Students of the 2nd and 3rd years of the Department of Information Systems and Technologies of the National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute» — Anton Bubnov, Nikita Finogenov, and Ivan Makarenko — have returned from studying in Slovakia. They spent the spring semester of 2025 at the University of Economics and Management in Bratislava as part of the Erasmus+ program. According to the students, these three months were a real «concentrate of student’s life» — this is how they describe their experience of studying abroad.
The educational process at the Bratislava University of Economics and Management (VŠEM) was conducted in English. Students from different European countries gathered in the classrooms as part of the Erasmus+ program, along with local Slovak students. «The European educational process is not very different from ours,» say students of the Department of Information Systems and Technologies of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Computer Science and Information Technologies of the National Technical University «KhPI» Depending on the schedule, they had one to three classes per day. All assignments were issued through the Moodle system, where students could submit their work, view their grades, and communicate with teachers. The first week was devoted to adaptation — university coordinators organized introductory events, helped with settling into the dormitory, and conducted tours of the city. «And the students themselves are happy to show you places where you can relax after class,» recall the Kharkiv Polytechnic students.
The dormitory is located 30 minutes by tram from the university. «The dormitory itself is comfortable and has everything you need for a comfortable life,» says Anton Bubnov. If anything was missing, there were shops nearby, such as Jysk, Kaufland, Lidl, Tesco, and Pepco. The Erasmus+ scholarship is about €800 per month. Students from NTU «KhPI» received the entire amount at once for three months. From this money:
- €160 per month went to the dormitory
- about €300 went to food
- the rest went to travel and entertainment
«The money is enough for all available activities, and if you’re not a homebody, that’s how it works out,» concludes Mykyta Finogenov.
There is plenty to do in Bratislava: museums, exhibitions, hiking trails, parks, escape rooms, billiards, bowling, eight shopping centers, cafes, restaurants, and bars. «There is always something to do and someone to talk to,» say students from NTU «Kharkiv Polytechnic University». Friday was a day off, so trips usually lasted from Thursday to Sunday. The students planned their own routes to the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, and Germany. «We saw amazing cities and places and met old friends who live in Europe,» says Ivan Makarenko. According to the students, studying in Bratislava gave them the opportunity to see the European lifestyle, experience the European education system, make new friends, and «add a nice line to their resume.» When asked, «Are you satisfied with the trip?» all three unanimously replied, «Yes. Yes. Yes.» The guys advise future students not to worry: «The worst thing that can happen there is bad weather, but even that is not an obstacle.» «The concentrate of student life» is how the students of NTU «KhPI» describe these three months.
Note:
The Erasmus+ program is the EU’s flagship program in the field of education. Since 2022, more than 33.000 Ukrainians have participated in Erasmus+ mobility. The program provides scholarships for studying, internships, and teaching at European universities.
The University of Economics and Management in Bratislava (Ekonomická univerzita v Bratislave) — better known as the University of Economics in Bratislava — is Slovakia’s oldest public higher education institution specializing in economics, business, and management. Over the two decades of its existence, the University of Economics and Management in Bratislava has graduated more than 20,000 students. Cooperation between NTU «KhPI» and UEMB began in 2018. In 2019, an agreement was signed to launch a joint master’s program. Six students from Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute have already received diplomas from both partner universities and are working in Slovak and international IT companies. Since 2021, cooperation with the University of Economics and Management in Bratislava has been implemented under the Erasmus+ program: four teachers of NTU «KhPI» took part in short-term exchanges, one postgraduate student completed an internship, and seven students joined the program.