Studying in Czechia and Slovakia

01

The rule that matters most

At a public university, tuition depends on the type of school, the language, the form and the length of study, not on citizenship. In Czechia, study in Czech at a public or state university is free for everyone. In Slovakia, the same holds for full-time study in Slovak. Study in English or another foreign language usually costs money, and private universities have their own price lists.

Czechs and Slovaks have it easiest in the neighbouring country: as EU citizens they need no visa or work permit, and Czech and Slovak school certificates and degrees are valid in both countries without recognition. Other EU citizens need no visa either, but usually have to prove their Czech or Slovak and have their previous education recognised. Students from outside the EU also deal with residence, insurance and proof of funds.

02

At a glance

03

Tuition in Czechia

Study in Czech at a public or state university is free, whatever your citizenship. At a public university it is free for the standard length of the programme plus one year; if you study longer, you pay a fee of at least one and a half times the base for every further six months you start. The fees of the state universities (Univerzita obrany, Policejní akademie) are set by their ministry.

For study in a foreign language, most often English, a public university must set a tuition fee. Study in Czechia gives €0 to €6,000 a year for most programmes and €8,000 to €25,000 for medicine, arts and some specialised fields as a rough guide. What counts is always the price list of the programme for that year, which the university publishes by the last day for applications.

Private universities set their own fees, also for study in Czech.

Even when study is free, you pay an application fee (at most a fifth of a base the ministry announces every year) and possibly a fee for the recognition of your education.

04

Tuition in Slovakia

Slovakia's new Higher Education Act (No. 300/2025 Coll.) has been in force since 1 September 2026. At a public or state university, full-time study in Slovak within the standard length is free, also for students from abroad.

Each university or faculty sets its own tuition for study in a foreign language, and some charge none. SAIA gives €0 to €13,000 a year, but medicine now costs more (examples below).

The university must publish its tuition and fees for the next academic year on its website at least two months before applications close. The application fee is at most a quarter of a base the ministry announces.

Private universities set their own fees, also for study in Slovak.

At a public or state university, you pay tuition:

• for a second programme at the same level that you study in the same year,
• for study beyond the standard length of the programme,
• for study only in a foreign language, if the university decides so, every year,
• for external (part-time) study, every year.
• An exception: if the full-time programme is also taught in a minority language (Hungarian, for example) at a university whose mission is to educate that minority, no fee for the foreign language applies.

05

Tuition traps

• “International student” doesn't automatically mean paying: a student from outside the EU can study for free in Czech in Czechia, or full-time in Slovak in Slovakia.
• “Public university” doesn't automatically mean free: study in a foreign language, external, parallel or longer study can be charged.
• An EU citizen doesn't necessarily get a lower price in English: some faculties charge everyone the same, others less for EU students.
• Never reuse another programme's fee: faculties of the same university set different amounts and conditions.
• Check whether the amount is per semester, per year or for the whole programme, and whether it can rise while you study.

06

Bachelor's admission

You need completed secondary education with a school-leaving exam (maturita). Each faculty sets its deadline, entrance exam, portfolio or interview and language conditions, and every application has a fee.

In Czechia, applications for programmes starting in September mostly close between February and April; some deadlines are earlier or later. In Slovakia the law sets no common deadline: the university publishes it at least two months ahead, usually the end of February or March, and as early as the end of November at arts schools. Slovak applications go through the ministry's central online system; universities may accept them in other ways only until the 2028/29 academic year.

A Slovak school-leaving certificate is valid in Czechia, and a Czech one in Slovakia, directly, without recognition (the treaty between Czechia and Slovakia, No. 23/2015 Coll. of International Treaties). The faculty may ask for a certified copy.

Other foreign certificates are recognised in Czechia (nostrification) by the regional authority where you live, in Prague by City Hall; the fee is CZK 3,000. Some universities assess your education themselves in the admission procedure, but such an assessment is valid only for them.

In Slovakia, the Regional Office of School Administration recognises foreign certificates. The fee is €7 if Slovakia has an agreement with the country, otherwise €40. The application needs a copy of your ID, a certified copy of the certificate, a transcript and an official Slovak translation. The office decides within two months (30 days for agreement countries) and can order a supplementary exam. Since 1 September 2026, some documents from countries outside the European Higher Education Area also need an apostille or legalisation.

