Jur Hronec Grammar School in Bratislava

Why students choose it

• One of the strongest grammar schools in the country, focused on mathematics, physics, computer science and the natural sciences; pupils compete in subject olympiads every year.
• According to the school, GJH is the only state-funded school in Slovakia running the IB Diploma and the only one offering all three IB programmes — PYP, MYP and DP.
• The bilingual track takes English to C1: the first year is intensive language study, then part of the curriculum is taught in English and the final foreign-language exam is sat at that level.
• The Slovak school-leaving certificate with maturita is recognised across the EU, while the IB Diploma is accepted by universities in Europe, the UK, the USA and Canada.
• Admission criteria and sample entrance tests in mathematics and Slovak are published in advance, so applicants can prepare on real past papers.
• Bratislava location: universities, language schools and transport are close by, and a teenager steps straight into the capital's academic environment.

Faculties and programmes

How international students apply

Application deadlines

Applications to secondary school are filed through the pupil's primary school in the ePrihláška electronic system; the Ministry of Education (minedu.sk) publishes the overall deadlines and exam windows for each academic year. Dates at GJH differ by programme: the bilingual track sits its exams in early spring, the 4-year track in May, and the IB Diploma has its own March date with applications in February. In the 2026/2027 cycle these were 23 and 30 March (bilingual), 4 and 11 May (4-year) and 13 March (IB DP, applications by 28 February). Check gjh.sk for the next cycle.

Entrance exams

• 4-year programme — written tests in Slovak language and literature and in mathematics.
• 5-year bilingual programme — three parts: a general study aptitude test, a general language aptitude test and a written mathematics paper.
• IB Diploma — written papers in mathematics and English plus an assessment of personal aptitude; the conduct grade is also taken into account.
• The school publishes the admission criteria (Kritériá) for each programme and sample tests in mathematics and Slovak — the most useful material to prepare on.

Documents

• an application in the ePrihláška system, filed through the primary school;
• school reports and the certificate of completing 9 grades, with an official translation into Slovak;
• a decision recognising the foreign education document for the purpose of continuing studies, issued by the regional school administration office (regionálny úrad školskej správy) under Act No. 422/2015 Coll.;
• documents of the pupil and the legal guardian, plus proof of legal residence in Slovakia;
• for the bilingual and IB programmes, the level of English is checked at the entrance exam itself.

International applicants apply on general terms: first the recognition of the 9-grade certificate, then the application and the entrance exams. How recognition works is covered in the article on recognising a school certificate; the full route is on the admission after 9th grade page. Choosing the school, documents, visa and housing for a teenager — turnkey admission.

Based on gjh.sk, ib.gjh.sk and minedu.sk as of 08/2026 — check each cycle's deadlines and criteria before applying.

Dormitory and costs

The school website lists no dormitory of its own. Pupils from other towns and from abroad usually live in the school dormitories run by the Bratislava self-governing region, which take pupils from various secondary schools, or rent a flat together with their parents. A place in a Bratislava school dormitory costs roughly 70–120 € per month without meals, which are paid separately (2026 estimates, based on dormitory websites and bratislavskykraj.sk — check the amounts and availability). Places are limited, so apply early.

You can estimate the full yearly budget in the cost calculator.

Who this school suits

GJH is academically demanding and selective. It suits a teenager who enjoys mathematics and the sciences, is ready to sit written entrance exams and plans to move on to a competitive university, in Slovakia or abroad. If the priority is different — a profession and hands-on practice as early as possible — a vocational school is the better fit, for example the school of business in Senica, which teaches economics and IT after 9th grade and ends with a maturita.

• Language start: the exams are in Slovak, so begin the language 8–12 months before applying — Slovak is close to Ukrainian and Russian, and a year is usually enough to reach primary-school level.
• Choosing a track: the 4-year programme if the pupil is confident in Slovak; the 5-year bilingual one if English matters and there is a spare year; the IB Diploma only after a couple of years of secondary school.
• Plan for the selection: the bilingual programme takes a single class and the IB just over twenty students, so it is worth applying to a second school as well.

FAQ