This level of education involves children from six months to primary school age (7 years). Most preschool institutions in Serbia are public–they are founded by the State, autonomous province, or the municipality/city. However, for the past decade, the number of private preschool institutions has risen significantly, some of which also offer international programs in foreign languages.
Preschool preparatory programme
Preschool education is not compulsory, but starting from the school year 2006/07, Serbia introduced a compulsory preparatory preschool programme for all children aged 5.5 to 6.5 years. In 2009, its duration was extended from 6 to 9 months. The preparatory preschool programme is free of charge if realized by a public kindergarten or school.
In Serbia, there are 159 state preschool institutions in 2 364 facilities and 57 private institutions. If there are no kindergartens available in a community, the preparatory preschool program is implemented in primary schools: There is an increasing number of children of all ages receiving preschool education (in 2002 coverage was 32%, and in 2009 – 47.37%).
Children with disabilities are included in the preschool educational system, in regular and special (development) groups, and the right to education is also provided to children in hospital treatment. Members of national minorities have the right to education in their native language, bilingually, or in the Serbian language.
Primary education is compulsory, takes eight years and is carried out in two educational cycles.
The first cycle covers the first four grades. All subjects in this stage are taught by class teachers, while some subjects, such as arts and foreign languages, may be taught by subject teachers, who teach these subjects in the second cycle. The second cycle covers 5th through 8th grade, where each subject is taught by subject teachers.
Children are admitted in the first grade of primary school when they are not less than 6.5 and not more than 7.5 years old, with the certificate of preschool program attendance. Primary education is free of charge in state schools, while in private schools parents bear the costs of education.
Besides the compulsory primary school, the system also includes primary music and primary ballet schools and schools for music and ballet talents. These schools are not compulsory. Their attendance is free of charge and funded at central and local levels. Primary music education takes 2 to 6 years and ballet education takes 4 years.
Primary adult education takes from three to five years and is organized by grades, from first to eighth grade (as a rule, 2 grades are completed in 1 year). Students who turned 15 can be admitted to adult education. In Serbia there are only 14 schools for adult education, and regular primary schools can also implement programs for primary adult education.
Preschool preparatory programme
Preschool education is not compulsory, but starting from the school year 2006/07, Serbia introduced a compulsory preparatory preschool programme for all children aged 5.5 to 6.5 years. In 2009, its duration was extended from 6 to 9 months. The preparatory preschool programme is free of charge if realized by a public kindergarten or school.
In Serbia, there are 159 state preschool institutions in 2 364 facilities and 57 private institutions. If there are no kindergartens available in a community, the preparatory preschool programme is implemented in primary schools: There is an increasing number of children of all ages receiving preschool education (in 2002 coverage was 32%, and in 2009 – 47.37%).
Children with disabilities are included in the preschool educational system, in regular and special (development) groups, and the right to education is also provided to children in hospital treatment. Members of national minorities have the right to education in their native language, bilingually, or in the Serbian language.
Upper secondary schooling consists of four years of general education or two to four years of vocational education.
General secondary education is acquired at grammar schools. There are two types of grammar schools: grammar schools of general type and specialized ones. Grammar schools of general type may organize four programmes: general, socio-linguistic, natural sciences and IT.
Specialized grammar schools are intended for education of talented students in certain areas. There are mathematical , philological , sports and computer science grammar schools. Grammar schools of general type also organize classes of students who show talent in special areas: mathematics, physics, languages or sports. Some regular grammar schools have bilingual classes, where a number of subjects are taught in foreign languages: French, Italian or English.
At the end of four-year grammar school education there is a graduation exam and as of the school year 2014/2015 there will be a general external matura.
Secondary vocational education is acquired at vocational schools that prepare students for work in 15 areas (agriculture, forestry, geology, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, graphic industry, textile, construction, transport, hydrometeorology, commerce, economics, health, art, personal services).
Students at vocational schools acquire and develop general and vocational knowledge and skills for further education or work. At these schools, the duration of education is not uniform: there is education and vocational training that lasts for up to one year, work education for two years, secondary three-year and four-year education, specialist and master’s education (after two years) for a period of one to two years. Vocational schools also organize retraining and additional training programmes.
At least 40% of general and 55% of vocational content is represented in the four-year programmes, whereas the respective figures in the three-year programme are 30% and 65%. Practical teaching is conducted in school workshops and in the workplace. The final exam is taken at the end of a three-year educational programme, and the school-leaving exam is taken after a four year educational programme.
Secondary arts education takes four years and is realized in music, ballet and visual art schools in the area of culture, art and public information. Arts matriculation is taken upon completion of secondary arts education.
Secondary music schools educate the following profiles: music artist (vocal and instrumental, jazz department, department of early music, department of church music), musical associate (theoretical, department of ethnomusicology) and sound designer.
In secondary ballet schools, education is provided in the following departments: classical ballet, modern dance and folk dance. Schools of visual arts educate the following profiles: art technician, curator, designer and artistic handicrafts.
Secondary schools can offer a special curriculum for adult education, vocational training programme, and training. Other associations or individuals can implement special programmes in the areas of adult education if they meet prescribed standards for the implementation of special programmes and receive approval from the Ministry.
Regional training centres for adults are leading regional institutions for vocational education, training and adult training, managing over 40 training programmes, accredited by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, and also acknowledged by the National Employment Service.
There are two types of studies in the Serbian system of higher education:
Serbia joined the Bologna Process in 2003 and thus initiated a gradual reform process, which received its legal support in 2005 by the adoption of a new Law on Higher Education. This law formally introduced the European Credit Transfer System, three-cycle system of study and diploma supplement. From 2007/08 all new students study under the new reformed study programmes at all higher education institutions.
