Rankings: The 7 best universities in Slovakia for 2025/2026
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Slovakia might not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking about studying abroad, but it’s quickly gaining recognition for its solid universities, low tuition fees, and welcoming atmosphere. Located in Central Europe, the country combines good-quality education with an affordable lifestyle, making it an increasingly smart choice for international students.
Below you will find listed the best universities in Slovakia. At the top of the list is Comenius University in Bratislava, known for its long academic tradition and wide range of study programmes. If you’re more interested in technical fields like IT, engineering, or architecture, the Slovak University of Technology is a strong option. Other notable institutions include the University of Žilina and Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, each offering respected programmes and a more relaxed campus experience outside the capital.
Many Slovak universities are part of international exchange networks like Erasmus+, and more programmes are now available in English (especially at the Master’s level).
With low living costs and a central location in Europe, Slovakia lets you study affordably while still being close to cities like Vienna, Prague, and Budapest.
| University | QS Ranking 2025 | THE Ranking 2025 | ARWU Ranking 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comenius University | 661 | 1201 | 901 |
| Pavol Jozef Šafárik University | 851 | 1201 | – |
| Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra | 1001 | 1501 | – |
| Slovak University of Technology | 1001 | 1501 | – |
| Technical University of Košice | 1001 | – | – |
| University of Žilina | 1001 | 1001 | – |
| Matej Bel University | – | 1501 | – |
The QS World University Rankings are among the most important, most-referenced rankings. The QS ranking relies heavily on its academic survey, asking thousands of academics worldwide about the reputation of universities.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (or the THE Rankings for short) compile a wide range of statistics. Equal weight is put on teaching quality, research excellence, and research impact through citations (meaning how often a university’s research is referenced elsewhere).
The Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (often just Shanghai Ranking, or ARWU) focuses on research output and quality, for example measured by the number of published and cited scientific papers and the number of staff or alumni winning the Nobel Prize or Fields Medal.
Read more about studying in Slovakia
