Despite being a small country in Europe, Slovenia has some of the best universities. Overseas students can easily secure their seats in these universities.
To narrow down your choices as to which university to go for, we give you some of the top universities in Slovenia for masters.
Top Universities In Slovenia for Masters
1. University of Ljubljana (UL)
The University of Ljubljana is the best university for higher education in Slovenia for international students. It was established in 1919 in the country’s capital city, where it first taught medicine, philosophy, theology, law, and technology. Today, the research university offers undergraduate to postgraduate degrees across 23 faculties in almost all fields of knowledge. The UL also manages three art academies covering the fine arts, music, and film & television, and a university library which is considered the national library of Slovenia.
There are currently around 43000 students attending the University of Ljubljana, including over 2000 international students. The UL’s internationalization initiatives can also be seen in its close ties with international companies, as well as with organizations in the public and private sector to contribute to social development.
2. University of Maribor
The University of Maribor is the second oldest and largest university in Slovenia. This top university in Slovenia is known to enter the top 1% of higher education institutions in the field of Physics and has the highest number of citations in the subject area among the qualifying universities. Furthermore, the University of Maribor is organized into 17 faculties across a broad range of disciplines, from the sciences to the arts, to technology.
International activity and mobility are some of the priorities of the University of Maribor where they facilitate inter-university and inter-faculty agreements, as well as cooperate with various international organizations. International students, and even foreign faculty, will find the university most open and knowledge and cultural exchange.
3. University of Primorska (UP)
The University of Primorska is the leading institution for higher education in Slovenia. It is a relatively young public university established in 2003 and comprises six faculties, one college, and one institute. These are the Faculties of Humanities, Education, Management, Health Care, Tourism Studies, and Mathematics, Natural Sciences, & Information Technologies. There’s also the College of Design and the Andrej Marušič Institute for research in mathematics and computer science.
This top university in Slovenia offers undergraduate to postgraduate study programs, as well as study programs in English in several subject areas for international students. Moreover, the UP currently implements 180 international projects financed by different European organizations. Through these initiatives, the UP helps students achieve their goals with quality teaching and global practical experiences.
4. University of Nova Gorica
The University of Nova Gorica, one of the best universities in Slovenia for international students, is a private research university formed by a merger of two former research institutes with the participation of two Slovene municipalities. Today, the university’s main activities include scientific research in 12 research units, as well as higher education at the undergraduate to graduate levels across seven schools. These are the schools for Science, Environmental Sciences, Humanities, Arts, Engineering and Management, Viticulture and Enology, and a graduate school.
The proximity of Nova Gorica to Italy introduced different forms of cooperation in cultural, entertainment, and academic activity. Besides the European neighbor, the university also participates in international academic and industry activities for better learning opportunities for local and international students alike.
5. Alma Mater Europaea – European Center Maribor (AMEU – ECM)
The Alma Mater Europaea – European Center Maribor is a non-profit research university and the first campus of the larger international university network, Alma Mater Europaea. The headquarters and most academic facilities are located in Maribor, with a few programs held in Ljubljana and Murska Sobota. The ECM campus actively participates with branches in Salzburg and other European cities, as well as institutions outside Europe for a wider knowledge and cultural exchange.
This top institution in Slovenia offers accredited study programs across the following subject areas: physical therapy, nursing, social gerontology, management and European studies, and archival and documentology studies. The university hosts several international research projects and supports students engaging in professional athletics.
Why Study In Slovenia for Masters
1. It’s free for EU/EEA students
If you come from the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA), you can study at Slovenian public universities for free. This also applies to students from the following countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia (formerly known as Macedonia), and Serbia.
If you’re not a citizen of any of these countries, expect to pay between 2,000 and 15,000 EUR per academic year, depending on what you want to study and at what level (Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD).
2. No language barriers
In most cases, you should be alright only with English. Most people under 40 speak it at least at conversational level, especially in student cities like Ljubljana, Maribor, and Koper.
However, it’s never a bad idea to learn at least a few words in Slovenian. Here are a few to get you started: zdravo (hello), hvala (thanks), prosim (please), enjoy your meal (dober tek), etc.
3. Slovenia is a beautiful country
If you’re a nature enthusiast, you’ll feel right at home in Slovenia. You can take a stroll through the numerous parks and forests, visit Lake Bled, explore the Postojna Cave, take a walk along the historic Soteska Vintgar gorge, climp up the Triglav mountain, or visit the oldest vine in the entire world, in Maribor.
International focus
In recent years, higher education in Slovenia has undergone several structural changes, rapid institutional development and new study programme implementation. As a result, Slovenia became an increasingly popular international student destination. Just under 2,000 foreign students are currently studying in Slovenia.
The great majority of these students come from the republics of the former Yugoslavia, mainly because of cultural links and similarities of language. Foreign students account for almost 10% of doctoral students.
General application requirements
Foreign citizens and Slovenians without Slovenian citizenship who completed secondary school abroad may enroll in Bachelor studies if they meet the following requirements:
- completed four-year secondary school
- completed procedure for the recognition of foreign secondary education certificates
- successful result on required tests, if applicable
- knowledge of the Slovenian language
Copies of certificates and other documents which candidates must send to the Higher Education Application Information Service of the chosen Slovenian university:
- notarized final certificate of a four year secondary school
- a secondary school diploma
- notarised transcripts for the last two years of completed secondary school recording academic performance
- personal identity cards or certificates of citizenship
- certificate indicating that the candidate has passed the Examination in Intermediate Level Slovenian
The general access requirement for masters’ study programmes is a completed first cycle study programme. Admission requirements may vary depending on the chosen higher education institution. Contact the international student departments for detailed information.
Academic structure
Higher education studies are provided by public and private universities, faculties, art academies and professional colleges. Universities, faculties and art academies may provide all types of study programmes, while professional colleges generally focus on bachelor level study programmes.
Study programmes
Higher education system in Slovenia is consists of Bachelor level academic and professional study programmes, masters’ study programmes and professional degrees as well as doctoral studies. Degrees in all three cycles can be taken as joint degrees. Higher education institutions may provide supplementary study programmes as a form of lifelong learning. Studies are organised as full-time and part-time respectively.
Language of study
Besides the higher education programmes taught in Slovenian, you can find a considerable selection of English-taught programmes in diverse academic fields. If your study programme is taught in English, you will be required to prove your English proficiency by presenting the results you received at English courses.
If you want to study abroad in Slovenia, you are most likely to find courses fully or partially taught in English in universities in the big cities. Usually, postgraduate courses do not require knowledge of Slovenian.
As part of the Erasmus international student exchange network, Slovenia is looking to expand its offer of English-taught programmes in order to attract more European students who want to study abroad. As a result, some universities recruit experienced English native speaking teachers from the UK, Slovenia and Switzerland to encourage the enrolment of students coming from abroad.
English language preparation for studying in Slovenia
Develop your academic English language skills in order to meet the English language requirements at Slovenian universities offering degree studies for international students. Choose an English language school anywhere in the world and pick your preferred English exam preparation course from diverse language course options.
Universities accept these official English exams:
- PTE Academic
- IELTS
- TOEFL
- C1 Advanced
Teaching methods
Higher education institutions use various teaching methods such as lectures, seminars, exercises, colloquium and written assignments. Usually lectures are given for a large group of students, while the seminars and exercises are usually offered for a smaller group of students. The studies also demand a lot of individual and preparatory work.
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