I have already written many articles about studying in Montenegro’s primary school. But years passed, and after living in Montenegro for 12 years, my son finished 9th grade, and it was time for us to say goodbye to primary school and move on to secondary education.
Secondary Education in Montenegro: Gymnasiums and Vocational Schools
Secondary schools in Montenegro are represented by gymnasiums and vocational schools. In a gymnasium, you receive a full secondary education, while vocational schools offer secondary professional education. Honestly, I thought for a long time about how to translate stručna škola correctly into Russian — whether it’s a technical school, PTU, or college. In the end, I decided that “vocational school” fits best.
There are many gymnasiums and vocational schools in Montenegro. It’s difficult to describe them all in one article and unnecessary. I will write based on the example of the school in Herceg Novi, since I live in this city and know this school better than others. The admission process for other schools is similar.
It should be noted that students do not always enroll in schools in their own city. Some students living in Herceg Novi submit documents to schools in neighboring towns. For example, the vocational school in Tivat offers computer science, and I know students who want to become IT specialists and are ready to travel daily for 4 years from Herceg Novi to Tivat for classes.
Differences Between Entering Primary and Secondary School
Another important point is how entering primary school (grades 1–9) differs from entering secondary school (gymnasium or vocational school). For primary school, you simply come and are accepted. The only admission deadlines apply to 1st grade; for other grades, students can enroll at any time during the year.
In secondary school, unlike primary school, admission is competitive. Admission is based on a points system. Grades from the last three years (7th, 8th, and 9th grades) and final exams are taken into account. So, points are given for academic performance over three years, plus extra points for exams. If the student has sports achievements, like winning championships, additional points are also added.
Interestingly, the points calculation is dynamic — depending on the specialty you apply for, the required points may be higher or lower. Besides the average grade for each year, grades in three most important subjects are considered. These important subjects vary depending on the chosen specialty in the vocational school. For example, good grades in math might be important for one specialty, while biology and chemistry are more important for medical studies.
Gymnasium and Vocational School in Herceg Novi
Let’s return to the admission process for secondary school in Herceg Novi. Remember, this school serves as an example to show the process. Everything works the same way in other secondary schools, with differences only in specialty choices and the competition.
In our town, the secondary school is called IVAN GORAN KOVAČIĆ — both the gymnasium and the vocational school are in one institution.
Applications to this and all other secondary schools in Montenegro are submitted online through a special website. Here is what the login page looks like:
You register on the website, log in, and at the appointed time, submit your application. This year, applications for gymnasium and vocational school can be submitted from June 26 to June 29. The application form is simple and takes just a few minutes to complete.
Tracking Your Application and Competition in Herceg Novi
After submitting your application, you can track your position in the ranking. Every day, until the end of the application period, the current ranking of candidates is published exactly at 4 PM. You can check your place yourself. If you see that you do not pass the competition for your chosen specialty, you can cancel your submitted application and send a new one for another department.
Available Specialties in Herceg Novi and Competition
In Herceg Novi, as in any other secondary school, you can choose between a gymnasium and a vocational school. A very important point is that the vocational school is divided into two types: 3-year and 4-year programs. What is the difference?
After graduating from a gymnasium or a 4-year vocational school, you can apply to a higher education institution. But after finishing a 3-year vocational school, you do not have the right to enter a university.
For 3-year programs, applications are accepted with any number of points. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education of Montenegro sets minimum points for applying to gymnasiums or 4-year vocational schools. This year, to apply for a 4-year vocational program, you need at least 48 points, and for the gymnasium, at least 60 points. This minimum does not guarantee admission, as acceptance is based on competition. But if you don’t have at least this many points, you cannot apply for 4-year programs and will only have the option to enter 3-year programs aimed at building careers like seller or waiter.
Specialties and Competition Results in Herceg Novi
Below is a list of available departments (specialties) and the final competition results as of June 29 — the enrollment is finished, and these are the final numbers.
Herceg Novi Gymnasium:
- General Gymnasium – 84 students accepted.
You can see the current competition on the school website. Pay attention to the number of applications submitted. Remember, only 84 students can enroll here. All students are ranked by their performance, with the strongest student at first place and the weakest at the last. The rightmost column shows the total points — the academic score influencing which department the student can enter. As you see, they enrolled fewer students than planned. - Philological Gymnasium – In my opinion, the most useful department, with low competition. Nobody wants to be a philologist, but it’s a mistake — they study several languages there. Regardless of what a person does later, knowledge of languages is always useful. Even if you learn only one English language, that is a big plus. They accept 28 students. I can’t provide a competition link because there is none. Yesterday, there were only 5 applicants — likely not enough to open the department, or the data wasn’t published. Eventually, this department did not start. All applicants were sent to the “regular” gymnasium.
4-Year Vocational Programs in Herceg Novi:
- Hotels and Tourism — 28 students
- Gastronomy — 28 students
- Healthcare — 28 students
- Economics — 28 students
- Construction — 28 students
For specialties with low enrollment, applications can still be submitted later. For those with full enrollment, admission is closed and final. For departments with vacancies, applications can be submitted tomorrow by visiting the school.
Overall, the strongest competition was for Economics and Tourism — students with good grades competed there. The other specialties are easier to enter.
Some students failed to get into several specialties because they were lazy to act. They could have gone to the school director and asked about the competition and, while it was not too late, transferred to Gastronomy, which has 4 free spots. It’s not the best specialty, but it gives the right to apply to university — the main thing is to complete 4 years of study. This could still be done tomorrow, but by then those 4 spots will be hotly contested. Today, it was enough just to ask about the competition and timely transfer the application.
Important: Specialties can change yearly. For example, last year there was Design, but this year there is not. I do not know why — maybe they try to adapt the graduates to labor market needs.
3-Year Vocational Programs in Herceg Novi:
- Seller — 26 students
- Waiter — 26 students
- Plumber — 28 students
There is no competition for 3-year programs — all applicants were accepted due to low enrollment.
Private Schools in Montenegro
If you did not pass the competition for a public secondary school, you can enroll your child in a private school. Among private schools in Montenegro, there are both Russian and international schools. I analyzed them recently and concluded that among international schools there are good options, but all teach in English, so excellent English is required.
As for the “our” schools — the Russian schools did not inspire me personally. Maybe I missed something. Perhaps you should talk to them yourself and form your own opinion. We rejected them.
