Low Tuition Universities in Croatia, Admission Requirements and Essential Information for International Students

About Croatia

Croatia is a Balkan country situated in Southeast Europe, bordering Slovenia to the west, Hungary to the north, Serbia to the east and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the south;

The national currency of Croatia is Croatian Kuna (HRK). Croatian is the official language, which is written in the Latin script.

Croatia has a population of over 4 million people.

In this article,we will highlight the education system in Croatia, living costs, tuition fees, admission requirements and list of low tuition universities in Croatia.

Higher Education System

Croatian higher education system is fully aligned with the Bologna Process principles – all programmes are structured according to three cycles (undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate)

Undergraduate studies: This studies lasts for 3-4 years and lead to the title of Bachelor.
Graduate studies: Comprises of master and doctorate degree programmes:

Master’s degree requires 1-2 years of full-time studies. The title of Master (mag.) is awarded after the completion of course.
Doctoral degree requires 3 years of full-time studies and ends with a defence of a doctoral thesis. The academic title of Doctor of Arts (dr. art.) or Doctor of Science (dr. sc.) is conferred after the completion of the course.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees for study programs are determined by each higher education institution. The level of tuition fees depends on the type of study program and its duration. Therefore, it is wise that you inquire directly with the higher education institution you are interested in for accurate information regarding tuition fees.

On average you can expect :

In the humanities, arts and social sciences pay between 5552kn ($878) and 15283kn($2416) per year.
Tuition fees for technical science courses should be about 20869kn($3,300) per year.
Science and medical sciences will be about 25296kn($4000) per year.

Living Costs.

Accommodation Costs

As a student, it’s important to think about what type of accommodations you will have

When it comes to accommodation, there are many options. Students can go for corridor rooms, shared accommodation, or private accommodation- rent a room or apartment/flat. The costs of private accommodation vary depending on the location, the number of rooms, and amenities. Students can expect to pay around 150 EUR per month for a one-bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen; and about 250 EUR per month for a studio apartment. You can expect to pay between 7 EUR to 20 EUR at any average to high scale restaurants within the city. The good thing about Croatia is that there are several student restaurants that have been dubbed ‘mensas’ scattered around major university cities, campuses, dormitories.

Transportation Costs

Croatia’s cities are not huge, like Paris, New York, or Barcelona. They are walkable and easy to get around with bikes. Public transport is useful in bigger cities, so you might not even need a car.

A 30-minute tram ticket in Zagreb costs around 4 HRK.

City-to-city transport is best done by buses, and a one-way ticket from Zagreb to Zadar costs only about 100 HRK!

Gas prices have gone up tremendously now, as in the rest of Europe. In normal times, you could expect around 11 HRK per litre of gas.

Food Costs

Food in Croatia is relatively affordable. Most cities will have a local market in addition to your regular supermarkets, which is a great place to get seasonal and organic produce. The food prices in Croatia do not differ too much between local markets and grocery stores, but food from the farmer’s market is exceptionally higher in quality.

If you shop for foods that are not in season, say strawberries in winter, be prepared to pay a pretty penny. Specialty foods and imported goods can be costly as well (think $7.25 for a box of Pop-Tarts at the American Store), as can items from health food stores.

Being somewhat in the middle by standards, will run you around $400 per month for two adults.

This cost, however, can vary greatly depending on your lifestyle. If you like to eat out a lot and prefer buying oat milk, your food budget will increase. Even if you are single and like to cook at home, don’t expect the cost of food in Croatia to be much less. In this case, you will probably end up spending around $300 per month for mainly cooking at home.

Admission Requirements

Educational qualifications
Result of Matura exams for undergraduate study
Letter of recommendation
Statement of Purpose
A valid Passport
Letter of recommendation
Curriculum Vitae
Certificate of Work experience (if any)
Portfolio
Completed application form
Identification information
Proof of completion of all secondary school levels by that date (certificate of each level)
Confirmation of the results of final examination
Confirmation of the results of national or international competitions
Confirmation of sport status