07

Master's admission

A follow-up master's needs a completed bachelor's. The faculty may assess whether your bachelor's field fits, your grades, credits, an entrance exam, an interview and your language; not every bachelor's degree is enough automatically.

A Czech university degree is valid in Slovakia, and a Slovak one in Czechia, without recognition. The exception is degrees of Slovak universities from study delivered outside Slovakia since 28 March 2015.

Other foreign degrees are recognised in Czechia (nostrification) by a public university with a similar programme, for a fee of CZK 3,000; some faculties assess them in the admission procedure instead. In Slovakia, follow the instructions of the faculty and the Ministry of Education.

08

Language

Free study in the local language only helps if you can handle the language at university level. The faculty sets the level and how you prove it: a certificate, a school-leaving exam in the language or its own test.

Slovaks often get relief in Czechia. The Faculty of Arts of Charles University lets applicants use Slovak in the entrance exam unless the programme says otherwise, and accepts a school-leaving exam in Slovak as proof of language. At Masaryk University, some programmes don't ask native speakers of Czech or Slovak for a Czech certificate.

Czechs get similar relief at some Slovak faculties. The Faculty of Management Science and Informatics of the University of Žilina asks foreign applicants for a B1 Slovak test, except applicants from Czechia. That is one faculty's rule, not a rule for all.

Other applicants shouldn't count on the languages being similar. Check which exam and level the faculty accepts, how old the certificate may be, whether the entrance exam is in that language too, and whether language preparation costs extra.

09

Residence in Czechia

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, Slovaks included, need no visa, residence permit or work permit; a passport or national ID card is enough. If you stay longer than 30 days, report your address to the Foreign Police within 30 days of arriving, unless your accommodation (a dormitory, for example) does it for you. After three months you can apply for a registration certificate; it is optional.

Students from outside the EU need a long-term visa or a long-term residence permit for the purpose of studies for a stay over 90 days. The visa is valid for at most a year; the permit for a year, or two in cases the law sets. The authority decides within 60 days, so apply as soon as you are admitted.

The application mainly needs a passport, a photo, confirmation of admission or study, proof of accommodation, health insurance and proof of funds: 15 times the subsistence minimum (CZK 3,130) plus twice that for every further whole month, so CZK 115,810 for a year. There is no reduction for having accommodation; proof of paid services or a pledge from the school or a sponsor can replace the money.

For residence, studies means an accredited university programme and the language or preparatory courses for it at a public university. A non-accredited programme or an ordinary language course is a different purpose with different rules.

After arriving, register with the Foreign Police within three working days, unless your accommodation does it.

10

Residence in Slovakia

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, Czechs included, need no visa. Report the start and place of your stay to the Foreign Police within 10 working days of arriving, unless your accommodation does it for you. If you stay longer than three months, register your residence within 30 days after the three months; registration is free. The EU citizen's residence document is optional and since 15 July 2026 is valid for ten years.

Students from outside the EU need temporary residence for the purpose of study. You apply in person at a Slovak embassy; at the Foreign Police in Slovakia only in cases the law sets, for example with a valid visa or residence permit. Residence is granted for the expected length of study, at most six years.

You prove the purpose with the university's letter of admission or a confirmation from the Ministry of Education; university students don't need proof of accommodation. Since 15 July 2026 the police decide within 90 days (previously 30), so apply as soon as you are admitted and allow time for authenticating and translating documents.

Once your residence is granted, report the start of your stay to the Foreign Police within three working days yourself; your accommodation won't do it for you. Residence for study lasts while you study: interrupting or ending your studies can lead to its cancellation.

11

Health insurance

A job can change where you are insured. Check with the employer and the insurer before you start.

12

Working while studying

In Czechia, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens work without a permit, on the same terms as Czechs. A student from outside the EU in a full-time accredited university programme in Czechia needs no work permit either; the employer only reports the employment.

