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Free Education in Serbia for International Students: Who Qualifies and How to Get a Scholarship

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Through normal admission, international students pay tuition in Serbia, including at public universities: the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law and the University of Novi Sad state in their admission rules that foreign citizens pay for the whole degree, and the law's 50% tuition refund applies only to Serbian citizens. Studying free of charge is possible through Serbian government scholarships — the "World in Serbia" project for nationals of Non-Aligned Movement member and observer states nominated by their authorities, the "Serbia for Serbs from the Region" programme, and scholarships under bilateral agreements with specific countries. Public schooling, including the pre-school year, is free for foreign children on the same terms as for Serbian children.

Below: who can study for free and through which channel, how selection works, what scholarships leave out, and where to study cheaply if the free route doesn't fit. For the country overview, see studying in Serbia; for comparison, see free university education in Czechia and Slovakia.

White building with tall columns and a triangular pediment behind a wrought-iron fence, framed by leaves
The Svetozar Marković University Library in Belgrade, Serbia. Photo: Photoshooterka / source, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Who can study for free: quick table

Who you are Free university study? Channel
Foreign citizen, standard admission No — fee-paying place for the whole degree Faculty admission call
Citizen of a country listed in Serbia's bilateral scholarship offer (e.g. Russia, China, Hungary, Ukraine in 2026/27) Yes, if nominated and selected Serbian government scholarship under a bilateral agreement
Citizen of a Non-Aligned Movement member or observer state (on the formal criterion this includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan) Yes, if your country takes part in the project and its authority nominates you "World in Serbia" (Svet u Srbiji)
Member of the Serbian community in a neighbouring country Yes "Serbia for Serbs from the Region"
Exchange student from a partner university Partly: a semester or year, not a full degree Erasmus+, CEEPUS, university agreements
Serbian citizen State-funded place by ranking, or 50% refund on a paid place Law on Higher Education
School-age child living in Serbia Yes, public school Law on the Foundations of the Education System

Why foreigners don't get state-funded places

The Law on Higher Education enrols each student either as state-funded or self-financing, and the faculty's call decides who gets which. The calls of major universities are clear about foreigners:

  • the Belgrade Faculty of Law's 2026/27 call says foreign citizens sit the entrance exam and pay tuition for the whole degree — $2,800 (€2,465) a year;
  • the University of Novi Sad's admission rules say a foreigner pays for the whole degree unless an international or inter-university agreement provides otherwise.

The 2025 amendments introduced a refund of half the fee at public universities — for Serbian citizens only. Claims of "state places for foreigners with high scores" or "fees halved for everyone" are not supported by official documents. How standard fee-paying admission works is explained in our guide to applying to Serbian universities.

Scholarships under bilateral agreements

The Ministry of Education publishes a yearly offer by country. For 2026/27 it includes, among others, 30 scholarships for citizens of Russia (bachelor's, master's, doctoral study and training), 10 each for China and Hungary, and 3 full scholarships plus training months for Ukraine; Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bavaria and South Korea receive mainly postgraduate or training mobility. Countries not on the list — Kazakhstan and Belarus, for example — have no allocation in 2026/27.

What the scholarship covers

  • tuition-free study;
  • $145 (15,000 dinars) a month;
  • accommodation and meals in student dormitories and canteens;
  • basic health insurance (mandatory under 26, voluntary above);
  • a free residence visa;
  • free recognition of school and university diplomas.

What it doesn't cover

  • travel to Serbia and back;
  • city transport;
  • study materials;
  • fees for the biometric residence card.

The Ministry advises scholars to bring their own money: the monthly stipend is meant for transport and materials, not all living costs. Residence procedures and fees are covered in our article on the student residence permit in Serbia.

Serbian-side conditions

  • citizenship of the country you apply through;
  • a secondary-school diploma for bachelor's study, a bachelor's for a master's, a master's for a doctorate;
  • study only at faculties of universities founded by the Republic of Serbia;
  • written willingness of the chosen faculty to accept you (a copy of the correspondence goes into the file);
  • a medical certificate no older than six months;
  • documents in Serbian or English.

The scholarship requires physical presence in Serbia, cannot be deferred to the next year and cannot be transferred to another person.

How to apply

You apply to the competent authority of your own country — a ministry or government agency — which draws up main and reserve lists and sends them to the Serbian Ministry of Education through diplomatic channels. Applications sent directly by individuals, including by email, are not considered. For 2026/27, nominations had to reach Serbia by 15 July 2026; the Ministry's commission makes the final decision. Your national authority will set an earlier internal deadline and may add its own conditions — in Russia's case, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education announced the 2026/27 competition on 3 June 2026 (30 places, study in Serbian only, applications to the ministry by 29 June 2026, with university deadlines about a week earlier), and the 2024/25 call limited candidates to current full-time university students and doctoral students, excluding final-year students and those on academic leave.

"World in Serbia" (Svet u Srbiji)

The Serbian government's flagship project has run since 2010/11. The 2026–2028 project description sets two conditions: citizenship of a Non-Aligned Movement member or observer state, and nomination by the competent authority of a country taking part in the project — individuals cannot apply on their own. Welcome to Serbia presents it as a programme for Africa, Asia and Latin America and reports 536 current scholars from 127 countries.

