Scholarships and Student Financial Aid in Slovenia
By Muntasir • Published Mar 27, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Education Planning, Study in Europe, Country & City Guides, Scholarships & Funding
Slovenia funds students through a need-based state scholarship, a merit-based Zois scholarship, Ad Futura awards for foreign nationals, and separate funds run by each university. Most state-run awards target Slovenian citizens or long-term residents, so a newly-arrived European student should look first at university funds and the Ad Futura foreign-national track.
💶 Zois scholarship for university students: 176.12 euros a month at home, 352.25 euros abroad
Zois accommodation supplement: 100.64 euros a month
🎓 EU/EEA students already study tuition-free, which is itself a form of aid
Ad Futura runs a separate scholarship track for foreign nationals studying in Slovenia
Each university runs its own emergency and merit funds for enrolled students
The state scholarship
The state scholarship (drzavna stipendija) is Slovenia's main need-based award, run by the Public Scholarship, Development, Disability and Maintenance Fund of the Republic of Slovenia (SRIPS) . It targets students who are citizens of the Republic of Slovenia and meet family income and asset thresholds, with the exact monthly amount set by household income. Because eligibility is built around Slovenian citizenship, a student moving to Slovenia from another European country will not usually qualify for this specific scholarship unless they hold long-term resident status.
Applications for the state scholarship go through the Centers for Social Work, which assess your household income and assets alongside your enrollment status. The award runs for the length of the academic year and gets reassessed each year, so a change in family income can change your amount at renewal.
The Zois scholarship for outstanding students
The Zois scholarship rewards academic or other outstanding achievement rather than financial need, and it is open to secondary school students, university students, and adult learners, according to SRIPS . Foreign and EU nationals can apply if they hold one of a specific set of residence statuses in Slovenia: EU citizenship with at least five years of preliminary residence, EU migrant or frontier worker status, or long-term resident status under Slovenian law, per the University of Ljubljana . That rules out most students arriving fresh for a first degree, but it matters if you have lived and worked in Slovenia already.
Monthly amounts, valid as of 1 March 2025, are set by SRIPS:
| Recipient | Studying in Slovenia | Studying abroad |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary school student | 150.96 euros | 301.92 euros |
| University student | 176.12 euros | 352.25 euros |
Recipients can also claim an accommodation supplement of 100.64 euros a month and a special needs supplement of 62.90 euros a month. You cannot hold a Zois scholarship and an Ad Futura scholarship at the same time.
Your school or faculty usually nominates or forwards Zois applications each year through a call published by SRIPS, rather than you applying directly without any institutional step. Ask your faculty's student office about the current year's Zois timeline as soon as you enroll, since the achievement requirement means you build your case across the academic year, not just at application time.
Ad Futura scholarships for foreign nationals
Ad Futura, also run by SRIPS , covers two different directions of mobility. One track funds Slovenian citizens studying abroad: for the 2025-26 call, a total of 1.9 million euros was available, with tuition covered up to 15,000 euros a year and living costs funded up to 9,600, 12,000, or 15,000 euros a year depending on the destination country, according to Study in Slovenia , with an application deadline of 20 March 2026.
A separate Ad Futura track, called scholarships for foreign nationals in Slovenia, funds international students coming into the country, alongside a postgraduate track tied to development agreements with specific countries. Check the current annual call on the SRIPS site for eligible nationalities and amounts, since these details change between calls.
Erasmus+ funding for exchange students
If you move to Slovenia for a semester or a year through an exchange rather than a full degree, Erasmus+ is the funding route to check first. The grant is paid through your home university under EU-wide rules rather than through a Slovenian agency, and it covers part of your living costs and travel while you study at a partner institution in Slovenia. Ask your home university's international office about the current grant amount and application steps before you commit to an exchange semester.
University-level scholarships and emergency funds
Individual universities run their own funds on top of the national schemes. The University of Ljubljana, for example, offers Heart UL, an emergency fund for students facing a sudden financial crisis, and a set of Open Call Scholarships for students from specific countries or circumstances, according to the university's scholarship page . Amounts and eligible nationalities vary by call, so check your own faculty's page as well as the central university one, since some faculties run additional funds of their own.
Free tuition as aid
For EU/EEA students, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, the biggest financial benefit is built into the system rather than applied for: no tuition fee for full-time bachelor's and master's study, according to the University of Ljubljana . Factor that saving into your overall budget alongside any scholarship you apply for.