application process here.

The National Security Education Program (NSEP) funds the Boren Awards, meaning the David L. Boren Scholarships (for undergraduates) and Fellowships (for graduate students). NSEP’s goal is to keep the U. S. on a firm footing internationally by making sure college students are familiar with not only the languages, but also the cultures of other nations.

To further that end, the Borens require a language component in the studies they fund. Slovak, the official language of Slovakia, is on the Boren list of preferred languages.

Since Boren scholarship studies are intended to immerse the student in another language and culture, proposals for lengthier stays (of at least two semesters) are preferred. The maximum given for a scholarship is $20,000, and for a fellowship $30,000. The NSEP Service Requirement, a year of government service for each year of financial aid, applies.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program requires you to design your own course of foreign study. You must be at least a graduating senior to apply, and in order to study in Slovakia you must know the language. You will have to find a Slovak university willing to host you. Fulbright has designated two grants specifically for Slovakian study.

If you are a graduate student in engineering, mathematics, or one of a list of approved sciences found on this page, the Central Europe Summer Research Institute (CESRI) offers fellowships for research in Slovakia. The program is sometimes suspended, so make sure to check its current status.

CESRI usually expects you to initiate contact with a mentor at a Slovakian university, but since Slovakia is considered underrepresented in the sciences, you may be able to get assistance making plans to study there. Fellowships include a $2,000 stipend, health insurance, room and board, and travel expenses.

IREX is a nonprofit that administers the Individual Advanced Research Opportunities Program (IARO), which permits post-graduate students to travel to Slovakia for research that relates to current issues (microfinance in Tajikistan, the Roma minority in Hungary) considered important to foreign policy. The grants support study for two to nine months, and include both travel and living expenses.

Private Funding

After 2013, the Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships will take the form of district grants and global grants. The money that disbursed can be used in various ways, including scholarships designed entirely by local Rotary chapters (the district grants) and funding for graduate studies (the global grants). That puts a great deal of flexibility into the program and requires applicants to work directly with Rotary in order to qualify.

The American Council of Learned Societies provides a number of fellowships, including the Dissertation Fellowships in East European Studies. This $18,000 award pays for a year’s study in Slovakia, and recipients of a research fellowship must research a topic in East European studies for a dissertation. A separate fellowship supports the writing phase, which will occur in the United States.

Any topic in the humanities or social sciences is eligible, but you must make a strong case for the importance of your work.

College Scholarships

The University of Pittsburgh has a department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, which sponsors a summer language study program held partly in Slovakia. Its Slovak Studies Program also sends students to the Slovakian capital, Bratislava, during the summer. Slavic Studies majors may apply for several scholarships:

• The Nationality Room Scholarship, for cultural immersion programs, goes to an undergraduate with a 3.0 GPA
• The university’s Summer Language Institute has its own set of scholarships listed here
• The department awards its own scholarship, the Thomas Kukucka Memorial Award.