University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava (UCM)

Why students choose it

• Admission is mostly by school certificate: the Faculty of Arts holds an entrance exam only for psychology, while the natural and social sciences faculties and the Institute of Management select on grades.
• The Faculty of Mass Media Communication brings media, marketing, digital design and the theory of digital games under one roof, with its own sound, editing and photography studios.
• There are English-taught options: Public relations at the Faculty of Mass Media Communication, Biotechnology and Ecosystem Sciences and Environmental Changes at the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
• Trnava sits 45 km from Bratislava: the train takes about 40 minutes, housing and food cost less than in the capital, and internships in Bratislava stay within reach.
• The university runs its own dormitory in Trnava — 90 EUR per month under the price list valid from 1 September 2026 (indicative, check before you move in).
• A small, young university (founded in 1997): compact groups, approachable lecturers and an active Erasmus+ network.

Faculties and programmes

How international students apply

Application deadlines

UCM keeps a single application deadline for the whole university — 30 April (for 2026/2027 it was 30 April 2026). If places remain after the first round, faculties announce a second round in summer: in 2026 applications were accepted until July and into early September. Where entrance exams are held, they usually take place in June.

Entrance exams

• Faculty of Arts — no entrance exam for any bachelor's or master's programme except psychology.
• Faculty of Mass Media Communication — from January 2026 SCIO tests replace the faculty's own entrance exam; the Digital Design programme may have its own deadline.
• Faculty of Health Sciences — a test at the faculty; physiotherapy applicants also take a physical fitness check.
• Faculty of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences and the Institute of Management — as a rule, selection by school results without an exam.

Documents

• online application at e-prihlaska.ucm.sk and payment of the application fee (40 EUR at the Faculty of Arts; other units may charge a different amount);
• nostrified school certificate — the recognition decision (or proof that the request has been filed) by the faculty's deadline;
• official translation of the certificate and the transcript of grades into Slovak;
• certified copy of the certificate and of the upper-secondary school reports, plus a CV — where the faculty asks for them;
• proof of Slovak language level: the Faculty of Arts asks international applicants for a certificate at roughly A2, and B1 for language programmes; other faculties set their own requirements.

International applicants apply on the same terms, through the same online form. Leave time for nostrification of the school certificate: the decision is not issued overnight, and the faculty needs it by the deadline. We match the faculty to the student's certificate and goals, assemble the documents and keep an eye on the dates — see turnkey admission and the route after the 11th grade.

Based on ucm.sk and the faculty websites as of 08/2026 — check deadlines, fees and the form of the entrance procedure for 2027/2028 before applying.

Dormitory and costs

The university runs its own dormitory in Trnava, and UCM students also receive part of their places in the M. Uhra dormitory on the MTF STU campus in the same city. Under the UCM dormitory price list valid from 1 September 2026, a place for a student for the academic year (September to June) costs 90 EUR per month; indicative 2026, check the price list before you move in.

The application for a place is filed after admission, in summer. Students of the Faculty of Health Sciences study in Piešťany, so housing there is arranged separately. To estimate a year's budget — housing, food, transport — use the cost calculator.

What an international student pays — and what to check

The general Slovak rule: full-time study in the state language at a public university, within the standard length of study, is free of charge — for Slovaks and foreigners alike. But every university issues its own tuition directive, and UCM's directive spells out separate amounts for foreign nationals. This is exactly the kind of detail worth one phone call to the faculty study department before you send the application.

For comparison, see the cards for Comenius University and the University of Economics, where the terms for international students in Slovak-taught programmes are the standard ones.

Trnava: what the city offers a student

Trnava is a small city in western Slovakia with a historic centre so full of churches that it is nicknamed "the Slovak Rome". Bratislava is about 45 km away, trains run frequently and the trip takes roughly 40 minutes — you can live in Trnava and commute to the capital for an internship or a part-time job.

• Housing and food cost less than in the capital — a noticeable difference for a first-year budget.
• A compact centre: university buildings, the dormitory and cafés are all within walking distance.
• An industrial cluster nearby (car manufacturing and its suppliers) offers placements for technical and management students.
• If a larger university in the capital is closer to what you want, look at the Slovak University of Technology.

FAQ