Erasmus students, welcome!
Before you come to study to Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, we have to go through some procedure together. Please, read carefully the following step-by-step guide.
Deadlines:
Studies – Second Semester
Nominations: Nov 15
Documents: Nov 30
Studies – First Semester
Nominations: May 15
Documents: June 15
Traineeships
There are no deadlines for traineeships.
Puzzled?
The contact person at IRO will help you with the administrative issues
The Coordinators at Faculties, Institutes, and Departments will help you with academic issues (choice of courses etc.).
See list of coordinators
Contact Person
Mgr. Filip Šera, PhD.
Erasmus+ Coordinator for Incoming Students
Tel: +421 55 234 11 46
Email: filip.sera@upjs.sk
Responsible Person
Mgr. Mária Vasiľová, PhD.
Institutional Erasmus+ Coordinator
Tel.: +421 55 234 11 59
Email: maria.vasilova@upjs.sk
Documents
Learning Agreement for Traineeship
Learning Agreement for Studies
Language Proficiency Form
LA – During the Mobility
Notice of the Stay
Transcript of Records
Confirmation from University Library
Confirmation from the accom. facility
International Student’s Guide
Entry, Stay, and Employment of Foreigners
Contact the International Relations Office of your home University and find out whether your department or University has a Bilateral Agreement with Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice for the respective academic year. You can also refer to our list of Partner Universities (Partner Universities according to Countries, Partner Universities according to Field of Study). If your department or university has a Bilateral Agreement with the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, you have to be officially nominated by your home University as Erasmus Student.
Send Nomination
Special Needs Support
UPJŠ welcomes and offers assistance to students and staff with special needs. However, the IRO must be informed about it during the application procedure since our options are conditioned by the state and university regulations and possibilities.
After receiving the official nomination and accepting it (or accepting your application for traineeship), you will receive an information email from the Contact Person with your Letter of Acceptance attached attached to it. You will be asked to prepare the necessary documents and, alongside your photo, submit them in our Online Application Form (more details in the following sections).
Approximately a month before the beginning of your mobility (depending on the circumstances), you will receive an email with your login details to our Academic Information System (AiS) accompanied by instructions on finishing your registration. Within AiS, you will be asked:
- to give your consent to personal data processing,
- to check your personal information,
- to upload your photo,
- and to carry out the payment for ISIC.
Please, do not get ISIC from other providers prior to your mobility. The card has to be issued by Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice in order for you to gain access to university facilities and services, and to be eligible for disocunt public transport or zero-fare train transport in Slovakia.
A few days after the completion of your registration, you will receive a message in AiS with your new university email address and password, and the Contact Person will provide you with instruction related to the university email address, WiFi, and transportation services in Slovakia.
At the beginning of the semester (usually on the very first day), you will be invited to an information meeting where you will receive the Letter of Acceptance, ISIC, meet our IRO Team, and get some further information. In case of traineeships, you will be invited by the Contact Person to our IRO where you will receive the Letter of Acceptance and ISIC.
We are using the Online Learning Agreement (OLA) for incoming students.
The Online Learning Agreement tool is safe to use and approved by the European Commission as a valid tool in the Erasmus+ programme. It facilitates the preparation and signing of the learning agreement.
OLA Procedure:
- The student starts the process by filling out the OLA, he or she signs online, and the OLA is sent to the home coordinator (for contact and responsible persons see the top part of this webpage).
- The home coordinator either signs or rejects the OLA, leading the OLA to the host coordinator or back to the student, who starts over again.
- Finally, the OLA is sent to the host university to the coordinators listed above for their online signature.
- The OLA can be signed or rejected, leading the OLA to the students (with feedback or suggestions, if necessary).
If your university is not using the OLA, we also accept regular paper form of Learning Agreement (LA). In this case, the prepared LA signed by you and your home coordinator is to be sent to the Contact Person specified above. After the LA has been examined, the LA is either signed by our coordinator, or sent back to the student with notes for modification.
For the traineeships is possible to prepare only our form of the Learning Agreement for the traineeships (available in the documents section).
For further information about your study programme, please look at the relevant ECTS Information Package.
When choosing your courses, please, refer to the Course Catalogue, and, in case of questions related to academic issues, feel free to contact the Coordinator at faculties, institutes, or departments.
