High attendance at the first Festival of Slovenian Universities, UNI-SI

Secondary school students visited exhibition areas of all eight universities, and became acquainted with more than 400 study programmes available to them. To make orientation easier, the programmes were organised into seven thematic fields – an innovation and unique concept of the event – which are also available for review on the festival’s website.  UNI-SI is more than just a fair, as it offers year-round communication and unified support through its channels, guiding prospective students from the decision-making phase through to enrolment, both nationally and internationally.

The collaborative approach of the universities also enabled a joint presentation by all three student halls of residence offices (Maribor, Ljubljana and Koper), since placement in subsidised accommodation is managed at the national level throughout the entire process, up to the final placement in accordance with the halls of residence rules. These offices presented procedures during accompanying festival events, where other more formal but essential processes, such as applications and enrolment, were also explained. In addition, workshops and lectures were held to support better academic and extracurricular life. 

Advice was provided by staff from various services and fields, members of academic staff, and students themselves. A special feature of the festival were the ambassadors, a group consisting of one student from each university, who offered guidance and additional information to younger peers both through social media and in person at the festival.

The festival officially opened on Friday with a formal protocol event in the morning. This year’s festival was held under the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Nataša Pirc Musar, who also visited the event and toured the festival, accompanied by the President of the RKRS and its rectors (or their representatives). The event was also attended by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Igor Papič, representing one of the ministries that supported the festival. Support was also provided by the Ministry of Education, which serves as a bridge to the secondary school population. 

The organisers consider the festival to have been successful, as the event enabled them to highlight and realise all the concepts and information developed through the related staff’s many years of experience advising and guiding young people. The coordination of the festival within the organisational group composed of representatives of the participating universities is, by agreement, one of the responsibilities of the university presiding over the Slovenian Rectors’ Conference (RKRS). Thus, for the next two years, this role will be taken over by the University of Maribor from the University of Primorska (with the University of Nova Gorica as vice-presiding university). Until the next festival, activities will continue via the festival’s website and social media channels, where secondary school students will be able to receive regular and up-to-date information and reminders regarding deadlines, procedures and news related to applications for both first-cycle and higher-level study programmes. With the website also available in English, it serves as an important source of information for prospective students from abroad and, at the international level, showcases the breadth of the Slovenian university landscape.

All eight members of the RKRS participated in the festival: the University of Ljubljana, the University of Maribor, the University of Primorska, the University of Nova Gorica, the University of Novo Mesto, the New University, the Alma Mater Europaea University, and EMUNI (Euro-Mediterranean University). 

This year’s festival was held under the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Nataša Pirc Musar. The festival was supported by both the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation and the Ministry of Education.