It provides a free preparatory year of Serbian, then study in Serbian, dormitory accommodation, meals, health insurance and $175 (18,000 dinars) a month. Candidates must be younger than 21 for bachelor's study, 25 for master's and 35 for doctoral study. In the 2026/27 cycle applications closed on 1 June 2026, with language study in 2026/27 and degree study from 2027/28. Russia has held NAM observer status since 2021; Belarus and Uzbekistan are members; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are observers. Formally, their citizens are not excluded, but Serbia does not publish which countries actually nominate candidates. Ask the Serbian embassy and your own ministry of education whether your country participates before you build a plan around it.

"Serbia for Serbs from the Region"

This programme supports young members of the Serbian community in Albania, Hungary, Romania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia. Up to 80 scholarships a year cover free study at public universities in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Niš, dormitory, meals, insurance, a monthly allowance and free diploma recognition.

Exchanges: a free semester, not a free degree

If your home university has exchange agreements with Serbian universities, a semester or year in Serbia may be tuition-free:

  • Erasmus+, arranged between your university and the Serbian host;
  • CEEPUS, the Central European exchange programme — members are Austria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia;
  • bilateral university agreements.

These are mobility periods during your home degree, not free full degrees.

University discounts and awards

Some institutions reward top students — Singidunum, for example, has awards for outstanding results. Such rules sit in fee decisions or internal regulations and are no substitute for a scholarship; don't count on them in year one.

If free study isn't an option: the cheapest routes

Fees for foreigners vary widely even within one university. The most affordable Serbian-taught bachelor's programmes in the University of Belgrade's 2025/26 table (the latest published; confirm the current fee with the faculty):

Faculty Annual fee for foreign citizens
Physics $680 (€600)
Orthodox Theology $1,140 (€1,000)
Political Sciences $1,700 (€1,500)
Mining and Geology $1,700 (€1,500)
Forestry $1,890 (€1,665)
Organisational Sciences (FON) $1,930 (€1,700)

Fees change from year to year: the Faculty of Economics charged foreigners $1,700 (€1,500) in 2025/26 and has set $2,040 (€1,800) for 2026/27. In Novi Sad, the Faculty of Law charges foreigners $1,360 (€1,200) for 2026/27. Serbian-taught programmes are almost always far cheaper than English ones, and living outside Belgrade costs less. Full figures are in the cost of studying in Serbia.

Free schooling for children

Families moving to Serbia can use the public system free of charge. The Law on the Foundations of the Education System gives foreigners and stateless persons the right to education on equal terms with Serbian citizens, and public institutions provide the pre-school year, primary school (8 grades) and secondary school free.

Worth knowing:

  • children start first grade if they are between six and a half and seven and a half years old on 1 September;
  • teaching in public schools is in Serbian;
  • foreign school documents are recognised by the Qualifications Agency; while recognition is pending, a pupil may be enrolled conditionally;
  • after recognition of a primary-school certificate obtained abroad, a child is admitted to the first year of secondary school above the regular quota.

Pitfalls of the "free" route

  • Scholarships don't cover everything. Travel, city transport, materials and residence-card fees are yours, and the $145 (15,000 dinars) stipend is modest.
  • Language. Government programmes generally lead to study in Serbian.
  • Tight deadlines. Your national deadline comes before Serbia's; missing it costs a year.
  • No deferral. The award is valid for one academic year only.
  • Nomination is not admission. The Serbian commission decides, and without a faculty's acceptance the file is incomplete.

Common myths

  • "Every university has a quota of free places for foreigners." Official calls don't show this; government scholarships are a separate programme.
  • "You can apply to World in Serbia yourself." Candidates are nominated by the competent authority of a participating NAM member or observer state; personal applications are not considered.
  • "Since 2025 tuition is halved for everyone." The 50% refund is for Serbian citizens only.
  • "You can apply straight to the Serbian ministry." Individual applications are rejected.
  • "A private university works with a government scholarship." Bilateral scholarships apply only at state-founded universities.

FAQ

Yes, but only through a Serbian government scholarship — bilateral, "World in Serbia" or "Serbia for Serbs from the Region" — depending on your nationality. Standard admission is fee-paying.

As a rule, no. The Belgrade Faculty of Law and the University of Novi Sad state that foreigners pay for the whole degree unless an international agreement provides otherwise.

The formal criterion is citizenship of a Non-Aligned Movement member or observer state plus nomination by the competent authority of a participating country. Current scholars come from 127 countries, mostly in Africa, Asia and Latin America; Serbia does not publish the list of nominating countries.

Free tuition, $145 (15,000 dinars) a month, dormitory and meals, basic health insurance, a free residence visa and free recognition of education documents. Travel, city transport, materials and residence-card fees are not covered.

Yes, at public schools. The law treats foreigners like Serbian citizens, and the pre-school year, primary and secondary education are free at public institutions. Teaching is in Serbian.

Only as an exchange: if your university partners with a Serbian one, you can spend a semester or year there. It does not lead to a full Serbian degree.

Under a service contract we check whether you meet scholarship conditions, plan deadlines and documents, and prepare a fee-paying application in parallel so you don't lose a year. Scholarship decisions belong to your national authority and Serbia's Ministry of Education.

Sources

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