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Applying to Czech Universities for 2027/28: Step-by-Step Plan, Deadlines, Documents and Exams

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To enter a tuition-free programme at a Czech public university you need B2 Czech (sometimes C1), recognised secondary education and a pass in the faculty's entrance exams. Applications for 2027/28 are filed online directly with faculties: Masaryk University accepts them from 1 November 2026 to 28 February 2027, and Charles University publishes its admission conditions on 1 October and usually closes applications at the end of February. Exams run in spring and early summer, and decisions arrive by the end of June. Each application to a Czech-taught programme costs up to $49 (CZK 1,055). Start by checking your citizenship: Russian citizens currently cannot file a student visa or residence application at any Czech embassy.

Monumental Faculty of Arts building with a rusticated arcaded ground floor, facing a square with tram tracks and passers-by
The main building of the Faculty of Arts of Charles University on Jan Palach Square in Prague, Czech Republic. Photo: Slimejs (Czech Wikipedia) / source, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Step 0. Can your passport get a student visa?

Citizenship Status
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and most other countries Standard procedure at the Czech embassy in your country of citizenship or residence
Belarus Only MŠMT, EU or Czech government scholarship holders
Russia, including dual citizens Visa and residence applications at Czech embassies are inadmissible (Government Regulation No. 55/2024)

Russian citizens who already live legally in Czechia on a valid residence permit are not barred from applying. For all other Russian citizens, admission depends on a visa application that cannot currently be filed. Details and exceptions are in our guide to the Czech student visa and residence permit.

Step 1. Choose your route

Your situation Route Time to start of studies
School finished, no Czech, goal is free tuition Preparatory year at a Czech university, then a Czech-taught degree About 2 years from starting preparation
School finished, Czech already at B2 Apply to Czech-taught programmes from home 10–12 months
Fast start, budget available English-taught programme, paid, no language year 8–12 months
Bachelor's degree held Master's in Czech (free) or English (paid) 8–12 months plus language
Vocational college diploma Bachelor's, if the diploma gives access to higher education in your country As for school leavers

Only Czech-taught programmes at public and state universities are tuition-free; see free university education in Czechia for the budget comparison.

Step 2. Understand the requirements

There is no national admission system: each faculty, sometimes each programme, sets its own conditions and must publish them at least four months before the application deadline (Section 49 of the Higher Education Act).

Requirement What it means for international applicants
Secondary education equivalent to the Czech maturita Foreign certificates must be confirmed by general nostrification or by the faculty's own assessment
Language Czech-taught: usually B2, sometimes C1; medicine also C1 medical terminology. English-taught: IELTS, TOEFL or an internal test
Entrance exams Aptitude tests, subject tests, interviews, talent exams or portfolios
Medical certificate Only where the programme requires it (e.g. sport and physical education); the faculty publishes the health requirements
Application fee Paid per application

School grades and national tests from your home country count only where the programme's conditions say so.

Step 3. How entrance exams work

Formats at Masaryk University for 2027/28:

  • Test of study prerequisites (TSP), used by the faculties of law, science, arts, education, economics and informatics. Two attempts in two windows: 29.11.2026–14.02.2027 and 15.02–25.04.2027.
  • Subject tests: Faculty of Science on 17.04.2027, Faculty of Arts 19–25.04.2027, Faculty of Pharmacy on several dates in April 2027.
  • Medicine: no TSP; biology, chemistry and physics tests for general medicine and dentistry on 9 or 10 June 2027.
  • External SCIO tests: the Faculty of Social Studies accepts national comparative test results.
  • Talent exams for architecture, design and the arts usually come earlier.

Charles University notes that some programmes admit applicants without exams, for example on the basis of excellent previous results or olympiad success; each faculty sets its own rules. If exams are held in person and you live abroad, citizens of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will need a short-stay Schengen visa for the trip.

Step 4. 2027/28 admission timeline

What When Source
Charles University publishes admission conditions 1 October 2026 Charles University
Masaryk University application period 01.11.2026–28.02.2027 Masaryk University
Charles University application deadline Usually end of February 2027 Charles University
Other universities Mostly February–April 2027; earlier for arts programmes Study in Czechia
Entrance exams April–June 2027 (Charles University mainly May–June) Universities
Admission decisions Usually by the end of June 2027 Study in Czechia
Start of studies September–October 2027; Charles University's 2026/27 year began on 1 October Universities

Always confirm the dates on the faculty page of your programme.

Step 5. Prepare documents and apply

Applications are filed online in each university's system ("e-přihláška"). There is no central portal like UCAS; each application is filed and paid separately. Typically you:

  • enter personal details and choose the programme;
  • select how you will prove secondary education;
  • upload or list documents: certificate with transcript, language certificate, passport copy, sometimes a CV, motivation letter or portfolio;
  • pay the fee: for Czech-taught programmes the law caps it at 20% of the MŠMT base, i.e. $49 (CZK 1,055) in 2026/27, while foreign-language programmes are not subject to this cap; Study in Czechia describes typical fees as several hundred up to about CZK 1,000.

Some universities also require certified paper copies by post; Charles University, for example, accepts documents for the assessment of foreign certificates by post only.

