How to apply for MEi:CogSci programme in Bratislava

Application deadline for the academic year 2024-25 is 30th April 2025!


The master programme in cognitive science is taught in English at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava and follows the admission procedure described below. Because there is no equivalent program taught in Slovak, there is currently no tuition fee for the study regardless of the domicile of the applicant. We welcome applicants from various areas of science (formal science, natural science, social science, humanities). We prefer the diversity of candidates with different backgrounds.

The number of students admitted to the programme is limited to max. 25 per year. The programme starts in the winter semester (mid September). In order to assess your qualification for the cognitive science master programme, we ask you to follow the application procedure as stated below. All deadlines and dates concern the application for the current calendar year.

Please read thoroughly the instructions below. In case of any remaining questions, do not hesitate to contact the study tutor Martin Takac.

1. Application Phase

As the first step, you need to fill in the application form via the university electronic system:

  • Click on "Apply now" to get into the electronic system or go directly to http://e-prihlaska.uniba.sk.
  • Change language to English by clicking on SK in the top right corner and selecting EN from the list.
  • Register and sign in.
  • In "select study degree" list, choose "II. degree of study".
  • In "enter stud. prog. name" field, fill in "cognitive science".
  • Add the found program to My briefcase and then create New application therein.
  • Start filling in the application by clicking on "Fill-in" and follow the instructions to complete the submission process.
  • Besides the application form, we will need some accompanying documents - some of them suffice in electronic form, others we need in paper (see below for details). In the case of electronic documents, you can attach the scanned or photographed documents in sufficient quality into the electronic application system, or send by e-mail to prijimacky@fmph.uniba.sk, but it must be by April 30, 2025, because the results provided later will not be taken into account and the consequence may be non-admission to study! For paper documents, see the deadlines below.
  • After submission, the electronic application itself does not need to be printed and sent by post in paper form.

The documents sufficent in electronic form (to be delivered by April 30, 2024)

  • Copy of your passport or identity card
  • Confirmation of paid application fee

The documents needed to be sent by post in paper form (important!)

  • Students who have already completed bachelor's degree: send a certified copy of the official translation (into English or Slovak) of the bachelor's diploma by April 30. The students who will complete their bachelor's degree this academic year, send it as soon as you obtain it; before we receive it, only conditional acceptance to the programme is possible.
  • Accepted applicants who completed their bachelor's degree at institutions outside of Slovakia will be required to provide Certificate of degree equivalence confirming that their bachelor's degree is recognized in Slovakia. Please start to organize it early, because it takes time to obtain it. Send the certificate to us in paper as soon as you receive it. Without this document, a decision on acceptance will not be issued; only a conditional acceptance. For the students who need visa to study in Slovakia: your study visa can only be granted after full (non-conditional) acceptance to the study programme.

Please be aware that official documents (bachelor/master degree certificate, transcript of grades) need to be provided in English or Slovak. If they are translations from other languages, the translations must be by certified translators. Copies have to be legalised by a notary. Send all the documents to the address:

Studijne oddelenie
Fakulta matematiky, fyziky a informatiky
Univerzity Komenskeho
Mlynska dolina F1
842 48 Bratislava
Slovak Republic

Application fee

The application fee of 15 EUR is payable by a bank transfer.

Account number/IBAN: SK 88 8180 0000 0070 0013 8327
SWIFT: SPSRSKBA
Account name: Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave

Bank address:
Štátna pokladnica
Radlinského 32
810 05 Bratislava

For payments from Slovakia, include Variable symbol 800 and Specific symbol - your birthdate number (10 digits).
For payments from abroad, include the following reference for the recipient: VS800 your name

2. Entrance exam

Upon receiving your application and the requested documents, the Study office will check them out and send you an email with a link and login data for the entrance exam that will be realized via an electronic submission system. The submission system will be open from 8:00am CEST (GMT+2) on May 5 2025 till 10:00pm CEST (GMT+2) on May 8 2025. During that period, you will be able to answer the questions provided in the online form and upload additional documents. Once you log in the submission system, there will be detailed instructions there about what to upload and/or fill in. You can expect questions focusing mostly on your motivation to study cognitive science, your past activities toward this goal, and a research question you would like to pursue during your studies. We also advice you to prepare some documents in advance:

  • official translation (into English or Slovak) of the supplement to the diploma or an official translation (into English or Slovak) of the transcript of completed courses during the entire bachelor studies, together with a weighted academic average.
  • Proof of English language proficiency (required for non-native speakers of English)
  • Structured CV
  • 1-2 letters of reference (optional)

Proof of English language proficiency

Applicants who are not native speakers of English must demonstrate English proficiency (on B2 level or higher) by either:

  • presenting results in an internationally recognized test (e.g. TOEFL: min. 230 computer-based, 570 paper-based or 88 internet-based; Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English) or
  • proof of higher education in English or
  • any other equivalent proof of English language proficiency

Evaluation procedure and evaluation criteria

Your submitted materials will be evaluated by the entrance exam committee for fulfilment of the conditions for admission to the study programme. In particular, the committee will assess your relevant previous interdisciplinary experience, motivation for study and the research plan. In justified cases, the committee can decide to invite you for a further oral (online) interview – in that case you will be contacted by email with further instructions immediately.

You will receive a notification of the result of your entrance exam by email within a week from the entrance exam. However, in case of a positive result, an official acceptance letter will only be issued by the study office and sent to the contact address you have indicated in your application form once we receive a certified paper copy of the official translation of your bachelor's diploma, or, in case of applicants who completed their bachelor's degree at institutions outside of Slovakia, Certificate of degree equivalence.

3. Admission at the Comenius University in Bratislava

After receiving your written official notification of admission you will be asked to confirm your interest to study at Comenius University in Bratislava, by sending an email to the Head of the Study office (to so@fmph.uniba.sk), by the end of July. In case you will need accommodation at the dormitory, do not forget to apply (by informing the Head of the Study office).

In-person registration of accepted students will take place shortly before the beginning of the academic year (before mid September).

Visa

International students coming to our faculty from countries with which the Slovak Republic has visa relations must first obtain a visa (student, working, tourist, etc.) through the relevant consular department of the Slovak Embassy. For more detailed information on obtaining these visas, please visit the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For your visa application, you will need from our side (the faculty) a cover letter with the following documents:

  • confirmation of admission to study
  • confirmation of accommodation
  • confirmation of financial security/scholarship
If the student manages to arrange the visa and arrives in Slovakia, the next step is to arrange a temporary stay. Information regarding this step, as well as health insurance info, is available on the faculty's website.

Please note that Comenius University in Bratislava does not take responsibility for accepted applicant's obligations to legalize their stay in Slovak Republic. Please see also practical information for international students at the university webpages.

Time frame of the process

Please be aware that obtaining official documents such as Certificate of degree equivalence or visa is a long process, that is why plan ahead and organize everything early. Here is a summary of steps you need to take:

  1. Obtain a bachelor's diploma
  2. If needed, apply for the Certificate of degree equivalence (the fastest way may be via the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak republic, usually around 30 days if all the required documents were provided correctly).
  3. Pass the entrance exam (May)
  4. Upon receiving the certified paper copy of the diploma or the certificate of equivalence, the study office will send you the acceptance letter.
  5. If visa needed, apply for visa (you will need to provide the acceptance letter). Obtaining the visa can take up to several months, depending on the country.
  6. Enroll for study in person (mid-September).
  7. The semester usually begins around September 20 on Monday. Note that the classes take the presence form.