Studying in Montenegro

What a year costs

Tuition at the University of Montenegro. The university says a foreign national has the right to enrol "under the same conditions as a Montenegrin citizen who pays tuition". It does not publish one fee table for all programmes.

The clearest published figure is for MONTEB, the three-year Business and Economics bachelor's taught in English at the Faculty of Economics: €3,500 a year (call for applications dated 25 June 2025). For programmes taught in Montenegrin, ask the faculty for the self-funded fee for your programme in writing.

Living costs. No Montenegrin government body publishes an official student living cost figure. The euro is the currency.

The visa

Montenegro links long stays to temporary residence. The government's visa page says a long-stay visa (D) is for foreigners staying more than 90 days but no more than six months in a year, and lists education and student exchanges among the purposes of temporary residence it serves. Whether you need a visa to enter depends on your nationality.

The residence permit for schooling (Law on Foreigners, Article 47) may be issued to a foreigner who meets the general conditions in Article 43 and provides confirmation of schooling. It is issued for the length of the school or academic year, and may be extended for up to two years beyond the prescribed length of study to let you finish. Minors need consent from a parent or guardian.

The general conditions in Article 43 include means of subsistence, accommodation, health insurance and a valid travel document.

The money. The law requires means of subsistence but does not state an amount. The detail sits in a Ministry of Interior rulebook, and we could not read its current version, so we do not quote a figure. Ask the embassy or the police administration that will handle your permit how much it wants to see, and in what form, before you apply.

Fees. We could not find the current visa fee or the temporary residence permit fee on an official source.

Montenegrin law has been amended several times. The text we read lists Official Gazette numbers 12/2018, 3/2019, 86/2022, 77/2024 and 3/2026.

Working while you study

The law does not set out a work allowance for degree students in the article on residence for schooling. A limit of 15 hours a week appears only in Article 48, which covers students on international exchange and youth programmes. If you are enrolled on a full degree, do not assume you can work: ask the Ministry of Interior or the Employment Agency of Montenegro before you accept a job.

After you graduate

The law gives a nine-month permit to look for work to students who came on international exchange programmes (Article 48) and to researchers (Article 50). It does not set out an equivalent for students on a full degree. Plan on leaving or having a job and a work-based permit lined up.

Language

Montenegrin is the official language. MONTEB is taught in English, and any programme not advertised in English should be assumed to need Montenegrin until the faculty tells you otherwise. Check the language of instruction for any other programme before applying.

When to apply

For 2025/26, MONTEB accepted applications in person at the Faculty of Economics in Podgorica on 26 and 27 June 2025. Watch the university site for your year's call, then allow time for the visa and the residence permit.

What to watch out for

Degree students have fewer rights than exchange students on paper. The work allowance and the job-search permit in the law are written for exchange programmes. Get written confirmation before you plan around either.

The money test is not published clearly. Ask the authorities for the amount in writing.

Permits run for one academic year. Renew on time each year.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure above carries the date we checked it. Check the official source before you rely on it, and ask the Montenegrin embassy for the fee and the proof of funds amount, because we could not verify them.