How to Get Into a University in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has no national application portal and no common admission score. You apply directly to a university or to one of its faculties, and each of them publishes its own call for enrolment, usually called a konkurs za upis. Because education is organised by several authorities, the dates, documents and fees differ from one university to the next.

Why the rules differ

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Republika Srpska, the ten cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Brčko District each have "full and undivided competence in education". There is no state-level ministry of education. The state level has agencies instead, such as the Agency for the Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance (HEAA), which keeps the state register of accredited institutions, and the Centre for Information and Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education (CIP).

In practice this means that two universities in the same city can use different calendars and different fee decisions. Always read the call of the exact faculty you want.

What our catalogue covers

Our catalogue lists 679 full-time first-cycle programmes at 45 institutions and campuses, both public and private, in the Federation, Republika Srpska and Brčko District. The Law on Aliens allows a student residence permit only if you are enrolled at an accredited institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the HEAA publishes the list of accredited institutions. Check it before you pay any deposit.

How admission works

Eurydice describes the usual pattern at public universities:

you need four years of secondary school;
admission runs once a year, in late June and early July: application, a written entrance exam and enrolment;
the call with the detailed conditions appears about a month before enrolment;
places are split between state-funded (budget) students and self-financing students;
applicants are ranked on their secondary-school results and the entrance exam;
a second registration period opens in September for places that are still free, and for candidates who finished secondary school abroad.

The University of Banja Luka shows how this looks in a real calendar. For 2024/25 its first round took documents on 24–28 June with the entrance exam on 1 July, and its second round took documents on 26–30 August with the exam on 2 September. The University of Sarajevo says its first-year competition is usually held in mid-June and that each faculty or academy sets its own dates. Calendars change every year, so read the current call.

Private universities publish their own calls and fees, and many English-taught programmes run on separate timetables. Ask the admissions office directly.

Applicants with a foreign school diploma

The University of Sarajevo says that foreign nationals who completed a four-year secondary school in Bosnia and Herzegovina compete on the same terms as local candidates. Candidates who finished secondary school abroad may enter the competition before their certificate is recognised, but they can enrol in the first year only once recognition ("nostrification") is complete, at the latest by the start of the academic year. If the procedure is still running, the faculty may accept certified court-interpreter translations with the application.

The University of Banja Luka states that anyone with a four-year secondary school in Bosnia and Herzegovina or "a corresponding secondary school abroad" may enrol, and that for foreign diplomas the competent authority carries out a recognition procedure. Its list of documents includes:

an extract from the birth register;
a citizenship certificate not older than six months;
the original school certificates for every secondary grade and the original diploma;
proof of payment of the entrance-exam fee;
a medical certificate, which is due at application for some faculties and at enrolment for the others.

Start recognition early, because it is done by the education ministry of the entity or canton and not by the university. See document recognition for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Fees and status

The University of Banja Luka lists three categories of full-time student: budget students, self-financing students and foreign citizens. The fee for foreign students is set by the university's management board. Our catalogue treats EU citizens like other foreigners, because we found no separate EU tariff. See how much it costs to study in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

English-taught options

Our catalogue lists 55 programmes taught in English, mostly at private universities in Sarajevo, and some at public universities. Everything else is taught in Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian. See bachelor's degrees in English in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Step by step

Shortlist programmes and check that the institution is on the HEAA list.
Read the call of the faculty: places, entrance exam, documents, dates.
Start recognition of your secondary-school diploma.
Apply within the call's window and pay the exam fee, if there is one.
Sit the entrance exam, check the ranking list, and enrol.
After enrolment, arrange your visa and residence permit; see student visa for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Where to look next

Official sources

Eurydice: Bosnia and Herzegovina, bachelor: European Commission
Ministry of Civil Affairs: institutions in the education sector
HEAA: list of accredited higher education institutions (in Bosnian)
University of Sarajevo: enrolment of foreign students and nostrification
University of Banja Luka: admission guide 2024/25 (in Bosnian)

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.