Foreign Exchange Stays

Scholarships for students and academics from public universities

Scholarships under bilateral international agreements are offered to students and academics from public universities in the Czech Republic.

Offers of scholarships

Every year, the AIA publishes a catalogue of scholarships, accompanied by a description of the different types of stay. Visit the website Studuj na VŠ to find the information on individual offerings. The Search Engine will guide you to the information on other scholarships with a detailed description.

Scholarships are awarded in two ways:

Selection procedure

Open to candidates from all public universities.

Registration and deadlines

Applications are submitted online through the platform Studuj na VŠ.

Decisions on the acceptance of applicants

Decisions on the selection of nominees are taken by a selection committee. If the interest in a stay does not exceed the number of scholarships listed, the Ministry of Education submits nominations to the partner party without a selection procedure. The AIA informs applicants of the outcome of their application. The final decision on the acceptance of a nominated applicant rests with the foreign partner.

Offers of study visits and research stays do not apply to specific universities abroad. Applicants themselves look for a university where they are interested in studying in connection with their field. Summer schools generally take place at universities selected by the organiser.

Information on the length of a stay, the number of scholarship places, requirements for applicants, etc., is set out in the offer details.

You may apply for scholarships under bilateral agreements repeatedly.
Quota scheme

The quota scheme lists scholarship places allocated to selected public universities. Only candidates from the given university may apply for these places.

Registration and deadlines

Scholarship places are allocated to selected universities by the Ministry of Education. International Relations Office at the university selects applicants to nominate and the Ministry of Education accepts the nomination.

Decisions on the acceptance of applicants

Nominated applicants’ documents are provided to the Ministry of Education, which submits the nominations to the counterpart. The final decision on the acceptance of a nominated applicant rests with the foreign partner, who is usually also the party granting the scholarship. Nominated applicants must therefore then wait for confirmation of the scholarship award from the foreign partner, which may take several months.

Offers of study visits and research stays do not apply to specific universities abroad. Applicants themselves look for a university where they are interested in studying in connection with their field. Summer schools generally take place at universities selected by the organiser.

Information on the length of a stay, the number of scholarship places, requirements for applicants, etc., is set out in the offer details.

You may apply for scholarships under bilateral agreements repeatedly.
Other offers

The AIA also provides information on offers of scholarships or study visits announced by institutions, foundations or schools themselves outside the framework of international agreements. The AIA is not involved in the administration of these mobility applications. The contact details provided should be used in order to communicate with the provider directly for more information.

Use the Search Engine to view offers in specific countries.

Scholarship offers that are regularly repeated and are not tied exclusively to any one country can be found under “Foundations, funds, programmes”.

Travel expenses

The Ministry of Education has an initiative whereby applicants may apply for a travel allowance:

“Reimbursement of the travel expenses of Czech students travelling abroad under bilateral agreements”.
Undergraduates and postgraduates, academics

The travel expenses of students and academic staff from public universities who go on study visits and research stays abroad under international agreements are reimbursed through their universities.

Documented travel expenses are reimbursed semi-annually. Only international transport is covered (i.e. one trip from the Czech Republic to the place of stay or to the capital of the recipient country, if international transport is defined thus in the international agreement, and the return journey).

