UCM expands its international reach and recruits students abroad

"We focused our presentation activities not only on promoting individual study programs, but also on building long-term relationships with foreign schools and strengthening the international visibility of Slovak higher education," said Andrej Brník, Vice-Rector for Development and Public Relations at UCM. He also added that the Serbian market is promising for UCM. Students from Serbia often seek high-quality and affordable higher education within the European Union, while Slovakia is culturally and geographically close to them. "At the same time, we see growing interest in studying in English, modern technologies, media, healthcare and social sciences," Brník added.

International student numbers are increasing

The number of international students at UCM has been growing for a long time. While 306 foreign students studied at the university in the 2022/2023 academic year, their number reached 411 in 2025/2026. The university also recorded significant growth in students from Serbia. Their number almost doubled year-on-year from 12 to 23 students.

According to an internal questionnaire survey among UCM foreign students, the most important factors in decision-making are:

• the country's safe and peaceful environment,
• favorable cost of living,
• the university's international environment,
• the possibility of studying in English,
• recommendations from acquaintances and personal experience of students.

Personal presentations at schools and direct communication with students have proven to be one of the most effective tools for international recruitment. UCM therefore plans to continue similar activities in other countries.

Today, the university registers foreign students from dozens of countries around the world and considers internationalization to be one of its strategic priorities. The goal is not only to increase the number of foreign students, but also to build a multicultural academic environment, which naturally increases the quality of education, international cooperation and the competitiveness of graduates on the European labor market.

What do foreign students like?

The most frequently cited reasons why international students chose UCM include the location and lifestyle of the city of Trnava, recommendations from friends or family, the favorable cost of study and living, and the quality of academic programs. The most important decision-making factor was career opportunities after graduation.

Almost 94% of respondents would recommend UCM to applicants from their home country. 60% confirmed that expectations were met completely, another 37% partially, and only 3% expressed disappointment.

These figures are extremely valuable for recruitment purposes: the strongest information channel through which applicants learned about UCM is through friends and family, closely followed by the website. An active network of satisfied graduates and current students therefore functions as one of the most effective recruitment tools.

More than half of long-term foreign students (a total of 77% of respondents study at UCM long-term, not as part of Erasmus) are considering staying in Slovakia after completing their studies.