Depending on the status of international students and the type of study programme they are applying for, the admissions process and its requirements can differ. Students are therefore advised to check these accordingly. The usual types of international student status in Croatia include:
- Degree-seeking students (undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate)
- Exchange students (Erasmus+, CEEPUS, Bilateral agreements)
- Guest students (free-movers, short-term study).
Students who are citizens of EU member states may enrol in study programmes under the same conditions as Croatian citizens. There might be different enrolment conditions for third country nationals, so students are advised to check these conditions with prospective HEIs.
For admission to a higher education institution, there are some general and some institution-specific requirements depending on the level of study.
UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS
- Admissions to study programmes in the Croatian language are administered through the Central Online Application System called Postani student!, where prospective students must register. They can then select up to 10 study programmes at higher education institutions in Croatia to which they wish to apply.
- To find the desired study programme, students can consult the List of Study Programmes in English or List of Programmes in Other Foreign Languages, and/or the Register of Study Programmes.
- A complete list of all application dates is available in the Application Calendar.
GRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE ADMISSIONS
- Admissions to some graduate study programmes are completed via a centralised applications procedure at diplomski.studij.hr and some are administered by the higher education institutions themselves.
- To check which institutions' applications are completed via the centralised applications procedure, visit the dedicated studij.hr webpage.
- Admissions to postgraduate study programmes are always administered by higher education institutions.
Higher education institutions determine the admission requirements which are the basis for classification and selection of candidates. For degree programmes, these usually consist of:
- Educational qualifications (type of previously completed education)
- Academic achievements from previous education (grades obtained) and, for undergraduate programmes taught in Croatian, results of the State Matura (national school-leaving exam) or internationally recognised externally assessed exams
- Special knowledge, skills or abilities, if required by the higher education institution
- Knowledge of Croatian or English
- Specific admission requirements for undergraduate study programmes, such as medical documentation, or completion of relevant high school course (subject), etc.
- Specific accomplishments for undergraduate study programmes, such as results in national or international competitions.
For some study programmes in Croatian, foreign citizens might be required to take the standardized Croatian language test at Level B2.