Who is entitled to the reimbursement of travel expenses?
- Only candidates nominated for a scholarship under an international agreement explicitly stipulating the obligation of the sending party (the Ministry of Education) to cover the cost of international transport are entitled to seek reimbursement.
- Travel expenses are reimbursed only to duly nominated candidates sent by the Czech side (the Ministry of Education) under the relevant international agreement.
- The foreign party must then confirm their acceptance.
How to proceed after confirmation of acceptance
1. The student or academic purchases a ticket.
2. They submit a request for reimbursement of international transport to the foreign affairs department of the dean’s office at their faculty.
3. It is important to agree with the foreign affairs department on the deadline for the submission of tickets for study visits undertaken at the end of the calendar year, as tickets purchased in 2021 cannot be refunded in the following year, i.e. 2022, under any circumstances.
What to consider when choosing a means of transport
- When choosing a means of travel, it is assumed that the principle of economy will be respected and student discounts will be used. Coach or second-class train travel is regarded as reasonable for nearby destinations, while discounted tickets should be purchased for air travel, etc.
- Only direct routes or multi-leg journeys with immediate connections may be reimbursed (i.e. unnecessary interruption of the journey is not permitted).
- Applications for reimbursement cannot include transport within the Czech Republic, urban public transport in the Czech Republic and abroad, transport by car, visa fees, vaccination costs, etc.
Applicants submit the following documents to the foreign affairs department:
- Letter of acceptance
- Proof of purchase (payment) of a ticket
- The purchased ticket
Please note: If applicants have already graduated at the time of nomination or confirmation of acceptance and their legal relationship with a public university in the Czech Republic expires upon graduation, the university cannot reimburse tickets. These graduate scholarship-holders pay for international transport out of their own resources.

Health insurance

We recommend that scholarship-holders arrange their own supplementary travel insurance, covering the reimbursement of repatriation costs, even if additional health insurance is part of the scholarship provided by the foreign partner.
- We recommend checking the scope of insurance coverage guaranteed by the foreign partner. Insurance policies that are part of a scholarship do not usually include, for example, the treatment of injuries sustained in risky sports, and may not even cover dental treatment. Nor do they cover the journey to and from the visited country (and in some cases they do not cover the beginning of the stay – for example, the insurance may not take effect until the scholarship-holder registers with the scholarship provider).
- Supplementary insurance covering the costs of repatriation is also necessary when travelling to EU and EFTA/EEA countries, because although European legislation guarantees public health insurance participants the provision of urgent medical care under the same conditions as citizens of the country they are visiting (i.e. with the same patient co-payment), it does not regulate the coverage of transport, for example, after an unexpected operation. Repatriation costs can be high, especially in more distant destinations.
- Detailed information on the healthcare reimbursement system within the EU and the EFTA/EEA countries is available on the website of the Health Insurance Bureau at www.kancelarzp.cz.

FAQ

What documents are typically required, if you want to apply for a scholarship?

The required documents are listed in the detail of a chosen scholarship offer at studujnavs.gov.cz. Applicants upload required documents while filling in their application.

Frequently required documents include Motivation Letter, Study or Research Plan and Transcript of Records.

The International Relations Office at your home university has to process and approve your application online.

In the Motivation Letter, you should point out why you are applying for a scholarship in that particular country. What appeals to you about your chosen host university and what are your expectations regarding your planned stay (both personal and professional)? In addition, you should explain your choice of the topic you intend to focus on during your stay. Feel free to use our template.

A Study or a Research Plan is a detailed description of the project you plan to complete during your stay. It should include a time schedule of your planned study or research project.

Your study department will issue your Transcript of Records on request. It documents your performance as a student. In most cases, it states your grade point average. Graduates also hand in the Diploma Supplement. PhD students who do not take exams during their studies should hand in a certificate of their enrolment in a PhD programme.

One of your university teachers should write a Letter of Recommendation for you. The Letter typically provides information about your academic achievements and points out the significance of the scholarship for your academic and professional career. If the purpose of your stay is writing your thesis, it is your supervisor who should write the Letter of Recommendation.

How should I ask for an Acceptance Letter?

You have to contact the academic supervisor or the faculty or department you have chosen. You should introduce yourself and present your academic results, then state the programme in which you want to study and also indicate the period of your planned stay. Please mention that you apply for a scholarship based on bilateral agreements and specify until when you need the Acceptance Letter.

The Acceptance Letter should include the address, the job position of your supervisor and the dates of your stay. If you wish to conduct your stay in a language different from the official language of the host country, you will need the approval of the host institution of that as well.

Is it possible to apply for a scholarship for a study stay and for a language course at the same time?

Yes, it is possible to apply for scholarships for different countries and for different types of scholarships at the same time.

