COMENIUS UNIVERSITY BRATISLAVA Comenius University Bratislava is a modern European university. It offers a wide selection of study programmes (more than 740) at the levels of Bachelor, Master, Doctor and PhD across its thirteen faculties. Several of these study programmes are unique in Slovakia. Students can choose from a wide variety of areas of human knowledge to study; from medicine to humanities and social sciences, to natural sciences, mathematics, theology, and much more. Comenius University is also a research institution that runs hundreds of local and international research projects. Consequently, many of its students do research as part of their studies and can also participate in projects, grants, and internships. Year after year, Comenius University leads other Slovak universities in both the number of students studying abroad, and international students studying in Slovakia. EDUCATION Comenius University Bratislava is the oldest and largest university in Slovakia. Its mission is to enhance the scientific and cultural prospects of the society and its economic prosperity. In the previous academic year, the university’s thirteen faculties provided tuition to over 22 000 students at all study levels. More than a third of all international students in Slovakia study at Comenius University. The majority of international students study at the Faculties of Medicine in Bratislava and in Martin, and at the Faculty of Management. Young researchers - PhD students - represent a significant scientific potential. Most of PhD students in Slovakia (over one third) study at Comenius University. SCIENCE AND RESEARCH Comenius University is one of Slovakia’s most prominent research institutions in terms of the number of researchers, the ability to obtain research grants, and the results achieved. An independent assessment of the quality of its scientific output confirms the leading position of Comenius University Bratislava in Slovak science. Comenius University researchers generated up to one quarter of all world-class research in Slovakia. The Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic regularly evaluates research, development, artistic and other creative activities (VER - Verification of Excellence in Research). The results of this assessment may have an impact on the financing of public universities from 2024. The important thing for students to know is that the research teams working at Comenius University, who are excellent in an international context, also teach here. The creative activity of young researchers, teachers, and internal PhD candidates under 30 is also supported through Comenius University’s own grant scheme, CU Grants. Comenius University has other scientific establishments which help generate top quality research and provide a connection to practical applications, such as the Science Park, BioMed in Martin and the Centre for Nuclear and Accelerator Technologies (CENTA). INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Comenius University maintains both bilateral and multilateral international contacts. The contacts lead to student and teacher exchanges, supported mainly through the Erasmus+ programme. Comenius University cooperates with eight universities in the nine-strong ENLIGHT alliance, which was expanded in December to include a tenth university - the Swiss University of Bern. INFRASTRUCTURE Comenius University is intimately linked to the city of Bratislava. It is the soul and lungs of the city. Parts and facilities of the university can be found in all corners of the city. Comenius University does not only consist of its faculties; it also has hospitals, pharmacies, the Botanical Garden, a garden of medicinal plants, a herbarium, dozens of dormitory buildings, libraries, the Comenius University Press and the Comenius University Archive. Although Comenius University is not a campus-type university, this has its advantages. When you are getting to know the individual parts of the university, you will travel around the whole city and get to explore it as well. One of the faculties – the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine – is in Martin. Several more university facilities are in other cities of Slovakia. FUTURE DIRECTION In its hundred years of existence, Comenius University has established itself as the most prominent and largest university in Slovakia. It entered its second century with a clear goal – to maintain its good reputation, to continue enhancing its prestige in Europe and worldwide, and to continue improving the quality of education and research activities. The strategy of development of Comenius University reflects the changes happening to universities and societies in Slovakia and worldwide. The goal is to reinforce its position of the most important university and centre of science in Slovakia, and to become a sought-after partner for education and research internationally. Comenius University wants to play an active role in the country’s growth.