Univerzita Karlova (Charles University), Czech Republic

Univerzita Karlova, also known as Charles University, is the oldest and largest university in Czechia. Founded in 1348, it has a reputation for academic excellence and a huge variety of courses, programmes and institutes.

Univerzita Karlova website

Applications

Students from the School of English, School of History, School of Modern Languages and the School of International Relations can apply to study at Charles University. Find out more about who can go and the application process for each School below.

At the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, there are at present three different departments focused on history. These include the Institute of Czech History, the Institute of Economic and Social History and the Institute of World History. There are also other departments, that focus on the Auxiliary sciences of History, Antiquity, Ancient history and Prehistory. The Faculty of Arts is also especially famous for Egyptology. The Faculty of Arts has a broad offering of languages and experts in their associated literary, historical and cultural backgrounds, and more than one hundred languages are taught at the Faculty. The breadth of this offering makes it an ideal environment for conducting research in transnational and international history.

Beyond the Faculty of Arts, other Faculties of the university may be a source of interesting historical connections, including the Department of Historical Studies (Faculty of Humanities), the Institute of Political Studies (Faculty of Social Sciences), and the Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism (Faculty of Social Sciences).

Who can go?

Postgraduate research students (at PhD level) in the School of History.

You can study abroad for one semester or a full academic year. You should discuss precise periods with your St Andrews supervisor and host as periods may be flexible but must be at least 3 months in duration to meet Erasmus+ programme requirements.

How to apply?

You should discuss the opportunity with your supervisor and request an application form from your School’s study abroad coordinator.

This exchange is part of the St Andrews Abroad Programme. Interested students should discuss the opportunity with their supervisor and contact the School’s study abroad coordinator. Applications must be received before 11 November for students wishing to go abroad in the following academic year.

If you are selected to participate in the exchange, St Andrews will nominate you to Charles University. You will be required to complete Charles University’s admission process.

Current students can contact the study abroad coordinators to find out more.
The Department of Czech and Comparative Literature covers all stages of literature, from the earliest days to the present day. It has its own journal and publication series, and hosts major conferences. The Comparative Literature section has its own bi-annual journal, and hosts events like ‘Comparative Wednesdays’ and its own induction events.

Who can go?

Postgraduate research students (at PhD level) in Comparative Literature, School of Modern Languages.

You can study abroad for one semester or a full academic year. You should discuss precise periods with your St Andrews supervisor and host as periods may be flexible but must be at least 3 months in duration to meet Erasmus+ programme requirements.

How to apply?

This exchange is part of the St Andrews Abroad Programme, which is also open to undergraduate students.

You should discuss the opportunity with your supervisor and request an application form from your School’s study abroad coordinator. Applications must be received on or before 11 November for students wishing to go abroad in the following academic year.

If you are selected to participate in the exchange, St Andrews will nominate you to Charles University. You will be required to complete Charles University’s admission process.

Current students can contact the study abroad coordinators to find out more.
Who can go?

Postgraduate research students (at PhD level) in the School of International Relations.

There is currently a limit of one semester-long placement per academic year.

The exchange is run by the School of International Relations. Interested students should discuss the opportunity with their supervisor and contact the School's study abroad coordinator.

How to apply

You should discuss the opportunity with your supervisor and request an application form from your School’s study abroad coordinator.

If you are selected to participate in the exchange, St Andrews will nominate you to Charles University. You will be required to complete Charles University's application for admission process.

Please apply in a suitable time for your application to be considered and processed before the nomination deadline for Charles University. The deadlines are:
- 1 May for Semester 1
- 30 September for Semester 2.
Current students can contact the study abroad coordinators to find out more.

Your studies

Before arriving at Charles University, you will discuss and get approval for your research plan from your supervisor and your School’s study abroad coordinator.

Each academic year at Charles University is divided into two semesters:

Semester 1: early September to late October; late October to late January
Semester 2: middle of February to early July.

Students are issued with a university ID card and have full access to the university network, library facilities, computer rooms and study areas.

Charles offers an International Relations PhD in English. The Faculty of Social Sciences also has its own language centre, which offers Czech courses.

