University of Nova Gorica

About University of Nova Gorica

The University of Nova Gorica combines teaching with research through six subject schools and a Graduate School. Its official structure includes schools covering environmental sciences, engineering and management, science, humanities, viticulture and enology, and arts. Research is organized through laboratories and centers in areas including environmental and life sciences, materials, quantum optics, astrophysics and cosmology, atmospheric research, wine research, humanities, linguistics, and applied mathematics. The institution traces its operation to the 1995/96 academic year, when the School of Environmental Sciences opened as an international graduate school. It was reorganized as Nova Gorica Polytechnic in 1998 and formally became the University of Nova Gorica in 2006. This history matters when comparing dates: 1995 is the institution’s stated establishment and operating origin, while 2006 marks the award of university status and adoption of the current name. UNG describes itself as a private university and emphasizes research-linked, practically oriented study. Its 2026 institutional material reports small study groups, close contact with instructors, opportunities to participate in projects, and practical placements or collaboration with outside organizations. Prospective students should nevertheless compare these opportunities at program level, since curricula, placement requirements, study sites, and available teaching languages vary. The university’s administrative address is in Rožna Dolina, Nova Gorica, while academic and support activity also takes place in Vipava and Ajdovščina.

Applications for 2026–27 are submitted electronically through Slovenia’s eVŠ portal. Requirements vary by program and level, so candidates must use the relevant program page for prior-education criteria, available places, selection rules, and any additional assessment. Applicants with foreign qualifications may need recognition of their education and supporting records. The bachelor’s application guidance lists an education certificate, transcripts or annual report cards, a chronological account of prior education, and, when requested, certified Slovenian or English translations. It also lists a motivation letter and CV among the required attachments. For bachelor’s entry, EU citizens and the other applicants grouped with them had rounds on 18 February–18 March, 20–27 August, and 23–24 September 2026. Non-EU citizens had additional rounds running 1 April–1 July and 1 August–1 September, followed by 10–24 September. Later rounds could remain closed if places filled earlier. Digital Arts and Practices also uses an artistic-ability assessment. Master’s and doctoral applications used rounds ending 18 March, 1 June, 1 September, and 24 September 2026, subject to program availability. Master’s applicants generally need an appropriate first-cycle qualification, while exact subject prerequisites differ. Doctoral requirements are likewise program-specific; the published Humanities doctorate accepts relevant second-cycle preparation or specified alternative prior qualifications. Candidates should not assume one university-wide language threshold: they must verify the language of instruction and any required proof directly for their chosen program.

For 2026–27, UNG lists seven bachelor’s programs: Physics and Astrophysics; Language and Literature in the Digital World; Cultural History; Environment; Engineering and Management; Digital Arts and Practices; and Viticulture and Enology. This is an unusually interdisciplinary portfolio for a compact institution, extending from laboratory and field-based sciences to humanities and creative practice. At master’s level, the university lists Engineering and Management, Leadership in Open Education, Environment, Viticulture and Enology, Media Arts and Practices, Physics and Astrophysics, Materials Science, and Humanities Studies. Its wider offering also includes international or jointly delivered study, although applicants should verify the partner institutions, mobility pattern, award structure, and separate application rules for the particular program they are considering. The Graduate School lists doctoral programs in Cognitive Science of Language, Cultural Heritage Studies, Environmental Sciences, Humanities, Karstology, Materials, Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, and Physics. Doctoral study is research-centered and program-specific. The published Humanities doctorate, for example, is a four-year, third-cycle program with modules in migration and intercultural relations, literary science, and history. Academic delivery is spread among different locations. Science activities are associated with Ajdovščina, several humanities and arts programs with Nova Gorica, and environmental science, engineering, and viticulture units with Vipava or other university premises. Applicants should consult the individual program page rather than infer a single campus experience. They should also check the exact language of every course; UNG’s 2026–27 admissions guidance states that not all programs have courses available in English.

