How to Get Into a University in Montenegro as an International Student

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Montenegro has one main public university, the University of Montenegro, and a small number of private universities and faculties. The University of Montenegro says that foreign citizens may enrol on the same conditions as Montenegrin citizens, under the Law on Higher Education and the university's statute. This guide explains how that works in practice and what you must prepare.

The catalogue in numbers

Our catalogue lists 109 full-time first-cycle programmes across 16 institutions and campuses, public and private. Most are in Podgorica, with others in Nikšić, Cetinje, Bar, Bijelo Polje, Kotor, Herceg Novi, Berane, Budva and Tivat. Almost all are taught in Montenegrin. Only 2 are marked as taught in English, which is covered in bachelor's degrees in English in Montenegro. You can browse everything in the Montenegro catalogue.

The University of Montenegro: one yearly competition

The university enrols students through a public competition (konkurs) that it announces in the second half of June. The 2026/27 competition offered 3,239 places in the first year of bachelor's studies. For 2026/27 the stages were:

Application on 25 and 26 June 2026, closing at 16:00, on the national platform upisi.edu.me or, if that is not possible, at the student office of the faculty.
Subject tests on 29 June 2026 for candidates who did not take the Montenegrin external matura. These are tests in two subjects relevant to the programme.
Entrance exams on 30 June and 1 July 2026 for Medicine, Dentistry (Stomatology), Architecture, Psychology, Physical Culture and Healthy Lifestyles, and the artistic programmes.
Enrolment by 3 July 2026, following each faculty's schedule.

The university has not yet published the 2027/28 competition. Judging by earlier years, expect a similar timetable, and check the university page in spring.

What applicants from abroad submit

The online platform pulls school results from Montenegrin state registers. A foreign applicant is not in those registers, so the system tells you that your data was not found. In that case you apply in person, or through the faculty, with original documents. The competition lists:

the original diploma of the external matura or professional exam, or the equivalent diploma from your country;
the original certificate for each year of secondary school;
the Luča diploma or an equivalent diploma, if you have one;
a copy of your identity document;
a diploma for a first or second prize in a national or international competition, if you have one.

Foreign nationals also submit proof of proficiency in the language of instruction, unless they finished secondary school in a language that is official in Montenegro. The competition does not name accepted certificates, so ask the faculty what it takes.

To apply you need a qualification at level IV-1 of the National Qualifications Framework, which in practice means completed secondary education.

Recognition of your school diploma

Foreign applicants must have their school documents recognised. If the procedure has been started but is not finished by the application deadline, you can apply and enrol conditionally on the certificate that the procedure is under way. If recognition is not completed by the start of the academic year, or is refused, the enrolment is treated as void. Begin as early as you can. The steps are in document recognition for Montenegro.

How applicants are ranked

Enrolment is competitive. Candidates are ranked by their results in secondary school, and by the external matura where they have it, and the faculty publishes a ranking list. Some programmes add an entrance exam, as listed above.

Private universities

Private institutions run their own calls. The University of Donja Gorica, for example, says that everyone who completed four-year secondary school at home or abroad may apply, and that foreign and domestic students have the same rights and obligations and pay the same tuition. For 2026/27 it accepted documents on 25, 26 and 29 June 2026. The Faculty of Management in Herceg Novi accepted documents from 1 to 30 September 2026. Dates differ by institution, and several have later rounds, so read each call.

Before you apply to a private institution, check that it is accredited and licensed. According to Eurydice, an institution needs an accreditation certificate from the Agency for Quality Assurance of Higher Education and a work licence from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation before it may enrol students.

Where to look next

Official sources

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