Passports and visas

You should ensure that your passport is valid for the duration of your trip, and for at least six months after you return to the UK. You should scan your passport and keep a copy for your records.

If you are a European Union national, you will not require a visa and may enter the European Union countries with your passport or national identity card. Please note that you may have to comply with legal obligations, such as registering your address with the local authorities.

If you are an international student who has a visa to study in the UK, and you have any questions about the implications of studying or working abroad whilst matriculated at St Andrews, you should consult Student Services by emailing advint@st-andrews.ac.uk. You can also check the passports and visas page for further information.

About the University

Charles University was founded in 1348 and was the first university in Central Europe. Located mostly in Prague, the University has nearly 59,000 students and 17 Faculties. Charles University has an excellent research reputation and a rich history.

With close to 1,000 staff members, over 9,000 students and a growing international student population, the Faculty of Arts at Charles University is a vibrant, diverse academic environment, which offers over seventy subjects. The Faculty of Arts is the most important centre for the arts and humanities in the Czech Republic, and hosts a lively cultural programme. The Faculty of Arts has extensive library facilities. The Faculty of Arts has a broad offering of languages and experts in their associated literary, historical and cultural backgrounds. The Faculty offers courses in more than a hundred languages, including Akkadian, Church Slavonic, Finnish, Irish Gaelic, Icelandic, Mongolian, Norwegian, Tamil and Yiddish.

The Faculty of Social Sciences has around 5000 students and offers programmes across economic studies, communications, journalism, politics and security studies. The Institute of Political Studies was founded in 1990 and includes the Departments of Political Science, International Relations and Security Studies. The Center for Security Policy is also part of the Institute.

Both Faculties are located East bank of the Vltava in central Prague. The Faculty of Arts main building is close to the historical Mánes bridge, the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Staroměstská underground and tram stops. The Faculty of Social Sciences main building is located close to the Legion Bridge, the National Theatre (Národní divadlo) and its tram stops.

Finance

As an exchange student, you will not pay tuition fees to your host university, and will only be liable for your normal St Andrews tuition fees.

Research Council students should make sure that they have their funding body’s permission to study abroad, notifying them particularly for any mobility grants that they may be receiving.

If approved by the Czech Government and Charles University, an accommodation grant is paid out by Charles University as a contribution to the costs of accommodation during university studies. This amounts to around 500 CZK (approximately £18) per month. Further details are available on the Charles University accommodation website. Please note this funding is external to the University of St Andrews and cannot be guaranteed.

Accommodation

Charles University has four halls of residences (dormitories) for Erasmus+ students: Hostivař, Větrník, Trója and Hvězda. It is normal to commute around half an hour from your hall of residence to your academic school. PhD students are usually allocated a single room. You can apply for university accommodation through the Erasmus+ online registration.

You can rent private accommodation in the historic centre or the suburbs. You would need to find this accommodation yourself. Please contact your Faculty Erasmus+ office as soon as you have found private accommodation.

For more information please see Charles University accommodation web page.

The University of St Andrews is unable to guarantee housing at any partner institution.

Travel and transport

There are various options available to travel to your hall of residence from the airport:

Taxis are available to take you directly from the airport to your hall of residence.
You can hire a city shuttle van to take you to your hall of residence.
Take city bus No. 119 or the regular airport shuttle service to "Dejvická" metro station (green line A; by the Hotel Diplomat). Then, after you get to Dejvická, take a taxi. This reduces the length of the taxi journey. To take a city bus (or any other public transport) you will need to buy a transport ticket, and you must remember to validate the ticket by date-stamping it when you get on the bus, tram or metro.
Take city bus No. 100 – a special fast and frequent service - from the airport to the “Zličín” metro station (yellow line B), from where you can get to central Prague quickly.

Student support

Both Faculties usually work with Erasmus Student Network Prague to organise an Induction week. If you are arriving at another time, please liaise with your Faculty International Office.

Charles University offers a number of resources through its Student Services.

Please be aware that student support services will be different across all partner universities.

Contact

Global Office
University of St Andrews
A11
Bute Building
Westburn Lane
St Andrews
KY16 9TS

Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2245
Email: studyabroad@st-andrews.ac.uk