Our faculties, departments and institutes can also require a language certificate.
Please note that the required level of English or Slovak language knowledge (depending on the language of studies/traineeships) of Erasmus students is B1 or B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference – depending on the requirements of a given PJŠU faculty, department or institute. Information about the recommended language skills (language(s) of instruction and CERF level) is available in the Erasmus+ Inter-institutional agreement signed between UPJŠ and your home university by which you are nominated (in case you have any doubts or questions, please contact us).
In case you come for a traineeship and there is no Inter-institutional agreement between your institutional and our university, it depends on an individual agreement.
In case a language certificate is required, please, upload the certificate to the online application form (we accept all types of language certificates). In case you do not have a language certificate, please, make sure that you and your coordinator fill out the Language Proficiency Form (available in the documents section).
Native speakers and Czech students who want to study courses in Slovak language do not need to submit a language certificate.
The online application form serves as the basis for your registration within our Academic Information System. For that reason, we kindly ask you to ensure the accuracy of the provided information and to submit it only once. Please, prepare and attach the following documents to the form:
- Learning Agreement signed by you, your home coordinator, and our coordinator (either downloaded OLA or the regular LA).
- Language certificate or language proficiency form
- Photo of yours
- Other documents (eg. passport, residence card, proof of the financial coverage in English and in Slovak language) – See Legal Obligations if any other documents are needed. We may also require other documents if necessary.
Submit the Online Application Form
After you have been accepted as an Erasmus Student by our University, please keep in touch with our IRO.
Before making any arrangement regarding your travel to Slovakia, please carefully study the following documents (available in the Documents section):
- Entry, Stay, and Employment of Foreigners
- International Student’s Guide
Arrange your travel ticket, health insurance, prepare all documents needed for stay in Slovakia (passport, visa – for non-EU countries, permission for a temporary residence in Slovakia if needed).
If you wish to study Slovak language, we will try to arrange a course for you (it usually depends on the number of interested students).
Inform the IRO about the exact date of your arrival.
We offer Erasmus Buddy Programme for every incoming student at the beginning of their student mobility in Košice. They will offer you services and useful tips before the beginning of your studies in Košice.
Read more information about the programme.
As of 1 May 2018, new simplified rules of mobility of third country nationals within EU are applicable in Slovakia, which enable students with a residence permit in one of the EU member states to carry out short-term stays in Slovakia without the need to obtain a temporary residence in Slovakia, we would like to ask our partner universities to include information about country of origin and nationality about their students in the nomination, because students who are holders of a residence permit for the purpose of university studies in one of the member states are allowed to carry out a mobility (short-term stay) in Slovakia for a maximum of 360 days without the need to apply for a temporary residence in Slovakia.
For this purpose we need following documents to be sent us before the mobility and uploaded to online application form:
- scan of a residence card for the purpose study, issued by a member state valid for whole duration of the mobility in Slovakia (a uniform format for all EU Member States, the purpose of a residence is stated in the „Note“ of the residence card),
- scan of a passport,
- proof of financial coverage of stay – short confirmation of the sending higher education institution stating duration and that the student will be provided with sufficient resources to cover the costs of living, study costs and travel costs for the return to the member state. Document must be issued by the home university and translated to Slovak language by official translator.
Slovak embassies may provide the translation of documents intended for the use in Slovakia, if such a service is available. No further verification is required in case the documents have been translated by the embassy/consulate. If the translation has been made by a foreign translator abroad, the embassy/consulate can verify the accuracy of the translation from the official language of the country to Slovak.
A list of official translators in Slovakia is available at obcan.justice.sk.
Once authenticated (superlegalised or apostilled), public documents translated to Slovak by an official translator do not require any further verification and may be presented to Slovak institutions.
The higher education institution is obliged to report the Foreign Police in writing any change influencing the mobility in Slovakia, within three working days of learning about them.
Note: If a student plans to carry out a part of his/her study in Slovakia in accordance with the above mentioned points, and if he/she has been granted a temporary residence in another EU Member State for a purpose other than study or research and development, it is not possible to apply the simplified procedure of the Intra-European mobility. In this case the student has to apply for a temporary residence for the purpose of special activity at the Slovak embassy/Consulate in a EU Member State where he/she has been granted the current temporary residence.
