Univerzita Karlova v Praze

Charles University was founded in 1348 and is one of the oldest higher education institutions in the world. At the same time it is a modern, fast-moving up-market university.

• Charles University is the largest and most famous Czech university in the world.

• The university is included in the list of the 500 best higher education institutions in the world according to TheTimesHigherEducationWorldUniversityRankings.

• The national hero of the Czech Republic and the thinker Jan Hus, physicists Nikola Tesla and Albert Einstein, the first president of Czechoslovakia Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, and writers Franz Kafka and Milan Kundera taught at the University of Prague.

• Charles University is a member of the European University Association along with Oxford, Sorbonne, Bologna and the University of Geneva.

• Currently, nearly 53 000 students (a sixth of all students in the Czech Republic) study at 17 faculties of the university (14 in Prague, two in Hradec Králové and one in Plzen).

• The university offers more than 300 accredited programs in 642 majors.

• More than 20,000 students are studying in Bachelor’s degree programs, almost 25,000 in Master’s programs, and 8,000 in Doctoral programs.

• More than 7,000 students are from other countries.

• The university has unique programs – Egyptology (Czech Egyptologists are world-class specialists), Addictology, Criminology.

• Charles University is the leader among universities offering Erasmus program.

Submission of applications: by February 28

Faculties of Charles University

Faculty of Arts

The historical name of the faculty is the Faculty of Philosophy, but it offers a wide range of programs in Humanities. Nowadays, you can study almost any foreign language within the course of the Philology programs.

Admission exams to the Faculty of Arts consist of an interview or a written exam and an interview, depending on the program.

An applicant has to study the literature in chosen major and come to the exam with a list of the studied literature. During the interview an applicant is required to tell about his/her motivation to study this particular program, held a discussion with the admission board on the studied literature and demonstrate knowledge of major theoretical issues.

The most popular Bachelor’s degree programs of the Faculty of Arts and admission process

Psychology (61 out of 1035 applicants are enrolled) written exam: test in fundamentals of social sciences or biology

test in psychology

learning potential test (verbal, numerical, analytical and critical thinking, spatial imagination and memory capabilities)

test in ability to perform tasks on psychological topics proper and efficient.

Interview an interview about the psychological connections of interactions between people, the applicant’s motivation and self-assessment ability to study analysis of the video recording of communication between people discussion on the studied literature, scientific interests of the applicant and detailed CV .

Social Work written exam:

test in fundamentals of social work and social policy

test in culture

general scientific concepts and terms.

Interview experience and learning motivation of the applicant discussion on the studied literature, assessment of knowledge the chosen major

Sociology (25 out of 95 students are enrolled)

written exam:

learning potential test (verbal, numerical, analytical and critical thinking, spatial imagination and memory capabilities)

test in fundamentals of sociology, economics other social sciences, general culture and history

test in mathematics

text comprehension, essay

Interview learning motivation interpretation of the text based on the studied scientific literature fundamentals of sociology and economics.

It is also necessary to submit a list of the studied literature.

Political Science (44 out of 138 students are enrolled)

written exam:

comprehension of English text

test in culture and geography

test in history and current state of politics (Czech and international)

Interview learning motivation analysis of the piece of work from the list of studied literature on sociology and history (it is necessary to submit a list of the studied literature) analysis of the piece of work from the list of recommended literature selected by the Admission Board

Other programs of the Faculty of Arts:

Pedagogy

• English and American Studies

• Historical Sciences

• Information Studies and Librarianship

• Logic

• Art History

• Theatre Studies

• Aesthetics

• Film Studies

• Musicology

• Czech Language and Literature

• Czech for Foreigners

• General Linguistics

• Phonetics

• Philosophy

• French Language and Literature

• German Language and Literature

• Italian Language

• Spanish Language

• Hebrew

• Indology

• Japanese Language and Culture

• Chinese Studies

• Greek Classical Studies

• Greek Language and Culture

• Latin Language and Literature

• Portuguese Language

• Russian Language and Literature Central Europe Culture

• Eastern Europe Culture

• South-East Europe Culture

• Finnish Language and Culture

• Norwegian Language and Scandinavian Culture

• English for International Communication

• French for International Communication

• German for international communication

• Russian for international communication

• Spanish for international communication

A Certificate of proficiency in Czech language is not required.

Faculty website: prijimacky.ff.cuni.cz

Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law offers only one full-time program – Law and Legal Science. The program duration is 5 years; graduates receive Master’s degree and title.

Legal education in the Czech Republic is not divided into Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs.

Admission exams

Applicants must submit the results of the National Comparative Exams (Národní srovnávací zkoušky), held by the SCIO organization six times a year (the first exam is held in December, the last one at the end of May. An applicant can take the test several times and give the university the best result).