After completing an accredited programme in Czechia, a graduate from outside the EU who holds a long-term residence permit for studies can apply for a permit to seek employment or start a business for up to nine months, which cannot be extended. Holders of a visa only don't have this option.

In Slovakia, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens work on the same terms as Slovaks. A university student from outside the EU with temporary residence for study may work without a work permit for at most 80 hours a month across all employers (since 15 July 2024; previously 20 hours a week).

After successfully completing your studies in Slovakia, you can apply to extend your residence by nine months to look for work or start a business, at the latest on the last day your current residence is valid. Your studies end on the day of your last state exam, not when you receive the diploma, and the police may start cancelling your residence 30 days after that: don't wait for the diploma to apply.

13

Living costs

Study in Czechia puts basic living expenses at about €500 to €800 a month when living in a dormitory or a shared flat; more in Prague and Brno, in a flat of your own or when eating out often. SAIA gives single items for Slovakia; Bratislava costs more than other cities, and international students outside exchange programmes are not guaranteed a dormitory place.

Start your budget with the dormitory price at the actual university, then a shared flat as a fallback, and add food, transport, insurance, phone, books, residence and recognition fees and a reserve. Calculate the proof of funds for a visa with the official formula, not from an estimate of your spending.

14

The easiest route for you

• A Czech in Slovakia: a full-time programme in Slovak at a public or state university. Usually no tuition, no visa or permits, your certificate is valid directly, and some faculties don't ask Czechs for a Slovak test. Check whether you may write assignments and exams in Czech.
• A Slovak in Czechia: a programme in Czech at a public or state university. No tuition, no visa or permits, your certificate is valid directly. Check the language conditions and the entrance exam: a faculty accepting Slovak as proof doesn't mean every course and exam is bilingual.
• Another EU citizen: the best value is study in Czech or Slovak at a public university. Residence and work are simple; recognition and the language are the hurdles. Study in English removes the language barrier but usually adds tuition.
• A student from outside the EU: study in the local language at a public university can still be the cheapest, but plan for language preparation, recognition, certified translations, residence, insurance and proof of funds. Apply only once you know the programme is accredited, counts as study for residence, and what it will cost for the whole programme.

15

Timeline

• 9 to 12 months before you start: choose accredited programmes, the language, the type of school, the city and your total budget.
• 6 to 9 months before: get your certificates, transcripts, certified copies, apostille or legalisation and translations, and start recognition if you need it. Study in Czechia recommends starting then.
• By the faculty's deadline: apply and pay the fee for each programme separately; sign up for entrance exams, language tests or interviews.
• Right after admission: book accommodation; students from outside the EU apply for a visa or residence and prepare proof of funds and insurance.
• Before you travel: a valid passport or ID card, the originals of your admission and accommodation documents, an EHIC or private insurance, and your duties for reporting your stay.
• After arriving: report your stay if the dormitory hasn't, enrol, collect your student card, and check your insurance and working conditions before your first job.

16

What to ask the university before you apply

Ask the faculty for a written answer:

• Is the university public, state, private, or a branch of a foreign university?
• Is this bachelor's or master's programme accredited, and in which country?
• What is the official teaching language of the programme?
• What tuition applies to this intake for Czechs, Slovaks, other EU citizens and people from outside the EU?
• Is the amount per semester, per year or for the whole programme, and can it rise while I study?
• Which other fees apply for the application, recognition, enrolment, exams, the student card, graduation or longer study?
• Does the faculty accept Czech as proof of Slovak or the other way round, and may I write assignments and exams in it?
• Does the faculty assess my education itself, or do I need general recognition?
• For students from outside the EU: does the programme count as accredited study for residence?
• Is a dormitory place guaranteed, and what does it cost per month today?
• What are the rules for withdrawal, tuition refunds and a refused visa?

17

About this guide

As of 17 October 2026. Ukompas wrote this guide from the official sources listed with each part: the acts, the Study in Czechia and Study in Slovakia (SAIA) portals, the Czech Ministry of the Interior, the IOM Migration Information Centre and the universities' price lists. It is an overview, not legal advice.

Laws and price lists change. We review the guide every year before 1 November and after any change of the law. If you find a mistake or something out of date, write to contact@ukompas.eu