Czech Republic

About

The Czech Republic is situated in central Europe and is a part of the European Union. The Czech Republic is a developed country with an advanced, high-income social market economy. It ranks as the seventh safest and most peaceful country and performs strongly in democratic governance.
The Czech Republic offers a very diverse range of higher education options. Listed below are a few features that make the Czech Republic, a popular study abroad destination.

Wide range of options

The graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs are offered in a wide range of streams. Along with this, the core courses in MBA cover various areas of business like finance, accounting, marketing, human resources, operations, and statistics. The students can opt according to their choice of interest. The degrees are internationally recognized.

Professionalism

In the Czech Republic, students get to experience the professionalism of the faculty through their tertiary methods of theoretical and practical training. There are lectures, seminars, consultations, exercises and field trips as per the chosen educational program. There is a usage of a wide range of teaching aids and equipment.

Quality at affordable cost

The students studying in the Czech Republic get high-quality education at affordable costs. The students can apply for scholarships and financial aid. There are many scholarships and fellowships offered by many councils to facilitate students in their study and research in their chosen fields. Students can also work while they study in the Czech Republic.

Diversity

Czech Republic has foreign students from both EU and non-EU countries. There is a diversity and students get to mix with students from different cultures from all around the world which will enrich their vision of the world.

The education system in the Czech Republic consists of elementary school, secondary school, and post-secondary school. Elementary school is mandatory for students 6 to 15 of age. There are public schools that are state-sponsored. There are private schools also which have a high fee. After completing the elementary level of education, students have three options to choose from. High school, Vocational school, and Grammar school. To study at any Czech Republic university, students must have a secondary education certification.
Graduates programs are generally of three years and Masters programs are for two years. But streams like medicine, dentistry, veterinary sciences, etc will have a longer duration. Any Bachelor’s or master's degree can be followed by specialized higher education courses. These do not lead to another degree but offer the option of specialization in a particular field of study. Courses can be studied full-time, part-time or through distance learning. A four-year doctoral program is a post-graduate course to follow any Master’s or equivalent qualification.

Higher education in Czech Republic

There are three types of institutions for higher education in the Czech Republic. Public, state and private institutions. Under the Higher Education Act, they are classified as university type (24 public, 2 state and 3 private) which offer study programs at all three levels of higher education and non-university type (2 public and 43 private) which offer mainly Bachelor’s programs but may also provide Master’s programs. These institutions provide a Bachelor’s degree lasting 3-4 years, a Master’s degree lasting 1-3 years and a Doctoral program lasting 3-4 years of study.
The top universities in the Czech Republic are Charles University, Masaryk University, Palacky University Olomouc, Brno University of Technology, Czech Technical University of Chemistry and Technology Prague and so on. Most of the best colleges in the country are situated in Prague, Brno and Olomouc and Ostrava.

The qualifying exams vary between study programs and levels. For each course, Indian students will need to meet a minimum English language requirement. Besides, there will be a minimum academic performance record as stipulated by the universities to qualify for admission.

General Exams

GMAT - The Graduate Management Admission Test is given by those who want to pursue an MBA or business or management-related courses. The aspirants are measured on English, mathematical and reasoning skills.

GRE - The Graduate Record Examination is taken by students applying to graduate schools to pursue an MA or MS. Also, many business schools accept GRE scores for granting admission for pursuing MBA or business or management courses.

Students need to check on the qualifying exams as stipulated by the universities and accordingly apply for the same.

Language Exam

TOEFL – It is the most popular English proficiency exam accepted by a majority of the universities. The TOEFL tests the students’ usage and understanding of the English language as it is used in communicating in college and university settings. Students can appear for this exam any number of times. This test is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which conducts the test and sets the test paper.

IELTS – International English Language Testing System is a standardized language test that needs to be cleared for admission in different universities in the Czech Republic.

Students are advised to thoroughly check the entry requirements of the university/college they are applying to and then take up the exams accordingly. Many educational institutes accept some specific exams whereas some institutes allow students to give the exams of their choice. Therefore, before preparing for the exams, students should check the university requirements.

Application Requirements

Apart from the above-mentioned tests, there are other requirements for applying to educational institutes in the Czech Republic.

Letter of recommendation – (LOR) is a reference letter written by a third-party describing the qualities, characteristics, and capabilities of the prospective student for recommendation to the college in terms of that individual’s ability to perform a particular task or function. The third-party could be a professor, direct manager, etc.

Statement of Purpose – A Statement of Purpose (SOP) is the introduction of the student to the college and admission officers. It is always written in the first person and describes the reason for applying to a particular college. It needs to highlight why the college should accept you. The style of writing could differ from formal to casual, but it is important to remember that it should reflect the student’s personality as well.

Essay - Essays are also required to be submitted by a prospective student. Essays are an important part of the university admissions process. Students may be required to write one or two essays, along with a few optional essays too. Common topics include career aspirations, strengths and weaknesses, skills, experiences, and reasons for considering a particular school.

Apart from the above-mentioned requirements, students applying to undergraduate courses should have completed 10+2. Also, those who are applying to graduate courses must have completed 16 years of education. In addition to all these, students also need to show proof of the finances to the universities to secure admission.

Cut-off for Exams

All the major universities and colleges also set cut-off for various exams which students need to obtain to secure admission. Before applying to their preferred universities, aspirants should check the cut off marks for GMAT, GRE, TOEFL and then start preparing for the exams accordingly.

The Czech Republic is an affordable study abroad destination. For international students, the tuition fee varies according to different universities, courses, and the city that the students choose to live in. Living expenses like accommodation, food, travel, etc are as per the choice of the student. Costs will vary depending on the lifestyle, place of residence and socializing of the students. But compared to studying in any other European country, the Czech Republic can work out to be a much reasonable study abroad destination with the best quality education.
Medicine, Business Management, Computer Science, Chemistry, Technology, Finance and Accounting, Economics, Communications/Media are popular courses that can be pursued in the Czech Republic. A student residing in the metropolitan city will be spending more on accommodation as compared to a student who resides in the suburban part of the city.
Student visas are issued to applicants whose primary purpose of visit to a country is to pursue education. Although getting admission in the university is extremely important, these legal documents for obtaining visas are of utmost importance. Every country has its own immigration rules. The documents can range from education-related ones to different proof of funds acceptable and so on as to enable the students to study in that country. These are specified on the official website. Students can check on the same and accordingly apply for their visa. There are some common factors in all student visa applications.
The students need to know the entire process of applying and obtaining the student visas to study abroad. Studying abroad requires meticulous planning. Students are advised to plan their admission/ application process as per the university deadlines and should accordingly work backward. Students are required to appear for English and other eligibility tests as per the university policies and also have required documents in place for the smooth processing of their application. Hence, students are always advised to apply 3-4 months in advance to avoid any last-minute delays. Candidates seeking financial aid, scholarships and education loans should start a couple of months earlier than the regular applicants for the process of their application and approval of the same.