Admission exams for the Law and Legal Science program consist of two tests: Learning Potential Test (Obecných studijních předpokladů) and Fundamentals of Social Sciences (Základy společenských věd).

Additional points can be obtained for honors diploma, as well as for an ordinary national or international certificate of proficiency in a foreign language (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish) at B2 level at least.

Applicants with the total number of points corresponding to 1-620th place in the rating (plus all applicants with the same total number of points as the applicant who placed 620th) will be enrolled in the program.

A Certificate of proficiency in Czech language is not required.

650 out of 3 366 applicants are accepted by the Faculty of Law.

Foundation course It is difficult to get in the Faculty of Law, so you can consider enrolling in the foundation course first.

Faculty website: www.prf.cuni.cz

Faculty of Sciences

Admission exam consists of a test in major subject.

Study programs:

• Biochemistry

• Biology

• Demography

• Ecology and Environmental Protection

• Geography

• Geology

• Chemistry

• Clinical and Toxicological Analysis

• Special Chemistry and Biology

A Certificate of proficiency in Czech language is not required.

The Faculty also offers Geology program without admission exams

Geology Geotechnology Natural Resource Economics

Faculty website: www.natur.cuni.cz

Faculty of Mathematics and Physics

Bachelor’s degree programs:

• Applied Physics

• Physics in Education

• Physics

• Computer Science

• Programming and Software Development

• Program and Information Support

• Financial Mathematics

• Mathematical Methods of Information Security

• Mathematics

• Mathematics in Education

Admission exams for the Computer Science and Mathematics programs consist of 10 tasks aimed at testing applicant’s learning potential (logical thinking, accuracy of expression, understanding of mathematics at the school level).

Master’s degree programs:

• Astronomy and Astrophysics

• Biophysics and Chemical Physics

• Condensed-Matter Physics

• Surface and Ionized Medium Physics

• Geophysics

• Nuclear and Particle Physics

• Mathematical and Computer Modeling in Physics and Technology

• Meteorology

• Climatology Optics and Optoelectronics

• Theoretical Physics

• Physics in Education

• Discrete Models and Algorithms

• Mathematical Linguistics

• Program Systems

• Theoretical Computer Science

• Teaching Computer Science

• Financial and Insurance Mathematics

• Mathematical Analysis

• Mathematical Methods of Information Security Mathematical Modeling in Physics and Technology Mathematical Structures

• Computational Mathematics

• Probability, Mathematical Statistics and Econometrics

• Teaching Mathematics

The admission exam consists of 4 assignments in physics and mathematics, mathematics and computer science, etc. depending on the chosen program.

Foreign applicants must submit a certificate of proficiency in the Czech language at the B2 level.

Faculty website: www.mff.cuni.cz

Faculty of Education

Education programs in the Czech Republic combine two disciplines. Teachers have two majors, in other words, they teach two subjects: for example, English and mathematics, chemistry and biology, etc.

In addition to a wide range of teaching programs the Faculty of Education also offers such programs as Psychology, Pedagogy, Special Pedagogy.

Admission exams

Admission exams consist of a written test in major subject, learning potential test (some programs) and an interview, where applicant’s ability to study at the faculty and his/her motivation is assessed.

A Certificate of proficiency in Czech language is not required.

Psychology program at the Faculty of Education

Admission exams consist of a written test based on knowledge of the recommended literature. 15% of tasks are in English. Proficiency in English at B2 level is assumed.

Faculty website: www.pedf.cuni.cz

Faculty of Social Sciences

It is not easy for a foreign applicant to be admitted in a Bachelor’s degree program at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University, since the admission process is based on the Learning Potential Test by SCIO, which is rather difficult for foreign applicants.

The Faculty of Social Sciences offers the following Bachelor’s degree programs:

Economics and Finance. Admission exams consist of the Learning Potential Test by SCIO and test in mathematics. 164 out of 386 applicants are admitted.

Marketing Communication and Public Relations. Admission exams consist of the Learning Potential Test by SCIO, test in English and an interview, where an applicant must submit a list of studied literature in marketing. 90 out of 727 applicants are admitted.

Journalism. Foreign applicants, as a rule, do not get in, since the proficiency in the Czech language at the C1-C2 level is required.

Czech-German Studies. Admission exams consist of the Learning Potential Test by SCIO and test in major subject. 31 out of 62 applicants are admitted.

Area Studies. Admission exams consist of the Learning Potential Test by SCIO and test in major subject. 179 out of 382 applicants are admitted.

Political Studies and International Relations. Admission exams consist of the Learning Potential Test by SCIO and test in major subject. 220 out of 678 applicants are admitted.

Political Studies and Public Policy. Admission exams consist of the Learning Potential Test by SCIO. 107 out of 360 applicants are admitted.

Sociology and Social Anthropology. Admission exams consist of the Learning Potential Test by SCIO. 142 out of 360 applicants are admitted.

