“Do you want to study in Slovakia for free? Subscribe to my Telegram channel…” – a pretty girl in the promotional video talks about the completely “stratified” conditions of study in Slovak universities. She says the word “free” many times, emphasizing each syllable. Of course, she is not the only one doing such a promotion. My information bubble almost bursts from the offers of various educational agencies, which “thanks” to network algorithms, instantly respond to a search query about universities in Bratislava. All of them promise a heavenly life and free conditions for obtaining an education for Ukrainian applicants.
And what in reality? And in real life, we advise you to get first-hand information from those of our boys and girls who are already walking the thorny path to a Slovak higher education diploma.
We talked to a guy (let’s call him Maxim) who studies at one of Bratislava’s universities and created a student estimate that allows those who plan to get an education in Slovakia to navigate the costs.
What does student life abroad consist of?
First of all, from the hostel. It costs 110 euros per month. Payment must be made five days before each new month, otherwise a penalty will be added to the principal amount. For the first two years of study, students are entitled to a dormitory without any additional conditions. In the future, they must earn this right. As? Active participation in the social life of the university, organization of holidays, cleaning, etc. Doesn’t remind you of anything? For the summer, students are evicted from the dormitories, or they stay, paying double the tariff. Such a condition for Ukrainian boys, who cannot go to their native homes during the holidays, is quite onerous.
Next, transport communications and the Internet. A travel ticket for a year costs 100 euros, if you managed to buy it within the student year and, of course, you have an “Isyk”. If not, then every three months of travel will cost you 50 euros. Internet usage costs 12 euros per month or 50 euros per year.
Food. This item of the student budget is probably the most costly and problematic, because food in Slovakia is not cheap and is very far from the usual tastes of Ukrainian products. On average, 250 euros per month is spent on food. Of course, our boys and girls try to save, look for products with discounts, so it’s about the food minimum that allows you to simply satisfy hunger. For example, a pie in the university quarter costs 1 euro. A trip to McDonald’s, which is adored by young people, starts at 10 euros. A slice of bistro pizza costs 2 euros or more.
Of course, you can cook certain dishes yourself and buy raw products for this: chicken, which costs 7-8 euros per kilogram, beef for 15 euros/kilogram, rice for 1.2 euros/kilogram, onions for 0.75 euros/kilogram etc. But you should know that there are no dishes in the dormitories, so you will have to buy pots, pans, an electric kettle, plates, spoons, and forks in addition to food. In order not to continue the list, you can give preference to eating ready meals.
Life also requires considerable expenses. One-time laundry in the hostel will cost 2.75 euros. The drying procedure will cost the same. Of course, you can save on this by purchasing a dryer for your room. But you won’t save on washing powder – it is not included in the cost of washing and is purchased separately for 26 euros/three-liter container of detergent.
To use the services of a hairdresser – 10 euros, if the craftsman is from Ukraine and serves several students at home at once, a manicure – about 50 euros. Sports classes cost 50 euros per year if you buy a subscription right away, or 14 euros per month.
Regarding medical services, Maksym says that he paid mandatory medical insurance – it is 260 euros, provided that you are completely healthy and do not have chronic diseases. All the medicines that the boy uses are brought by him from Ukraine, so this expense item is not relevant for him yet.
Same with clothes/shoes. All this is also brought from home and is not taken into account in the student estimate. However, there are no eternal sneakers, just like eternal jackets, t-shirts, and pants. And it should not be discounted.
So, in total, we come out to 400 euros per month, or 17 thousand in hryvnias, which must be paid for “free” education in Slovakia. The amount was considerable for an average Ukrainian, given the average salary of UAH 20,000. At the same time, we remember that the estimate is not complete. At least occasionally, but clothes and shoes will have to be updated, as well as digital equipment, without which learning is impossible. Of course, you can send something necessary to a student from Ukraine, but you need to be prepared that a parcel of 10 kg will cost 1,300 UAH and will take a long time to reach its destination.
To balance the budget, Ukrainian students go to work in Slovakia. During their studies, they are entitled to 20 weekly hours. But this is a topic that needs a separate conversation.
