Charles University in Prague

Charles University offers a wide range of opportunities for students and staff to pursue their pastimes and hobbies. Besides boasting a plethora of student societies, the University also has several sports complexes and other interesting places where people can meet and spend their free time. Research and teaching at Charles University is scattered over many different sites, complicating the life of the University as a cohesive academic community. However, leisure activities hold a powerful potential to overcome this obstacle. Shared interest in sports, cultural activities and sharing our knowledge and values with other people - these help to unite all members of the University, regardless of which faculty we belong to or what we are studying. They also reinforce the University’s key shared values: our commitment to a common cause, our sense of duty, and our strong sense of collegiality and community.

If there is no entrance exam, applicants are assessed on the basis of submitted documents (e.g. SAT, A Level, TOEFL, IELTS, etc.). Prospective students are advised to visit the website of the respective faculty to find out what the specific admission requirements are.

5 Easy steps to apply:

• choose a study programme and check the specific requirements.
• have your previous education recognized in the Czech Republic (this can be done later, after you have received your diploma)
• fill the online application form (be aware that some faculties have their own application forms)
• pay the application fee, if required (approximately USD 30-50). The methods of payment will be included in the invitation letter to the entrance examinations.
• print, sign and send the official application form, generated by the online system, to the respective faculty together with the following documents: a notarised copy of your secondary school leaving certificate or your Bachelor’s diploma or your Master’s diploma; an official transcript of records from your previous university studies; an official translation of the two above into Czech or English (if it was issued in a third language); a certificate of equivalence from Czech educational authorities which states that your certificate/diploma is recognised; in the Czech Republic (called “nostrification”), if you completed your previous education abroad; a receipt to show that you have paid the application fee

Application deadlines:

• February 28 for bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes taught in Czech
• Application deadlines for bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes taught in English can be found on the websites of the respective faculties.
• April 30 for doctoral programmes

Charles University was founded in 1348, making it one of the oldest universities in the world. Yet it is also renowned as a modern, dynamic, cosmopolitan and prestigious institution of higher education. It is the largest and most renowned Czech university, and is also the best-rated Czech university according to international rankings. There are currently 17 faculties at the University (14 in Prague, 2 in Hradec Králové and 1 in Plzeň), plus 3 institutes, 6 other centres of teaching, research, development and other creative activities, a centre providing information services, 5 facilities serving the whole University, and the Rectorate - which is the executive management body for the whole University.

The University in Prague was founded by a charter issued on 7 April 1348 by Charles IV, King of Bohemia and King of the Romans, as the first Studium generale north of the Alps and east of Paris. Charles University is thus one of the oldest European universities. It was modelled on the universities in Bologna and Paris, and within a very short time it achieved international renown. It had four faculties: theology, liberal arts, law, and medicine. The academic community was comprised of teachers and students from the local area and further afield – but especially from the Central European region, for whom the University became an accessible and erudite Studium generale school. Charles’ son and successor Wenceslas (Václav) IV extended his influence over the University; in 1409 he issued the Kutná Hora Decree, by which he strengthened the status of Czech academic community members. Some of the masters and scholars left the Prague Studium generale in protest; this accentuated the University’s character as an institution with strong links to the Czech nation.

The Academic Ranking of World Universities - the “Shanghai League”, which every year compares more than 1,000 of the world’s best universities (selected from a total of over 17,000 institutions), has repeatedly included Charles University in the third hundred, i.e. among the 2 per cent top universities in the world and one of the 100 best universities in Europe.

Faculties

• Catholic Theological Faculty
• Protestant Theological Faculty
• Hussite Theological Faculty
• Faculty of Law
• First Faculty of Medicine
• Second Faculty of Medicine
• Third Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Medicine in Plzeň
• Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové
• Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové
• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Social Sciences
• Faculty of Physical Education and Sport
• Faculty of Humanities