University of Defence

About University of Defence

The University of Defence was established by a decision of the Government of the Republic of Serbia on 24 February 2011. It describes itself as an independent higher-education institution responsible for higher military education under its founding act, work permit, Serbia’s higher-education legislation, and military-education legislation. It also conducts basic, applied, and developmental research intended to support education and modernization in the defence system. The university remains operational in 2026, as demonstrated by undergraduate and master’s recruitment for the 2026/2027 academic year. Degree education is delivered principally through two constituent higher-education institutions: the Military Academy and the Medical Faculty of the Military Medical Academy. This structure matters when comparing options. Military Academy programmes prepare cadets and some civilian or serving students in military, engineering, technical, and defence-related fields. The medical faculty delivers an integrated medical course and postgraduate study in a military-health setting. The university is not a conventional open-access civilian institution. Undergraduate cadets follow a regulated military selection and education system, while rules for civilian, serving military, graduate, and foreign applicants may differ. The university states that civilian candidates can enter certain accredited programmes as self-financing students and that foreign nationals may study under an interstate agreement or the applicable faculty rules. Applicants should verify which category applies to them before evaluating programmes or costs.

Admission is competition-based, and requirements vary by constituent institution, programme, study cycle, and applicant category. For the main 2026/2027 undergraduate competition, the Ministry of Defence announced 220 Military Academy cadet places and 35 places at the Medical Faculty of the Military Medical Academy. Applicants underwent psychological and medical assessment, physical-fitness testing, entrance examinations, and security vetting. Military Academy applicants needed completed four-year secondary education, or final-year status, and had to meet the competition’s age and citizenship rules. Medical applicants needed an eligible grammar-school, healthcare, or veterinary secondary background. Air Force candidates faced additional specialist assessment and selective training. The principal 2026 undergraduate deadline was 31 March, followed by a second Military Academy round running to 10 July 2026. Those dates applied to that recruitment cycle and should not be reused for a later year. Candidates should consult the newest competition because programme capacity, age limits, documents, tests, and dates can change. Graduate admissions use separate notices. The 2026/2027 Military Academy master’s competition accepted applications from 17 August to 7 September 2026 for three self-financed programmes. It required Serbian citizenship, appropriate prior education, criminal-record documentation, and security clearance. Most applicants needed at least 240 ECTS and an undergraduate average of 8.00; candidates below that average could take a relevant entrance examination. Foreign and civilian access exists in principle, but it depends on programme rules, self-financing arrangements, document recognition, or interstate agreements.

The Military Academy offers undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral academic studies spanning social sciences and humanities, technical and technological fields, natural and mathematical sciences, and interdisciplinary study. Its remit also includes cadet military training, the Basic Command-Staff Course, and scientific research. The university identifies joint programmes with other Serbian institutions, including Military Industrial Engineering with the University of Kragujevac and a master’s programme in Mechatronics on Motor Vehicles with the State University in Novi Pazar. For 2026/2027 undergraduate recruitment, the Military Academy advertised programmes in Army, Air Force, Military Electronic Engineering, Military Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Protection Technology Engineering, Military Traffic Engineering, Defence Economics, and Air Defence. These programmes last four years and carry 240 ECTS. The Medical Faculty of the Military Medical Academy offers six-year integrated medical studies carrying 360 ECTS, as well as specialist and doctoral academic studies. The academic model is explicitly professional and applied. Military Academy cadets combine classroom work with military instruction, physical preparation, exercises, simulations, and practical training. Medical cadets study in a military-medical environment and prepare for service in the Medical Corps. At graduate level, access can be narrower than programme titles suggest. For example, the 2026/2027 master’s competition restricted Military Sciences applicants to people who had completed programmes intended for military education and national security. Prospective students should examine the current competition and accredited curriculum for their exact level and programme.

Key Highlights

• Government-established in Belgrade on 24 February 2011
• Independent higher-education institution within Serbia’s defence system
• Constituent institutions include the Military Academy and the Medical Faculty of the Military Medical Academy
• Active 2026/2027 undergraduate and master’s recruitment confirms continued operation

Student Life & Environment

Cadet life is organized around a structured residential and military routine rather than a conventional civilian-campus model. The Cadet Brigade coordinates accommodation, order, internal duties, and conditions supporting education for Military Academy cadets, medical cadets, and reserve-officer course participants. This arrangement means that training, study, physical preparation, and communal responsibilities are closely connected. Facilities described by the university include a library and reading room, classrooms, laboratories, electronic databases, a distance-learning platform, and a sports centre with an indoor pool, gym, martial-arts halls, and spaces for other sports. Practical activities can include simulations, field exercises, skiing, rowing, water-obstacle training, and vehicle training, depending on programme and requirements. Cadets may also pursue language and computer-skills certification. Extracurricular opportunities include sports and cultural clubs, foreign-language courses, university sports competitions, military competitions, scientific conferences, and selected visits to foreign military academies. These activities operate around mandatory academic and military duties, so applicants should expect less personal flexibility than at a general civilian university. The university reports a Cadet Parliament, providing formal student representation within its governance structure.

Location & Surroundings

The university’s published address is Veljka Lukića Kurjaka 33, 11042 Belgrade, in the municipality of Voždovac. The Military Academy’s instructional, accommodation, and sports facilities are associated with this address. Applicants to the academy submit documents or attend selection activities at locations specified in the annual competition, so they should follow the current notice rather than assume that every stage occurs at the rectorate. Belgrade is Serbia’s capital and the national centre of government, defence administration, higher education, and major medical institutions. For University of Defence students, the city is not merely a social backdrop: it places the institution near the Ministry of Defence, Serbian Armed Forces structures, and the Military Medical Academy’s clinical environment. The university is institutionally concentrated in Belgrade, but practical military education can require travel to training centres, field locations, or specialist facilities elsewhere in Serbia. Cadets should therefore anticipate a location experience shaped by residential rules and assigned training, rather than unrestricted participation in ordinary city-based student life.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For cadets admitted through the Ministry of Defence’s 2026 military-schools competition, the ministry stated that tuition, accommodation, meals, healthcare, and a stipend were funded. The university also reports that cadets receive study materials and a monthly payment adjusted according to study year and examination results. These benefits relate to cadet status and should not be assumed for civilian, graduate, international, or other self-financing students. The 2026/2027 Military Academy master’s competition provides a clear example of self-financed pricing: tuition was RSD 120,000, with an additional RSD 1,000 enrolment charge. Payment arrangements were to be defined in the study contract. These figures apply only to that published master’s intake, not to every university programme. Career outcomes are closely tied to applicant status. The Ministry stated that undergraduate cadet graduates enter active military service. Military Academy graduates are commissioned as second lieutenants in the relevant branch or service, while medical graduates are commissioned as second lieutenants in the Medical Corps. This is a defined professional pathway, but also a service commitment rather than an ordinary job-placement benefit. Applicants should obtain and review the current education or service contract before enrolling, including obligations after graduation and consequences of withdrawal or non-completion.