Technical University of Košice (TUKE)

Why students choose it

• The largest technical university in eastern Slovakia: IT, electrical and mechanical engineering, aeronautics — fields where students in Košice find work while still studying (Košice IT Valley cluster, T-Systems, Deutsche Telekom IT, the car industry).
• Most faculties admit without entrance exams — based on the school certificate; exceptions are the Faculty of Arts (talent exam) and the pilot programme.
• A noticeably lower cost of living than in Bratislava: dormitory, food and transport are cheaper in Košice.
• A large community of students from Ukraine and other CIS countries: Slovak is close to Ukrainian and Russian, adaptation is faster; preparatory Slovak courses are available.
• Own campus with dormitories next to the teaching buildings; university library, sports centre, well-equipped laboratories.
• The engineering degree (Ing.) is recognised across the EU; strong industry links and Erasmus+ programmes.

Faculties and programmes

How international students apply

Application deadlines

Most faculties accept applications until the end of March — end of April, many open a second round in summer (June — August). The Faculty of Arts closes earlier (roughly November — December) because of the talent exam. Exact dates — on the faculty website.

Entrance exams

• Faculty of Arts — talent exam (portfolio, creative tasks).
• Faculty of Aeronautics, pilot programme — medical examination and additional conditions; other programmes of the faculty — by certificate.
• FEI, SjF, SvF, EkF, FBERG, FMMR, FVT — usually no exams, ranking by school certificate; in case of high competition grades in mathematics and physics are considered.

Documents

• online application (e-prihláška) on the faculty website and the application fee;
• nostrified school certificate — the recognition decision (or proof of filing) by the faculty deadline;
• official translation of the certificate and transcript into Slovak;
• proof of Slovak level as required by the faculty (usually B1–B2 or an interview).

International students apply on the same terms as Slovaks. We match the faculty to the certificate and goals, handle nostrification and track the deadlines — see turnkey admission and the general route after the 11th grade.

Based on tuke.sk and the faculty websites as of 08/2026 — check the 2027/2028 deadlines and requirements before applying.

Dormitory and costs

TUKE has its own student campus on Terasa (Jedlíkova street) next to the teaching buildings: dormitories Jedlíkova, Boženy Němcovej, Ferka Urbánka and others. A place for a first-year student costs roughly 80–150 € per month depending on the building (2026, check the TUKE dormitory website). International students get places on equal terms with Slovaks; the application is filed after admission, usually in summer.

Estimate the full yearly budget in Košice — housing, food, transport — in the cost calculator.

Košice as a student city

Košice is the second city of Slovakia (about 230,000 inhabitants), the centre of the east of the country, 20 km from the Hungarian border and 90 km from Ukraine. It hosts two large universities — TUKE and Pavol Jozef Šafárik University — as well as the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy. The city is known for the Košice IT Valley cluster and the U.S. Steel plant; for TUKE students this means internships and part-time jobs in their field.

• Bratislava is about 5 hours by train or an hour by plane; Uzhhorod, Lviv and Budapest are a few hours by bus.
• The cost of living is below the capital's: renting a room, transport and food are noticeably cheaper.
• A large Ukrainian- and Russian-speaking student community makes the first months easier.

FAQ