Study Abroad
Study Guide to Masters and Bachelors Degree Courses




Czech Republic



Structure of Educational System
Admissions to Higher Education and Recognition  of Foreign Credentials 
Student Life 
International Cooperation and Exchanges   
 
 Pre-higher Education System

     Duration of compulsory education
     Age of entry: 6
     Age of exit:  15

     Structure of school system

     Type/level of education:     Primary
     Type of school:                    BASIC SCHOOL
     Length of program (years): 9
     Age level:                              from 6 to 15
     Certificate awarded:             VYSVEDCENI

     Type/level of education:     Pre-university
     Type of school:                    GRAMMAR SCHOOL (GYMNASIUM)
     Length of program (years): 4
     Age level:                              from 15 to 19
     Certificate awarded:             MATURITNI VYSVEDCENI (MATURITA)

     Type/level of education:     Professional
     Type of school:                    SECONDARY TECHNICAL SCHOOL
     Length of program (years): 4
     Age level:                              from 15 to 19
     Certificate awarded:             MATURITNI VYSVEDCENI

     Type/level of education:   Apprenticeship
     Type of school:                   SECONDARY APPRENTICE SCHOOL
     Length of program (years): 3
     Age level:                              from 15 to 18
     Certificate awarded:             MATURITNI VYSVEDCENI

     Type/level of education:    Apprenticeship
     Type of school:                    SECONDARY APPRENTICE SCHOOL
     Length of program (years): 3
     Age level:                              from 15 to 18
     Certificate awarded:             VOCATIONAL CERTIFICATE

     Type/level of education:     Professional
     Type of school:                    SECONDARY APPRENTICE SCHOOL
     Length of program (years): 4
     Age level:                              from 15 to 19
     Certificate awarded:             MATURITNI VYSVEDCENI

     Type/level of education:     Professional
     Type of school:                    HIGHER PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL
     Length of program (years): 2
     Age level:                              from 19 to 21
     Certificate awarded:             ABSOLUTORUM

     Description of secondary school system
Secondary education comprises three main types of school: grammar school (gymnasium), secondary professional school and apprentice school. Grammar schools prepare for university studies and the secondary professional schools for a wide range of professions. As for the apprentice centres, they prepare either for the blue-collar or for the public service sector. All studies culminate in the passing of the Maturita examination and the award of the Maturitni vysvedceni.
 

Higher Education System

     Structure of system
Higher education is provided by universities offering courses in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, medicine and pharmacy, theology, as well as in economics, veterinary medicine, and agriculture. Other higher education institutions include teacher training colleges and academies of music, where performing and fine arts are taught. All these institutions are state administered and financed through the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Physical Education.

     Main types of higher education institutions in country

     Type of institution:  UNIVERZITA
     Translation:               UNIVERSITY

     Type of institution:  VYSOKE UCENI TECHNICKE
     Translation:               TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

     Type of institution:  TECHNICKA UNIVERZITA
     Translation:               TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

     Type of institution:  AKADEMIE
     Translation:               ACADEMY

     Type of institution:  VYSOKA SKOLA
     Translation:               HIGHER SCHOOL

     Main laws/decrees governing higher education

     Name of law/decree:        Higher Education Institutions Act no. 172/1990
     Date:                      1905
     Institution type:  all higher education institutions
 

Administrative structure of higher education

     Name of body:      Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
     Role:              Responsible for the administration and the financing of higher education institutions.
     Street: Karmelitska 7
     City: Praha 1
     Postal code: 11812
     Telephone: 420-2-5193111
     Fax: 420-2-5193790

     Name of body:      Ceska konference rektoru (Czech Rectors' Conference)

     Address:
          P.O. Box: Masaryk University
          Street: Zerotinovo nam. 9
          City: Brno
          Postal code: 60177
          Telephone: 420-5-4212-8270
          Fax: 420-5-4212-8262
          E-Mail: fojtikova@muni.cz

     Name of body:      Rada vysokych skol (Council of Higher Education Institutions)
     Role:              Represents the universities in their dealings with the Ministry
     Street: Jose Martiho 31
     City: PRAHA 6 VELESLAVIN
     Postal code: 16252
     Telephone: 420-2-3162703
     Fax: 420-2-3162703

     Academic year
     Classes start:     September
     Classes end:       August
     Long vacation:     from 15 June, to 1 September

     Languages of instruction
     Czech, German, English
 

Stages and Organization of Higher Education Studies

     University level studies

     Stage 1:     First stage

Description: The first stage usually takes 3 to 4 years, covering all main disciplines, except in medicine, pharmacy, architecture and law. It is conceived either as an independent course whose graduates are fully qualified for particular professions, or as the first stage of longer studies whose graduates can continue towards the "Magistr" or "Inzenyr" degree. This short study cycle leads to the academic degree of "bakalar" (Bc).

     Stage 2:     Second stage

Description: This stage lasts from five to six years and graduates obtain the degree of magistr (Mgr.), inzenyr (Ing.), doktor vseobecne mediciny (MUDr.), doktor veterinarni mediciny (MVDr.). In medicine and veterinary medicine, students must sit for a final state examination and submit a thesis.