Key Highlights

• Private university operating since 1995 and holding university status since 2006
• Six subject schools plus a Graduate School
• Teaching and research activity distributed across Nova Gorica, Vipava, and Ajdovščina
• Research units span sciences, technology, wine, humanities, and linguistics

Student Life & Environment

UNG provides student services from offices in Nova Gorica and Vipava. The Student Office handles enrollment information, certificates, academic records, transcripts, study-program information, and admissions questions. The university library in Rožna Dolina provides a reading room, printed holdings, electronic research resources, and interlibrary-loan services. An International and Project Office supports student mobility, while the Career Center offers career planning, counseling, workshops, vacancy and internship information, and links with employers. Housing is limited and application-based rather than guaranteed. For 2026–27, the university expected 12 available beds at Lanthieri Mansion in Vipava and 58 at the Paternolli Student Residence Hall in Gorizia, Italy. The Gorizia option was restricted to EU students. That year’s long-term accommodation deadline was 14 August 2026, so later applicants need to ask whether places or waiting-list options remain and should investigate the private market. Because accommodation and teaching can be in different towns—or across the Slovenian-Italian border—commuting implications deserve attention before accepting a room. The 2026 university brochure describes an international student environment and access to Slovenian student benefits such as subsidized meals and transport where eligibility rules are met. These benefits should not be treated as automatic for every student; international applicants should confirm residence, enrollment, and nationality conditions with the relevant office.

Location & Surroundings

The university is based in western Slovenia’s Goriška region, close to the border with Italy. Its main administrative and student-service address is Vipavska cesta 13 in Rožna Dolina, Nova Gorica. Other major university addresses include Lanthieri Mansion on Glavni trg in Vipava and science facilities on Vipavska 11c in Ajdovščina. Gorizia, immediately across the border in Italy, also forms part of the practical geography for some university accommodation. This is a distributed setting rather than a single consolidated campus. Nova Gorica hosts the principal address and several academic units; Vipava houses offices and activities connected with environmental sciences, engineering and management, and viticulture and enology; Ajdovščina hosts the School of Science and multiple laboratories. A student’s daily surroundings and travel needs therefore depend heavily on the chosen program. The region lies between the Adriatic and Alpine areas and has a sub-Mediterranean character. Its cross-border position can be academically relevant, especially for programs dealing with cultural spaces, migration, language, heritage, or international cooperation. Before arranging housing, students should match the timetable’s actual teaching location against transport options rather than relying only on the university’s Nova Gorica name.

Costs & Career Outcomes

UNG’s fee schedule was approved in March 2026 and remains valid until amended. Annual charges differ substantially by program and student category. Listed bachelor’s tuition for part-time students and fee-paying foreign citizens ranges from EUR 2,800 to EUR 3,500. Master’s tuition ranges from EUR 2,800 to EUR 6,000 per year, while all listed doctoral programs cost EUR 4,000 per year. The annual e-services and library charge is EUR 15. Tuition may be paid in two equal installments, the first at enrollment and the second by 31 January. Full-time tuition is listed as zero for certain concession-funded bachelor’s and master’s programs for eligible Slovenian and EU citizens and nationals covered by specified agreements. This exemption is not universal: several master’s programs carry tuition for all categories, and prior study or previous use of publicly funded study rights can also affect liability. Each applicant should obtain an individual fee determination before budgeting. For 2026–27, UNG’s scholarship fund advertised EUR 3,600 per study year for selected students in six named master’s programs; the application deadline was 5 June 2026. This was competitive support, not a general discount. Housing, food, transport, insurance, immigration costs, and personal expenses are not included in the published tuition table. The Career Center supports students and graduates through career counseling, workshops, job-search assistance, vacancy and scholarship information, and connections with employers. UNG does not provide a verified university-wide salary or placement rate in the selected sources, so career outcomes should be investigated by discipline and program.