Please read carefully ENTRY, STAY AND EMPLOYMENT OF FOREIGNERS IN SLOVAKIA – guide to administrative duties.
Report changes
Third-country national staying in Slovakia is obliged to report any change regarding your place of residence within five working days from the day when the change occurred.
If you have been granted a temporary residence, you are also obliged to report to the police department if:
- you will reside outside the Slovak territory for more than 180 days continuously (in writing)
- you will stay away from the place of residence stated in the granted temporary residence for more than 30 days continuously
- the purpose of stay, for which the temporary residence was granted has ceased to exist
As of January 1, 2023, scholarship holders of eligible programmes (e.g. incoming Erasmus students) are entitled to full coverage within the public health insurance if staying in Slovakia for a period greater than one month. The insurance is for free (i.e. paid for by the government of the Slovak Republic).
To arrange the insurance and for more information, the prospective applicant has to directly contact one of the following health insurance companies below:
Dôvera
Application is possible only at an insurance office.
VšZP
Application is either possible by submitting a filled in form at an insurance office or online. Both online and .pdf form are available in Slovak only. The Slovak Academic Information Agency has prepared a Slovak application form with comments in English.
Union
Application is possible either online or at an insurance office.
Due to capacity reasons, our partner accommodation provider has agreed to house students coming for both semesters (i.e. the whole academic year).
Incoming students are responsible for communication and arrangement of private accommodation. Below, you can find several tips on housing possibilities in Košice.
There are several agencies offering both short and long-term renting of flats to incoming students. Among them are BeMi, 111Apartments, and 8 s.r.o.
There are several hostels operating in Košice:
- Hostel Barno
- Hostel Vodna
- Hostel Happy Bull
- White Coral Club
- Hostel Hlavná 100
- Hostel 26
- Hostel City (30-45 minutes of travel from the University)
Another possibility are the free-lance renters who publish their accommodation offers in Facebook groups:
- Kosice – Flats for rent
- Flats for rent Kosice
- Flat for rent Kosice
- Flats for rent in Kosice AURUM
- Nehnuteľnosti v Košiciach
- Bývanie Košice – Byty, Domy, Pozemky – Predaj, Kúpa, Prenájom
- Bývanie a prenájom Košice
- Foreigners / Expats in Kosice * Cudzinci v Košiciach.
Lastly, there is a real estate search engine, Megaubytovanie.sk, which offers several accommodation offers.
Be aware that our University does not have any experience with these websites, search engines, Facebook groups etc., thus we bear no responsibilities in case of any problems or fraud. Please, exert caution when searching for private accommodation.
Information about accommodation can be also found at the webpage of Erasmus Student Network in Košice. ESN also offers its service in need of securing communication with the accommodation provider or landlord in case of language barrier.
The beginning of the summer semester of the academic year 2022/2023 is February 13, 2023. This date you will start your studies. Introductory meeting will be held this day, too. More information about the meeting will be available later.
We will try to help you with all issues concerning your stay at our University. The Departmental Coordinator will help you with the academic issues.
Your obligations during the mobility:
- Send us via e-mail your Confirmation of Arrival (form from your home university) to filip.sera@upjs.sk. The confirmed document will be sent to your home coordinator and to you via e-mail.
- If you need to make a changes to your Learning Agreement, you need to prepare the second part of the Learning Agreement called – During the mobility.
- Prolonging your stay (from winter semester to the whole year) – only if approved by the coordinators at your home institution as well as UPJS coordinators, within limits of existing Inter-Institutional Agreements. Changes to LA have to be made and approved.
- Submit the Notice of the Stay at the Foreign Police (see Legal Obligations for more information)
Due to the possibility of language barrier, it is recommended to arrange an escorting buddy at the Erasmus Student Network in Košice. Please, announce your intention of visiting the Foreign Police Office to ESN at least 4 days in advance. For more information see the ESN webpage.
Furthermore, if you are interested in utilizing the transport possibilities of Košice, please, see the following guide by ESN.
Emergency number: 112 – in case you need medical assistance or police.
I am…
In 10 days of your arrival, you are to submit the Notice of the Stay at the Foreign Police Office.