     Stage 3:     Doctoral study

Description: It requires three years of full-time study or four to six years of part-time study. It may only be carried out by university graduates. Doctoral studies lead to the advanced degree of doktor (Dr.).
 

     Teacher education

     Training of primary/basic school teachers

Teachers of basic schools specialized in music education are usually graduates of 4-year or 6-year conservatoires. Basic school teachers must hold a Bachelor or Master's degree.

     Training of secondary school teachers

Teachers for grammar schools, apprentice centres and secondary professional schools are trained at Faculties of Education, Arts and Humanities,Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Physics, Faculties of Physical Education and Sports as well as at technical, economic and agricultural universities, medical faculties and Academies of Arts. In order to practise, teachers must hold the Magister degree and at technical, economic and agricultural universities, the Inzenyr degree.

     Training of higher education teachers

Teachers at technical, economic and agricultural universities must hold the Inzenyr degree. Academic staff members may be appointed to the following ranks: profesor (professor), docent (associate professor) odborny asistent (senior assistant), asistent (assistant) and lektor (lecturer). They are trained in universities and higher education institutions and they advance on the academic professional scale according to the academic degrees obtained.
 

     Non-formal studies

     Distance higher education

Several faculties offer distance education leading to degrees of bakalar, magister and inzenyr.

     Lifelong higher education

Part-time or extra-mural study courses are organized for employees at the levels of undergraduate, graduate and extraordinary studies (among which University of the 3rd Age).
 

Grading system

     Usual grading system in (upper) secondary school
     vyborne (excellent); velmi dobre (very good); dobre (good); nevyhovel (unsatisfactory/fail).

     Highest on scale:  vyborne
     Pass/fail level:           dobre/nevyhovel
     Lowest on scale:   nevyhovel

     Main grading system generally used by higher education institutions
     vyborne (excellent); velmi dobre (very good); dobre (good); nevyhovel (unsatisfactory/fail).

     Highest on scale:  vyborne
     Pass/fail level:           dobre/nevyhovel
     Lowest on scale:   nevyhovel

     Other main grading system used
     Theses: with honours; pass; fail.
 

Admissions to Higher Education

     Admission to Vocational/Technical Studies

     Admission to higher vocational/technical or other professionally oriented non-university level studies

     Secondary school credential/certificate/diploma(s) required for entry

     Name of sec. school credential: MATURITNI VYSVEDCENI
     For: all programmes

     Numerus clausus established in the country for students entering higher vocational/technical education
     At level of institutions: Y

     Specified restrictions of the country/state level:
     Insufficient capacity
 

     Admissions to university level

     Secondary school credential/certificate/diploma(s) required for entry

     Name of sec. school credential: MATURITNI VYSVEDCENI
     For: all higher education institutions
     Total number of years of primary and secondary school study: 12

     Other admission requirements established at national level:
In higher education institutions specialized in arts study and in faculties of education, part of the entrance examination is called "talentova zkouska" (talent examination).

     Numerus clausus established in the country for students entering university level education
     At level of institutions: Y          At country/state level: N

     Specified restrictions of the country/state level:
     Insufficient capacity at some faculties
 

     Admission for foreign students

     Special admission requirements for foreign students at national level:

     Definition of a "foreign" student:
A foreign student is a person enrolled at a Czech institution of higher education who is not a permanent resident of the Czech Republic.

     Quotas established for foreign students:
     At institution level: N
     At country/state level: N

     Special entry regulations for foreign students in country/state:
Foreign students wishing to study in the Czech Republic must hold a valid passport. They have to apply for a visa to the embassy or consulate of the Czech Republic in their country and for a residence permit.

     Health requirements:
     Health certificate required

     Language proficiency requirements for foreign applicants whose first language is not the language of instruction
     Are there examinations at institution level? Y

     Other special academic requirements for foreign students set up at national level:
The secondary-school-leaving certificate must either originate from a state with which the Czech Republic has agreements on the equivalence of diplomas for university entrance or be validated by the Regional School Authorities (skolske urady).

     Authority to whom foreign student applications should be addressed:
     Application to individual institutions: Y
     For entry to: All types of institutions and programmes.

     Application to national/central body: N

     Name of national/central body: Study departments of individual faculties

     Earliest application closing date for foreign students admissions

     For Tech./Voc. non-university level studies:
     For first university level studies:        28 February

     Reference to further information materials on foreign students admissions

     Title:                           Higher Education in the Czech Republic. Guide for Foreign Students
     Publisher:                  Centre for Higher Education Studies, Praha
     Year of publication: 1996
 

Recognition of studies and qualifications

System of "recognition" or "accreditation" of studies completed and credentials awarded within the country:

     Description:

Recognition of diplomas and other kinds of documents certifying the completion of periods of study is the responsibility of the individual higher education institution.

