Studies. Slovenia has three full universities plus several specialised higher-education institutions: Univerza v Ljubljani (UL — by far the largest, ~38 000 students, 26 faculties), Univerza v Mariboru (UM — ~14 000 students), Univerza na Primorskem (UP, Koper — coastal, smaller, multilingual orientation), plus the Fakulteta za informacijske študije (Novo Mesto), the Univerza v Novi Gorici, and several specialised institutions and applied-sciences colleges (visoke šole).
Application for non-EU students through eVŠ (portal.evs.gov.si), the central national application portal. Application deadlines: typically late February to early March for the first round of bachelor's and master's programmes for the autumn intake; later rounds in June and August for remaining places.
Tuition fees for non-EU international students:
- Slovenian-language programmes at full-time level: typically free for non-EU students with a residence permit at the time of enrolment, on first-cycle and second-cycle (bachelor's and master's). This is genuinely distinctive in EU terms — most member states charge non-EU tuition regardless of language
- English-language programmes: €2 000–€11 000/year depending on programme, with medicine and dentistry at the upper end
- Doctoral programmes: €2 500–€5 500/year typically, often with state or institutional funding for full-time research candidates
Scholarships:
- Ad futura — Slovenia's national scholarship fund, administered by the Sklad za razvoj kadrov (Public Scholarship, Development, Disability and Maintenance Fund), with specific schemes for non-EU students from selected partner countries
- CEEPUS (Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies) — regional academic exchange
- Erasmus Mundus at EU level
- Bilateral state scholarships through the Ministrstvo za zunanje in evropske zadeve (MZEZ) for specific countries
Job. Slovenia's economy combines specialised manufacturing (white goods at Gorenje/Hisense, pharmaceuticals at Krka and Lek/Sandoz, automotive components, machinery), a growing IT and shared-services sector centred on Ljubljana, tourism (Bled, Bohinj, Piran, Ljubljana itself), logistics through the Port of Koper, and a sizeable public sector. English is widely used in international companies in Ljubljana and the IT sector; outside those bubbles, Slovenian is the working language.
Major sources:
- MojeDelo.com — Slovenia's largest job board (Slovenian-language interface)
- Optius.com, Zaposlitev.net — established Slovenian platforms
- LinkedIn — active for tech, consulting and international roles in Ljubljana
- Indeed Slovenia, Jooble Slovenia
- EuraXess Slovenia — researcher and academic positions
- ZRSZ (Zavod za zaposlovanje) — public employment service portal (ess.gov.si)
- EURES for the EU-wide market with Slovenian focus
- Tovarna podjemov, Startup Slovenia — startup-ecosystem listings
Slovenian CV expectations: 2 pages, often with photo, comprehensive education and language section, military service mentioned where relevant. Cover letter (motivacijsko pismo) is standard. The Ljubljana international segment uses English-language CVs by default; Slovenian-only employers expect a Slovenian CV with strong Slovenian language proficiency listed.