- this is usually ensured by the accommodation provider if you are accommodated in a hotel, hostel or dormitory
- If you are accommodated in private accommodation (e.g. in a private rented apartment or at a friends’ place), you need to submit the Notice of the stay at the competent foreign police office (either in person or via a registered postal service). The form is available in 6 languages; however, must be completed in the Slovak language
My stay will take…
No other administration duties are required.
- once the period of three months is over, you need to apply for the registration of residence in Slovakia within the next 30 days
- to register the residence of an EU/EEA/Swiss national you need:
to come in person to the foreign police office during the office hours and present the following documents after online reservation available on this website: https://www.minv.sk/?objednavaci-system-na-ocp – click on „Prejsť na rezervačný systém“:
- completed form “Application for registration of right of residence of Union Citizen” (must be completed in the Slovak language),
- valid ID/passport,
- a document proving the purpose of your stay in Slovakia and/or sufficient financial resources:
- a. in the case of employment in the territory of the Slovak Republic – an employment confirmation or a commitment of the employer,
- b. a document proving you dispose of sufficient resources for you and your family members not to become a burden on the social assistance system of the Slovak Republic and a certificate of health insurance in Slovakia or a certificate of insurance reimbursement for medical expenses in the territory of the Slovak Republic,
- c. in the case of study in Slovakia – a confirmation of study or an admission letter to a school in Slovakia and a statutory declaration of sufficient financial resources,
- d. in case you assume to be employed in Slovakia – a statutory declaration on a continuing search for a job in Slovakia and a proof of medical insurance,
- e. in case you are a family member of an EU citizen, you will accompany or join – a certificate of registration of the EU citizen, and a birth or marriage certificate, or a proof of your permanent relationship.
If you are interested in obtaining a Residence card of an EU citizen, you are need to submit the following:
- two recent photographs (3 x 3,5 cm),
- document in Slovak proving provision of accommodation (e.g a confirmation from your accommodation provider or a rental agreement with officially notarized signatures).
- Fee: 4.50 EUR for the issue of an EU national residence card
- Only online reservation via the electronic service will be handled at workpaces of the Foreign Police Departments
In 3 days of your arrival, you are to submit the Notice of the Stay at the Foreign Police Office.
- this is usually ensured by the accommodation provider if you are accommodated in a hotel, hostel or dormitory
- If you are accommodated in private accommodation (e.g. in a private rented apartment or at a friends’ place), you need to submit the Notice of the stay at the competent foreign police office (either in person or via a registered postal service). The form is available in 6 languages; however, must be completed in the Slovak language
Report changes
Third-country national staying in Slovakia is obliged to report any change regarding your place of residence within five working days from the day when the change occurred.
If you have been granted a temporary residence, you are also obliged to report to the police department if:
- you will reside outside the Slovak territory for more than 180 days continuously (in writing)
- you will stay away from the place of residence stated in the granted temporary residence for more than 30 days continuously
- the purpose of stay, for which the temporary residence was granted has ceased to exist
After you have finished your exams, please, inform your faculty/departmental coordinator at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, and ask them to prepare the Transcript of Records.
In the meantime, we kindly ask you to carry out the following tasks:
- Even if you were not registered, we kindly ask you to secure a confirmation from the University Library (available in the documents section). You can either have it confirmed at one of the library departments, or ask for confirmation via email: kniznica@upjs.sk. Please, send the scan or the photo of the confirmation, or forward the email to the Contact Person.
- If you were accommodated at Pražská 2 or Medická 6, we kindly ask you to secure a confirmation from the accommodation facility (available in the documents section). Please, send the scan or the photo of the confirmation to the Contact Person.
- We kindly ask you to submit a post-visit survey about your mobility. We sincerely appreciate your feedback as it allows us to identify shortcomings and improve our service. The survey is accessed by loging into your UPJŠ email but it is anonymous.
- If needed, please, send the pre-filled Certificate of Attendance from your university to the Contact Person via email, who will confirm it.
After all the afore mentioned tasks have been carried out, the Contact Person will send the scanned versions of the confirmed Transcript of Records and the Certificate of Attendance to your home coordinator after the end your mobility. If your home coordinator deems it necessary, the documents will be also send via regular mail.