The three-cycle system of academic studies includes:
In the field of medical science (the studies of medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine) studies are organized through integrated studies that last 6 years and must carry a minimum of 360 ECTS. Also, integrated pharmacy studies with 300 ECTS have been introduced.
In addition, the second cycle of academic studies includes specialist academic studies with the minimum duration of one year with 60 ECTS if a student has achieved a total of 300 ECTS in previous studies.
The two-cycle applied (vocational) studies consists of:
All higher education institutions must be accredited in order to obtain a license issued by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development. Private higher education institutions (not founded by the state) have the same status as public ones.
Serbia joined the Bologna Process in 2003 and thus initiated a gradual reform process, which received its legal support in 2005 by the adoption of a new Law on Higher Education. This law formally introduced the European Credit Transfer System, three-cycle system of study and diploma supplement. From 2007/08 all new students study under the new reformed study programmes at all higher education institutions.
Three-cycle system of study
In the field of medical science (the studies of medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine) studies are organized through integrated studies that last 6 years and must carry a minimum of 360 ECTS. Also, integrated pharmacy studies with 300 ECTS have been introduced.
The academic year normally starts in October with lectures lasting until June and it consists of two semesters. The full-time workload for one academic year is 60 ECTS credits.
ECTS makes teaching and learning in higher education more transparent across Europe and facilitates the recognition of all studies. The system allows for the transfer of learning experiences between different institutions, greater student mobility and more flexible routes to gain degrees. It also aids curriculum design and quality assurance. For more information on ECTS please click here.
After completing a course of study at higher education institutions in Serbia, apart from their diploma graduates receive a diploma supplement.
Diploma supplement is a document describing the knowledge and skills acquired by holders of higher education degrees which provides additional information to that included in the official degrees / diplomas and/or transcript, making it more easily understood, especially by employers or institutions outside the issuing country.
All higher education institutions in Serbia have to be accredited. The accreditation process started in 2007 by the Commission for Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Serbia (CAQA). In 2018 a new body was established – the National Entity for Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education.
All students are advised to check whether the institution they plan to enroll in is accredited.
The academic year normally starts in October with lectures lasting until June and it consists of two semesters. The full-time workload for one academic year is 60 ECTS credits. There are usually five exam periods during an academic year, although this number may vary from institution to institution.
Grading system in higher education is scaled from 5 to 10. Grade 5 (insufficient) is the lowest (and a failing grade) and grade 10 (outstanding) is the best one.
| 10 | Outstanding |
| 9 | Excellent |
| 8 | Very good |
| 7 | Good |
| 6 | Sufficient |
| 5 | Insufficient |
Grading system used at primary and secondary level has a grading scale from 1-5. Grade 1 (insufficient) is the lowest and failing grade while grade 5 (excellent) is the best one.
| 5 | Excellent |
| 4 | Very good |
| 3 | Good |
| 2 | Sufficient |
| 1 | Insufficient |
General entry requirements for:
As a general requirement, to enter a Bachelor or an Integrated study programme one has:
• to have completed four-year secondary education, and
• to pass the entrance exam.
Specific admission prerequisites usually include specific knowledge in certain disciplines and should be checked for each individual programme a student is interested in. Entrance exams are usually held in early July (the first round) and early September (the second round, if there are places left).
The ranking of candidates depends on both the entrance exam and their results at the previous level of education.
For Master programmes lasting one year with 60 ECTS a candidate has to have obtained a Bachelor diploma with at least 240 ECTS points.
For Master programmes lasting two years with 120 ECTS a candidate has to have obtained a Bachelor diploma with at least 180 ECTS points.
Admission requirements vary from programme to programme (usually in regard to the area of previous education) and should be checked on the web pages with information on particular programmes.
A basic requirement to enrol at Doctoral studies is that the candidate has successfully completed a Master programme and obtained at least 300 ECTS. Additional requirements, such as a minimum grade point average, number of papers published in scientific journals, etc. are determined by each institution and presented on the web pages of particular doctoral study programmes.
The principal language of instruction is Serbian for all educational levels. There are also study programs which are accredited in foreign languages, mostly in English, and in many universities and colleges there are additional possibilities for foreign exchange students, such as organizing consultations with professors in English, etc.
At elementary and secondary levels other languages of instruction include Albanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Hungarian, Romanian, Russian and Slovak.
Currently, there are over 170 English-taught study programmes at all educational levels available in the academic year 2023/2024. The programmes are listed in this publication.
There are also additional programmes which are accredited in English and Serbian, but which might not be fully available in foreign languages in this academic year. However, although the lectures and group activities may be organised mostly in Serbian, they offer additional opportunities for foreign students, such as additional consultations with teaching staff in English or other foreign languages. They are especially suitable for shorter student mobilities through Erasmus+ or other mobility programmes. You can find these programmes in the StudyInSerbia.rs database of learning opportunities for foreign students.
Foreign students can also study in the Serbian language. This significantly broadens the possibilities regarding the number of study fields and programmes available (see all accredited study programmes at education.rs). Besides, if you want to immerse yourself in the experience of living and studying in Serbia, it is always recommended to learn at least some Serbian. To prepare yourself to enrol at a study programme offered in Serbian only, you can take language courses either online or in Serbia, such as the year-long or semester-long intensive preparatory programme of Serbian as a foreign language for the World in Serbia scholarship holders.
Such a programme prepares students to pass admission exams in Serbian and attend one of over two thousand study programmes at universities and colleges.
