IB Diploma and University Admission in Slovakia: Recognition, Tests and Deadlines

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Slovakia has no special admission rules for the IB Diploma and no national formula that turns IB points into a Slovak grade. The diploma counts as a complete secondary education once it is recognised, and then each faculty applies its own selection. For most IB students, and for everyone applying to medicine, what decides the result is the faculty's entrance exam, not the IB total.

Is the IB Diploma accepted?

Yes, as a school-leaving qualification. The Higher Education Act (Act 300/2025) sets one basic condition for a bachelor's or long-cycle programme: a complete secondary education. How you prove it depends on where your IB school is.

IB taken at a school abroad. The diploma is a foreign certificate and needs recognition by a regional school administration office (RÚŠS). Comenius University's Faculty of Medicine, for example, lists "an IB diploma issued outside Slovakia" among the cases that need this recognition, often called nostrification. The ministry's ready-made recognition statements are issued per country for national certificates, so do not count on one covering your IB.
IB taken at a school in Slovakia. Under the School Act (Act 245/2008, § 2), an international programme run by a Slovak school with the ministry's consent gives a certificate that is recognised for further study in Slovakia.

The office decides within one month where a bilateral agreement applies and within two months otherwise. You send a certified copy of the diploma with an official Slovak translation; the steps and fees are in document recognition for Slovakia.

Minimum requirements

There is no national IB threshold, no list of required Higher Level subjects and no rule on languages. Each faculty sets its own conditions, and they are published on Portál VŠ for every programme. Aim for the full Diploma: with course results alone, ask the regional office before you apply whether they will be recognised as a complete secondary education.

How IB grades are used

Slovak faculties select in one of three ways: their own entrance exam, admission on school or school-leaving exam results, or a mix. There is no official conversion of IB points to the Slovak scale. If a faculty admits on results, ask it in writing how it reads IB grades. If it holds an exam, your IB score only needs to secure the diploma.

Deadlines and the July results

IB results for the May session arrive in early July. Most Slovak deadlines for 2027/28 fall between the end of February and the end of April 2027, so you will usually apply before you have the diploma. The law allows for that:

you can be admitted conditionally and must prove that you meet the conditions, recognition included, by enrolment day;
some faculties accept a letter from your school instead of the diploma when you apply, as Comenius University's Faculty of Medicine does.

With up to two months for the regional office, send your recognition application as soon as the results and the diploma arrive. Students from the November session already have their results when they apply, which makes the timing easier.

Medicine

Medicine and dentistry admit on a test in biology and chemistry, so these two subjects in your Diploma Programme matter more than your total points. Two examples for 2026/27:

Comenius University, Faculty of Medicine (Bratislava). Tests for general medicine and dentistry in English were held in March, June and August 2026, online or, in August, also in person; results came within 30 days. The admission fee was €99 per programme. If you do not have your diploma yet, an official letter from your school is accepted, and recognition must be submitted by enrolment day, which was 14 September 2026. The faculty does not ask for an English certificate.
Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Faculty of Medicine (Košice). One written test of 200 questions, 100 in biology and 100 in chemistry, lasting two and a half hours, held on 12 August and 5 September 2026. The faculty says the pass mark is usually 75%. It asks for the school-leaving certificate with grades, notarised, apostilled where needed and translated into Slovak.

Dates for 2027/28 will be published on the same pages; expect a similar pattern. More in medicine in English in Europe.

Scholarships linked to tests, not to the IB

The ministry's scholarship for talented foreign students ranks applicants only on the SAT or the SCIO tests, not on IB results. If you are interested, plan the test during your Diploma years. See scholarships and student jobs in Slovakia.

Language

The IB does not replace the language requirements of Slovak-taught programmes, which each faculty sets. Our catalogue lists 64 programmes taught in English; see bachelor's degrees in English in Slovakia.

Where to look next

Official sources

Ministry of Education: recognition of secondary education: regional school offices, fees and deadlines
Comenius University, Faculty of Medicine: admission process: IB diplomas, test dates and fees for 2026/27
Šafárik University, Faculty of Medicine: entrance examination
Act 300/2025 on higher education: admission conditions, §§ 68–70 (Slov-Lex, in Slovak)
Act 245/2008 (School Act): international programmes, § 2 (Slov-Lex, in Slovak)

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