Sociology and Social Policy. Admission exams consist of the Learning Potential Test by SCIO. 132 out of 202 applicants are enrolled.

Master’s degree programs

Economic Theory (Economics, Economics and Finance, Corporate Strategy and Finance in Europe) Admission exams consist of tests in English, mathematics, microeconomics and macroeconomics.

Media. Admission exams consist of a written test in English or German and a test in culture, politics, history of the 19th and 20th centuries, fundamentals of sociology and media, including the interpretation of the text in the chosen major. Learn more about this program here.

Political Studies. Admission exams consist of a written test in political science and Czech and foreign politics (in the scope of at the Bachelor’s program and an interview about the studied literature, where the applicant’s motivation and scientific interests are assessed.

Sociology. Admission exams consist of a written test in English, interpretation of the statistical table and sociological opinion on a given topic, and an interview, where the applicant’s motivation and scientific interests are assessed.

International Economic and Political Studies

International Area Studies

A Certificate of proficiency in Czech language is not required.

Faculty website: www.fsv.cuni.cz

Faculty of Humanities

The Faculty of Humanities offers one Bachelor’s degree program – Liberal Arts and Humanities (Studium humanitní vzdělanosti).

Students make their own study plan by choosing courses in philosophy, history, culture, social anthropology, economics, psychology and sociology.

Admission exams for the Liberal Arts and Humanities program consist of a written translation of a specialized text from English, French or German to Czech and questions on the text.

Liberal Arts and Humanities program’s duration is 3 years. There are both theoretical and practical courses. All disciplines go under one of six modules: philosophical, historical, communication, creative, classific, or social science.

Learn more about Liberal Arts and Humanities program at the Faculty of Humanities here.

Last year 589 applicants out of 1367 were enrolled in the Liberal Arts and Humanities program.

Master’s degree programs:

• Ecology and Environmental Protection

• Philosophy (German and French Philosophy in Europe)

• Historical Sciences (History of European culture)

• Gender Studies

• Historical Sociology

• Anthropology

• Oral History

• Studies of Civil Society

• Electronic Culture and Semiotics

• Social Policy and Social Work

A Certificate of proficiency in Czech language is not required.

Faculty website: www.fhs.cuni.cz

Faculty of Physical Education and Sports

Study programs:

• Specialization in Health Service

• Physical Education and Sports

Applicants for the Physical Education and Sports (Tělesná výchovaasport) can choose a sport major.

Admission exams are held in June in two parts. All applicants who received at least 1 point for each practical assignment are admitted to the second part.

First part of the admission exams consist of:

• practical assignment in athletics

• practical assignment in gymnastics

• practical assignment in sports games

• practical assignment in swimming

Second part of the admission exams consists of a written learning potential test, where verbal, numerical, analytical and critical thinking, spatial imagination, memory capabilities and the ability to understand information of the applicants are assessed.

The faculty admits 198 applicants out of 560.

Our student’s story about admission process read here.

Faculty website: www.ftvs.cuni.cz

First Faculty of Medicine

The First Faculty of Medicine offers two Master’s degree programs – General Medicine (6 years of full-time study) and Dentistry (5 years of full-time study). Graduates of the programs are awarded with the Master’s degree and medicinae universae doctor (MUDr.) title.

The General Medicine program of the First Faculty of Medicine has more students than other faculties of medicine in the Czech Republic. For example, the faculty admits 700-800 students annually.

Clinical course are held in five Prague hospitals. The First Faculty of Medicine has a strong lead in medical research. The faculty demonstrates significant research success in the field of oncology, cardiovascular medicine, neurology and genetic metabolic disorders.

The faculty is very popular among foreigners: more than 800 students from 50 countries study English programs at the First Faculty of Medicine. Tuition fee for the English programs is 12,000 Euros per year. Russian students usually study programs taught in Czech language free of charge.

Admission exams consist of written tests in chemistry, physics and biology (300 questions, 100 for each discipline). The faculty publishes standard assignments of admission tests.

The First Faculty of Medicine also offers Bachelor’s degree programs: Nursing (3 years of combined study) and Specialization in Health Service (3 years) (Addictology, Physiotherapy, Nutrition science) and Master’s degree program Specialization in Medicine (Addictology).

C1 Foreign applicants are required to submit a certificate of proficiency in Czech language at the C1 level.

Faculty website: www.lf1.cuni.cz

Second Faculty of Medicine

Second Faculty of Medicine offers one Master’s program – General Medicine (program duration is 6 years). Alongside the standard study program in general medicine, Second Faculty of Medicine offers program in Pediatrics.

The matter is that the Second Faculty of Medicine was founded on the basis of the Charles University Faculty of Pediatrics. Although today the faculty provides general medical education, the study plan has a number of pediatric disciplines. Unlike students of other medical faculties, students of the Second Faculty of Medicine study, for example, pediatric neurology, hematology, oncology, psychiatry, orthopedics, cardiology, dentistry, etc.