Do I have to send the application by mail or may I hand in the application directly at DZS?

You may submit the application directly at our DZS registry on working days between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

I study at a Czech public university but I do not have the Czech citizenship. Am I eligible to apply for a scholarship without being disadvantaged by my foreign citizenship?

In general, if a foreign student studies in a degree programme taught in Czech at a public university and s/he gets a recommendation from the university, s/he can apply for a scholarship under the same conditions as Czech students. However, some countries stipulate that the applicant must have the Czech citizenship to be eligible to apply.

Primary and secondary school pupils

These pupils may study in France (Dijon, Nîmes) and Germany (Pirna).

Studying at the Czech sections in Dijon and Nîmes, France

Pupils in the ninth year of primary school or the first year of a four-year grammar school (or the corresponding years of multi-year grammar schools) may study at the Czech section that exists at two French lycées:

Lycée Carnot in Dijon

Lycée Alphonse Daudet in Nîmes
The Dijon section is mixed (boys and girls), while the Nîmes section is only for girls.

Applicants must:
- Be a pupil in the ninth year of elementary school or the first year of a four-year grammar school (or the corresponding years of multi-year grammar schools) entered in the schools register maintained by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
- Have Czech citizenship or permanent residence in the Czech Republic
- Have a proficient knowledge of French (level B1)
- Study another foreign language (English, German, Spanish)
- Achieve an overall average grade of no lower than 1.8 in the most recent classification period (the grade for French and mathematics must not be worse than 2)
Entrance exams and interviews
- A written test in French (reading comprehension and style exercises) takes place in mid-March.
- An interview with the committee takes place in mid-April or early May.
- The AIA provides consulting services for applicants and cooperates in the selection process.
Why participate?
- The tradition of a Czech-French educational programme dates back to 1920.
- Students undertake a full three years of grammar school studies in French and are taught according to the French curriculum.
- Thanks to the presence of a Czech lector and compulsory Czech lessons, in which a school-leaving examination is taken, students obtain a French school-leaving certificate recognised in the Czech Republic.
- Figures well known in social, cultural and political life, including the actor Jiří Voskovec, the politician and diplomat Čestmír Císař, and the literary theorist Václav Černý, took part in the programme in their youth.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs showed its appreciation of the importance of the Czech sections in 2010, when it awarded the Gratias agit award to both lycées.
Further information

How have students benefited from studying abroad? Draw inspiration from their stories. Practical information about studying at Czech sections on the website of the French Institute

Studying through the eyes of students – Brief Guide to Czech Sections

Short film on Czech sections (video)
Studying at the bilingual grammar school in Pirna, Germany

Every year, one bi-national class is opened, which can accommodate 15 Czech pupils. They study in a class with 15 German pupils. Teaching takes place in groups of 15 students.

The bilingual education cycle lasts for six years.
What requirements must applicants meet?
- Be a pupil in the sixth year of an ordinary elementary school or an elementary school with extended language teaching, or the corresponding year of a multi-year grammar school
- In exceptional cases, if a place becomes available pupils may be admitted to higher years (years 7 to 10) if they pass additional entrance examinations
- Have excellent grades in and knowledge of German or English (prior knowledge of German is not required)
Entrance exams
- The entrance exam takes place over two rounds.
- The first round consists of a 120-minute cognitive ability test and a maturity test.
- The second round is intended only for students who successfully complete the first round and consists of an interview with a psychologist and an oral exam in a foreign language (German or English, as chosen by the candidate).
- Entrance exams always take place in March and are organised by Děčín Grammar School.
- Any additional entrance exams are organised directly by the Grammar School in Pirna.
Why participate?
- The Czech-German educational programme has been running since the 1998/99 school year, and this experience is a guarantee of quality teaching.
- Subjects in German are taught by German teachers, and Czech and subjects in Czech are taught by Czech teachers.
- Saxony’s school-leaving certificate entitles pupils to enrol at universities in both the Czech Republic and Germany.
- Pupils have the opportunity to obtain a CertiLingua certificate – certifying that they have acquired multilingual, European and international skills.
- Pupils receive all-day care, and extracurricular activities are organised for them in a dormitory in the town centre.
- The Czech pupils’ accommodation and meals are paid for by the Czech Ministry of Education and the Saxon State Ministry of Culture.
How the studies progress

