What system is higher education in Slovenia organised under?

The Bologna system (EHEA): study is structured in cycles using ECTS credits. The bachelor's level (1. stopnja) usually lasts 3–4 years — 180–240 ECTS.

How many state universities are there in Slovenia?

Three: Univerza v Ljubljani, Univerza v Mariboru and Univerza na Primorskem. A new state university, Univerza v Novem mestu, is also planned to launch from the 2026/27 academic year.

What is the difference between a university and a visoka šola?

A visoka šola (independent higher education institution) does not have university status, but runs Bologna-cycle programmes where accredited by NAKVIS, and its degrees belong to Slovenia's higher education system.

Who is responsible for accrediting programmes in Slovenia?

NAKVIS — the national quality and accreditation agency for higher education. All institutions and programmes are subject to its accreditation; whether a specific programme is current should be checked through NAKVIS's public registers.

Higher Education in Slovenia: System, Universities, Fields

Higher education in Slovenia (visokošolsko izobraževanje) is organised under the Bologna system (EHEA): study is structured in cycles using ECTS credits. We look at the types of institutions in the country, how the bachelor's level works and which fields you can study.

The Bologna system and the bachelor's level (1. stopnja)

At the 1. stopnja (first cycle) level, programmes usually last 3–4 years (180–240 ECTS). This corresponds to bachelor's level — academic or professional, depending on the type of programme.

A key point: all institutions and programmes are subject to accreditation by NAKVIS — Slovenia's national quality and accreditation agency for higher education. You should check whether a specific programme is current through NAKVIS's public registers, since the list and number of programmes change as new accreditations and amendments are made.

According to NAKVIS's public "Evidenca akreditiranih študijskih programov" (extract of 23.12.2025), 359 current accredited programmes are offered at 1. stopnja level in Slovenia.

What types of institution exist in Slovenia

State universities (javne univerze)

There are currently three state universities in Slovenia:

Univerza v Ljubljani;
Univerza v Mariboru;
Univerza na Primorskem.

The state has also decided to establish a new state university, Univerza v Novem mestu — its full launch is planned for the 2026/27 academic year.

Non-state (private) universities

Alongside the state universities, non-state universities operate in the country, including:

Univerza v Novi Gorici;
Nova univerza;
Univerza Alma Mater Europaea — not a state university and part of the non-state higher education sector.

Independent higher education institutions (visoka šola)

Separately from the universities there is a group of independent higher education institutions (samostojni visokošolski zavodi, often referred to in practice as visoka šola). Things to bear in mind:

they also run programmes within the Bologna system, including 1. stopnja, where accredited;
they do not have university status, but their degrees belong to Slovenia's higher education system;
in the common European context (EHEA), such qualifications are generally recognised at the corresponding level provided the programme is accredited;
for certain regulated professions, or to use a degree in another country, a separate recognition/assessment procedure may be required.

One clarification: the concept of a "specialist diploma" in the post-Soviet sense is not a separate standard of the Bologna model — at 1. stopnja level it is specifically the bachelor's level.

Main bachelor's fields (1. stopnja)

Bachelor's-level study covers a wide range of fields. Below are the key blocks (in Slovenian, with an English gloss in brackets).

Economics, business and management

management, poslovanje / poslovna administracija (business administration), poslovna ekonomija / ekonomija (business economics / economics), podjetništvo (entrepreneurship), finance, računovodstvo (accounting), bančništvo / zavarovalništvo (banking / insurance), poslovna analitika (business analytics), marketing / trženje (marketing), digitalni marketing (digital marketing), logistika (logistics).

Tourism and hospitality

turizem (tourism), hotelirstvo in turizem (hospitality and tourism), management v turizmu (tourism management), trajnostni turizem (sustainable tourism), zdravstveni turizem (health tourism), management turističnih destinacij (destination management).

IT, digital technology and cybersecurity

računalništvo (computer science), informatika (informatics), spletne tehnologije (web technologies), informacijski sistemi (information systems), multimedija (multimedia), informacijska varnost / kibernetska varnost (information and cybersecurity).

Engineering and technology

elektrotehnika (electrical engineering), telekomunikacije (telecommunications), energetika (energy), mehatronika (mechatronics), strojništvo (mechanical engineering), gradbeništvo (civil engineering), prometno inženirstvo (transport engineering), as well as materials engineering, chemical technology, polymer technology, wood processing, geodesy and real estate management.

Healthcare and wellbeing

zdravstvena nega (nursing), fizioterapija (physiotherapy), delovna terapija (occupational therapy), babištvo (midwifery), radiološka tehnologija (radiology technology), laboratorijska biomedicina (laboratory biomedicine), prehransko svetovanje – dietetika (dietetics), zdravstveni management (healthcare management).

Social sciences and humanities

pravo (law), javna uprava (public administration), mediji in novinarstvo (media and journalism), psihologija (psychology), sociologija (sociology), socialno delo (social work), pedagogika (education), prevajalstvo (translation), mednarodni odnosi (international relations).

Art, design and the creative industries

oblikovanje / dizajn (design), oblikovanje vizualnih komunikacij (graphic design), vizualne umetnosti (visual arts), fotografija (photography), film in televizija (film and television), glasbena umetnost (music), ples / koreografija (dance / choreography).

Natural sciences, agriculture and the environment

biologija / mikrobiologija (biology / microbiology), biokemija / kemija (biochemistry / chemistry), matematika (mathematics), fizika (physics), geologija (geology), varstvo okolja (environmental protection), kmetijstvo – agronomija (agronomy), vinogradništvo in vinarstvo (viticulture and winemaking), gozdarstvo (forestry).

Summary: what Slovenia's higher education system includes

At bachelor's level (1. stopnja), Slovenia's higher education system has three components:

state universities (javne univerze) and their programmes;
private universities (zasebne univerze), including Univerza Alma Mater Europaea;
independent higher education institutions (visoka šola / samostojni visokošolski zavodi), which also run Bologna-cycle programmes provided they are accredited by NAKVIS.

This choice of formats and fields makes it possible to find a programme for almost any goal — from business and IT to medicine, engineering and art. A full directory of institutions at all levels with links to their websites is on the "Education in Slovenia: levels and institutions" page. How exactly to apply to your chosen programme and arrange a student residence permit is covered in the step-by-step guide "How to apply to a Slovenian university", and the conditions for the grounds themselves are on the Slovenian study residence permit page.

Higher education in Slovenia: system, universities, fields of study