Second Faculty of Medicine is the most popular medical faculty among applicants; every year it receives 2,000 applications. The faculty has a top-quality clinical site (Motol Univercity Hospital) with a wide range of patients.

Admission exams are very strict. Unlike the First Faculty of Medicine, which enrolls 800 students to the General Medicine program, the Second Faculty of Medicine enrolls only 200.

Admission exams consist of two parts. The first part is a written test in biology, physics and chemistry and a learning potential test, where the ability of logical thinking, understanding of a large scientific text, the ability to interpret diagrams, and spatial thinking are assessed. 400 best applicants get in the second part of the exams. The second part is an interview, where an applicant is required to answer two questions. The goal of the exam is to test the applicant’s communication skills, the ability to prove their own opinion and demonstrate interest in the chosen major.

Applicants who successfully pass the entrance exams demonstrate great performance during the studying process. Unlike the First Faculty of Medicine, which expels a large number of students after the first year, the Second Faculty of Medicine very rarely expels students at all.

More than 200 foreign students study at the faculty.

The Second Faculty of Medicine is considered a small faculty with and individual attention to the students (4 students per teacher). Students work with patients since the first year. Successful students can participate in teaching younger colleagues after the first year of study.

The Second Faculty of Medicine also offers 3-year Bachelor’s degree programs: Nursing and Specialization in Health Service (Physiotherapy) and Master’s degree program Specialization in Medicine (Physiotherapy).

Third Faculty of Medicine

The Third Faculty of Medicine offers 6-year Master’s degree program – General Medicine.

Learning process at the Third Faculty of Medicine differs in its structure. In the 90s, the faculty management made conceptual changes, dividing it into three parts, which are further divided into modules.

The emphasis is placed on integrated problem-oriented interdisciplinary learning. Studying process includes specific clinical situations; thereby the students can develop logical thinking skills and learn how to make decisions. The learning objectives correspond with the European Program for Medical Faculties Euroskills, which the Third Faculty of Medicine take part in.

Students are given the opportunity to understand the studied topics from the point of view of several interrelated majors. Great importance is attached to the development of practical skills, an individual and self-reliant approach to learning.

The Third Faculty of Medicine offers a wide range of elective courses. The study programs include hygienics and prevention studies, occupational and tourism medicine, medical law, medical ethics, scientific methodology, and so on.

Students work with patients from the first year of study.

The faculty admits 250 applicants out of the 2,200.

Admission exams consist of two parts. The first part is a written test in biology, physics and chemistry. The second part is an interview, where an applicant is required to interpret a popular scientific text. Communication skills, independent thinking skills and general knowledge are also assessed. The admission Board assesses abilities of the applicants, rather than knowledge.

Unlike the First and the Second Faculties of Medicine, the Third Faculty does not publish standard tasks for the admission tests.

A Certificate of proficiency in Czech language is not required, since the level of knowledge of the Czech language is assessed during interview (level C1 is required).

Faculty website: www.lf3.cuni.cz

Faculty of Medicine in Plzen

Study programs:

• General Medicine

• Dentistry

The first two years of study at the faculty are devoted to theoretical disciplines – biology, biophysics, anatomy, histology, physiology and biochemistry. The third and fourth year include preclinical disciplines – pathological anatomy, pathological physiology, microbiology, pharmacology. Clinical disciplines are studied in the senior years.

Admission exams consist of tests in physics, chemistry and biology. The faculty publishes standard test questions.

The faculty admits 550 applicants out of 2000.

Foreign applicants are required to provide a Certificate of proficiency in Czech language at the B2 level.

Faculty website: www.lfp.cuni.cz

Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové

Study programs:

• General Medicine

• Dentistry

In the first years, students study theoretical disciplines and get their first experience in patient care. The third and fourth year include preclinical disciplines, therapy and surgical propedeutics, and some clinical specialties. In the third year, students take a stiff medical exam in English. Clinical subjects are studied in the fifth year. The last year of study is devoted to patient care.

Clinical disciplines devote, among other issues, to the main methods of examination, laboratory methods, treatment and differential diagnostics approaches. Great importance is attached to the practical work with patients.

Admission exams consist of tests in biology, dentistry, chemistry and physics.

The faculty admits 360 applicants out of 1,700.

Faculty website: www.lfhk.cuni.cz

Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové

The Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové offers Master’s degree program – Pharmacy Studies. Admission exams consist of tests in chemistry and biology (including botany). Each test consists of 50 questions.

The Faculty also offers Bachelor’s and Master’s program – Medical Bioanalytics (Laboratory Assistant and Laboratory Technician respectively).

Faculty website: www.faf.cuni.cz

Foreign applicants are required to provide a Certificate of proficiency in Czech language at the B2 level.