     Recognition of studies completed and credentials awarded in foreign countries

     Bodies primarily addressing questions relating to the recognition of foreign credentials and studies in higher education

     Name of body: Centrum pro studium vysokeho skolstvi-stredisko pro ekvivalenci dokladu
     Address:
          Street: U Luzickeho seminare 13
          City: Praha 1
          Postal code: 11800
          Telephone: 420-2-532332
          Fax: 420-2-551945
          E-Mail: skuhrova@csvs.cz

     Recognition of foreign credentials to enter an institution:        Y
     Recognition of foreign credentials to enter a profession:  Y

     Description of services provided and types of students dealt with:
Provision of information, documentation services, referral enquiries and advisory services for decision-makers.

     Name of body: Ministersvo skolstvi, mladeze a telovychovy CR
     Address:
          Street: Karmelitska 8
          City: Praha 5
          Postal code: 11812
          Telephone: 420-2-5193111

     Recognition of foreign credentials to enter an institution:        Y
     Recognition of foreign credentials to enter a profession:  Y

     For access to university level studies:
The relevant regional school authority (skolsky urad) is competent to confirm the equivalence of secondary-school-leaving certificates obtained abroad with "maturitni vysvedceni" if the bilateral agreement between the Czech Republic and countries of the origin of the documents exist and to establish the nostrification of the documents if there are no agreements.

     For access to advanced studies and research:
Holders of recognized master's degrees (or another equivalent degree) have access to doctoral studies (doktorske studium) or scientific training (vedecka aspirantura). If bilateral or multilateral agreements on equivalences exist, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports establishes the equivalence. In other cases, the nostrification of documents is established by higher education institutions.

Principal multilateral agreements adopted by the country relating to recognition of studies, degrees and diplomas

Name of agreement: CONVENTION ON THE RECOGNITION OF STUDIES, DIPLOMAS AND DEGREES CONCERNING HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE STATES BELONGING TO THE EUROPE REGION
Year of signature: 1993

Name of agreement: THE EUROPEAN AGREEMENT ON THE ASSOCIATION OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
Year of signature: 1993

Principal biliteral agreements signed by the country relative to recognition of studies, degrees and diplomas

     Country:   Azerbaijan

     Country:   Belarus

     Country:   Bulgaria

     Country:   Cuba

     Country:   Hungary

     Country:   India

     Country:   Poland

     Country:   Romania

     Country:   Russian Federation

     Country:   Slovak Republic

     Country:   Slovenia

     Country:   Yugoslavia
 

Student services

     Main student services at national level

     Name of service: Akademicka informacni agentura
     Address:
          Street: Senovazne namesti 26
          City: Praha 1
          Postal code: 11121
          Telephone: 420-2-24229714

     Category of service provided: Academic and career counselling services

     Are these services available to foreign students? N

     Name of service: Foreign Relations House of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
     Address:
          Street: Senovazne namesti 26
          City: Praha 1
          Postal code: 11121
          Telephone: 42-2-24229714

     Category of service provided: Special services/Centre for foreign students

     Are these services available to foreign students? Y

     Is there a national social security system health insurance for home students? Y
     Is it available for foreign students? Y
     Cost/fee (per year, in national currency): US Dollar 300

     Special travel concessions for students:
     By road:   Y
     By rail:   Y
     Is it available for foreign students? Y

     Principal national student associations and unions

     Name: Czech Student Union

     Address:
          City: Praha

     Name: Student Chamber of Council of Higher Education Institutions

     Address:
          Street: Jose Martiho 31
          City: Praha 6 Veleslavin
          Postal code: 16252
          Telephone: 42-2 3162703
          Fax: 42-2 3162703
 

Student expenses and financial aid

     Average student expenses in national currency:

     Average living costs for current academic year: US Dollar 5000
 
 

 Tuition and fees for national students  Tuition and fees for foreign students 
 Minimum:    Minimum:  US Dollar 3000
 Maximum:    Maximum:  US Dollar 10000
 
Financial aid available for Higher Vocational/Technical studies   Financial aid available for first degree studies Financial aid available for advanced/doctoral studies
 Grants for foreign students:   Y Y
 Grants for home students:    Y Y
 Loans for foreign students:    
 Loans for home students:     
 

      Main body(ies) providing information on foreign student financial aid

     Name: Foreign Relations House of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
     Address:
          Street: Senovazne namesti 26
          City: Praha 1
          Postal code: 11121
          Telephone: 420-2-24229698
          Fax: 420-2 24229697

     Grants/scholarships:       Y
     Loans:                             N
     Category(ies) of foreign students dealt with: Foreign students studying on the basis of cultural bilateral agreements.

     Publication(s) listing scholarships/grants/loans available

     Title:                           Study Abroad 1996-1997
     Publisher:                   UNESCO
     Year of publication:  1995
 

International Cooperation

Principal national bodies responsible for facilitating international cooperation and exchanges in higher education

     Name: Ministersvo skolstvi, mladeze a telovychovy CR
     Address:
          Street: Karmelitska 7
          City: Praha 7
          Postal code: 11812
          Telephone: 420-2-5193111
          Fax: 420-2-5193790

Participation of country in multilateral or major bilateral higher education exchange programmes

     Name of programme: PHARE
     Name of programme: TEMPUS
     Name of programme: HEURAS
     Name of programme: SOCRATES
     Name of programme: LEONARDO DA VINCI III

    

     Date:         1996/1997
     Source:     Centre for Higher Education Studies, Prague, 1997