Step 6. Prove your prior education

General nostrification Faculty assessment
Who decides Regional authority (Prague City Hall in Prague) The faculty you applied to
Fee $140 (CZK 3,000) Up to $49 (CZK 1,055)
Exams Possible in individual subjects None, but the faculty may require nostrification if in doubt
Validity Anywhere in Czechia, no expiry One faculty, one academic year

For master's admission the faculty can assess your bachelor's degree within the admission procedure, or you can obtain recognition of the degree from a public university. Documents and authentication rules by country are explained in nostrification in Czechia.

Step 7. Prove your Czech

B2 Czech can be proven by:

  • the CCE certificate exam run by ÚJOP at Charles University (from $140 (CZK 3,000));
  • the final certificate of a university preparatory course (according to ÚJOP, its certificate is recognised by more than 80 universities and faculties);
  • the faculty's own language test.

Going from zero to B2 in a year is realistic on an intensive course, especially for speakers of Slavic languages. See Czech preparatory courses.

Step 8. After the decision: enrolment, visa, housing

  1. Decision. The dean decides within 30 days of verifying the conditions. If rejected, you can appeal to the rector within the deadline stated in the decision, join a second round if one exists, or choose another programme.
  2. Enrolment (zápis). The faculty sets the date; proof of recognised education is usually required by then.
  3. Visa or permit. Apply as soon as you have the admission letter. Processing takes 60 days plus the embassy appointment wait (21–30 days in Astana at present). With a late-June decision, September may be out of reach, which is why many applicants start with a preparatory year and apply from inside Czechia.
  4. Housing. Universities allocate dormitory places; apply after admission.

What is different for master's applicants

  • Document: a bachelor's degree instead of a school certificate, assessed by the faculty within admission (no recognition decision is issued, only a record in the file) or recognised by a public university with a similar programme: $140 (CZK 3,000), 30 days, up to 60 in complex cases.
  • Profile: the law lets faculties require a related field or a number of credits in specific subject areas (Section 49); changing fields is possible, but read the conditions carefully.
  • Language: Czech-taught master's programmes often expect a higher level than bachelor's programmes; English-taught ones require IELTS, TOEFL or an internal test.
  • Selection: more often an interview, a subject exam or an assessment of portfolio and motivation letter.
  • Doctoral studies: a master's degree; applications often involve a research topic, contacting a prospective supervisor and a research proposal.

What is different for English-taught programmes

English-taught programmes at public universities are paid and have their own deadlines. Example: Liberal Arts and Humanities at Charles University costs $5,706 (€5,000) a year; for 2026 entry the deadline was 31 March and the entrance exam was held online on 25 April. No Czech is needed, but an English certificate is. The visa procedure is the same. Fees are compared in the cost of studying in Czechia; medicine is covered in studying medicine in Czechia.

Calendar if you already have B2 Czech

When Step
October–November 2026 Shortlist 3–5 programmes, read admission conditions, register for the CCE exam
November 2026 – February 2027 Submit applications and pay fees; start nostrification or prepare papers for faculty assessment
December 2026 – April 2027 TSP or other test attempts
April–June 2027 Subject exams and interviews (Schengen visa for the trip if needed)
June 2027 Decisions, confirm your place, book the embassy appointment
July–August 2027 Visa or permit application, insurance, dormitory
September 2027 Enrolment, registration in Czechia

Starting from zero, shift everything by a year and add a preparatory course from September 2027. For university choices see universities in Prague and our profiles of Charles University, CTU, Masaryk University, Brno University of Technology, Palacký University, CZU Prague and the Prague University of Economics and Business.

Common mistakes

  • Choosing a university before checking whether your passport can get a visa.
  • Applying to a single programme: several applications are allowed and are the best insurance.
  • Preparing for B2 when the programme requires C1 or a subject exam in Czech.
  • Missing the faculty's deadline for posting paper documents.
  • Postponing nostrification until after the admission decision.
  • Planning the visa for July after a late-June decision with no buffer.
  • Confusing Czech- and English-taught programmes with the same name: the latter are paid.

FAQ

Yes. Czech law requires secondary education that gives access to bachelor's studies in your country; the number of school years alone does not decide. The certificate must be confirmed by nostrification or faculty assessment, and in nostrification the region may order exams where your curriculum differs.

Several, to different programmes, faculties and universities, each filed and paid separately. Check that exam dates do not clash.

Yes. Proof of education is due by the faculty's deadline, usually enrolment. Only a finished certificate can be nostrified.

It depends on the faculty: some tests are in person, some online, and TSP and SCIO tests run on set dates. For in-person exams from abroad you will need a short-stay Schengen visa.

For some programmes, yes; Charles University, for example, allows it for excellent previous results or olympiad success. The faculty decides in its admission conditions.

Each university publishes its calendar. At Charles University the 2026/27 year and winter semester began on 1 October 2026 and the summer semester starts on 15 February 2027.

Under a contract we shortlist programmes for your profile and passport, check faculty requirements, build your application calendar and help with documents, nostrification and the visa. The university decides on admission and the Czech Ministry of the Interior on the visa. See our Czechia overview.

Sources

During the free initial consultation, we clarify your goal, profile, timing, and budget and identify the next realistic step.

Next steps

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