New Academic Year Starts at the Comenius University
Bratislava, 21 September 2020: The 102nd academic year started today at the Comenius University in Bratislava. The traditional opening celebration in the University's Auditorium did not take place due to the pandemic. Instead, the Rector Marek Števček issued an address to the academic community.
Academic year 2020/2021 will be affected by the pandemic. Comenius University is prepared to respond flexibly to the development of the situation just like in the previous, summer semester. The health of students, employees and their relatives remains our top priority. It was also the reason the permanent crisis staff continued to meet throughout the summer and monitor the situation.
In this academic year we expect almost 23,000 students to enter at all levels of study, including more than 2,500 from abroad. The numbers are not yet final as enrolments will not be finalised for about three weeks. The largest number of freshmen enrol at the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Medicine.
There was no decline in the number of international students at the Comenius University. However, the number of Greek students who traditionally study medicine and pharmacy, did decrease. On the other hand, the number of Ukrainian students increased, making them the third largest group of foreign students. Our university is also popular among students from Germany, Norway, Iran, Austria and Iceland. Most foreign students will study at the Faculty of Medicine in Bratislava where they make up 15%.
Every Faculty organizes its tuition individually during the winter semester. Some subjects can be taught online while others will require the students' presence on-site. The Faculty of Education, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, the Roman Catholic Faculty of Theology and the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Faculty plan to open their gates to students while the Faculty of Law will teach exclusively on-line. Other faculties have opted for a combination of tuition approaches depending on the subject.
The Rector of Comenius University, Marek Števček, recommends that faculty deans keep on-site tuition at least for first-year students. At some faculties, however, this will not be feasible due to the number of students.
The measures of the Public Health Authority continue to apply in all facilities of the Comenius University. It is mandatory to wear face-masks indoors, including dormitories, as well as use hand-sanitizer at entrances to buildings and maintaining a spacing of 2 metres. There are posters informing of these obligations in all buildings and dormitories of the University.
The University urges students to contact their study department and their accommodation facility without delay in case of a confirmed positive test for COVID-19 or a suspicion they may have contracted the disease.