From the seventh year, teaching in German takes place, for Czech and German pupils together, in music, computer studies and physical education. From the ninth year, this is extended to civic studies, history and ethics or religion, and from the tenth year to natural sciences. Art lessons are also integrated, but these take place in Czech. Geography is taught separately in bilingual form. Other subjects are taught in the students’ mother tongue from years seven to ten. Teaching at the upper grammar school level (the 11th and 12th years) takes place in German in mixed groups (with the exception of Czech language and literature). The timetable includes common general education subjects with a scientific focus and extended foreign-language teaching (German and English is compulsory; French, Latin, Spanish and Russian are optional).

Textbooks and teaching aids for subjects taught in Czech are provided to grammar school students free of charge by the Ministry of Education. The parents of Czech pupils are responsible for taking out health insurance and liability insurance for the duration of their children’s studies in Pirna.

The cost of commuting is paid by parents. Pupils, especially those in lower years, have the opportunity to go home virtually every weekend. There are six joint boarding weekends during the school year. These form part of the educational project, and pupils must remain at the school. During these weekends, pupils carry out projects, sports activities or excursions with their mentors. Accommodation in a dormitory is an integral part of the educational programme.

Other practical information

If you are interested in these studies, please contact the Czech coordinator, Tomáš Křenek (e-mail: krenek.schillergymnasium@pirna.info, tel.: +49 03501 781575).

Information about important dates in the selection procedure, including the possibility of admitting pupils in a higher year, can be found on the websites of the Friedrich Schiller Grammar School in Pirna, the Ministry of Education and the Czech National Agency for International Education.

Other links:
- Grammar school in Pirna: www.schillergymnasium-pirna.de
- Děčín Grammar School: www.gymnaziumdc.cz/
- Current promotional leaflet
- Leaflet on the selection procedure
- Information poster
- Information on the lower school tier
- Information on the upper school tier
- Organisational structure
- School programme
- Range of courses
- Clubs

German teachers at primary schools, secondary schools, secondary apprenticeship colleges, and post-secondary vocational schools

Teachers of German or other teachers with a good knowledge of German may apply for teaching seminars or observation visits at schools in Germany. These last for one to two weeks.

Registration process

Choose a seminar or observation visit from the list below.
The attached document contains detailed information on the opportunity, including the place and date of the event and a link to the registration form.
Fill in the registration form and submit it online. Send the required documents by post to the address provided. The usual documents are a letter of motivation, a CV and a recommendation from your school’s head teacher.
After the registration period has ended, the selection procedure will take place, and the results will be notified by email.

Czech-language assistants at schools in Saxony

Every year, places are offered for assistants at Saxon schools to help teach Czech. Students in their final year of teacher training or recent graduates who have studied Czech and German, or Czech in combination with another subject with a minimum B1 or B2 knowledge of German, may apply for these positions.

In the offer you will find a link to the application form, a list of required documents, the deadline and the address for the submission of applications.

Rozcestník

Scholarships for students and academics from public universities

Offers of scholarships

Scholarships are awarded in two ways:

Selection procedure

Quota scheme

Other offers

Travel expenses

Health insurance

FAQ

What documents are typically required, if you want to apply for a scholarship?

Contact us

Forms

Oznámení

Primary and secondary school pupils

Studying at the Czech sections in Dijon and Nîmes, France

Studying at the bilingual grammar school in Pirna, Germany

Contact us

Announcement

Offers for schools

German teachers at primary schools, secondary schools, secondary apprenticeship colleges, and post-secondary vocational schools

Registration process

Czech-language assistants at schools in Saxony

Contact us

Offers for teachers