CU HAS OPENED A NEW CONTACT POINT TO SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND WORKERS
Bratislava, 15 May 2025 – Comenius University Bratislava (CU) officially inaugurated a new centre today that will serve as a central point of support for international students and staff. The Welcome Centre is located within the CU Infocentre at Štúrova 9.
The newly established contact point for international students, academics, and researchers aims to streamline their access to the university by providing comprehensive and centralised support. Its primary function will be to offer guidance and assistance with visa and residency matters—key prerequisites for a smooth start to studying or conducting research at the university.
The centre will also provide help with finding accommodation, securing healthcare and insurance, and addressing various practical aspects of life in Slovakia. An integral part of its mission will be to support integration, ensuring that international visitors feel welcome, respected, and encouraged to fulfil their potential—something highlighted by CU Rector Marek Števček in his opening remarks.
"A fundamental attribute of a modern university in the 21st century is internationalisation, and our university is deeply committed to advancing it. The launch of the Welcome Centre is a major step towards strengthening internationalisation in practice. It will serve as a unifying point of contact with relevant state authorities and will provide comprehensive support and assistance to students as well as to those who come here to teach, work, or conduct research," said Rector Števček.
The establishment of the Welcome Centre will contribute to a more coherent communication between the university and international applicants for study and research, as well as to more effective coordination with the relevant state institutions.
“The centre’s mission will be guided by the motto: enter, settle, belong. 'Enter' refers to visa-related issues; 'settle' covers health insurance, accommodation, and the practical logistics of living in Slovakia; and 'belong' reflects our commitment to helping the international community feel safe, supported, and at home at our university. We look forward to working with state institutions that support our efforts in the area of internationalisation,” added Vice-Rector for International Relations, Jozef Tancer.
The opening ceremony was attended not only by the university leadership but also by representatives from the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of the Interior, the UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration.
The Comenius University Welcome Centre was established in response to the needs of the faculties and based on recommendations from an expert panel. Its creation was made possible through support from the Ministry of Education's development project, “Audit of the Level of Internationalisation and Implementation of Internationalisation Projects at Higher Education Institutions and Public Research Organisations,” funded by the European Union through NextGenerationEU. The construction of the Infocentre and the Welcome Centre was also supported by the ministry’s previous development project, the Comeniana Centre.
The newly opened centre is coordinated by the International Relations Office of the CU Rectorate. It is located in the existing CU Infocentre premises at Štúrova 9 in Bratislava. It is open Mondays from 12:00 to 15:00 and Tuesdays to Fridays from 09:00 to 15:00. Online support is also available via email at welcome@uniba.sk.