Increasing number of international students in Czechia despite Global Pandemic

In the past year even though the pandemic has hit the world and has changed a lot of things for everyone around the globe, Czech Republic has seen a rise in the number of international students coming to the country to pursue their higher education. It’s a no-brainer that Czech Republic is one of the best destinations in Europe for students as it not only has one of the top universities but is also a feasible option for students.

According to the latest data it is seen that the number of international students has risen from 46,351 students in 2019 to 50,121 students in the last year. Amongst the entire student population, 17% of them are international students. Students are seen from Russia, Iran, India, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Slovakia.

This rise might have been because of the possibility of distance learning enrolment to study and also due to the start of the online classes. Normally, the students have to go through a long application process for the visa, and also an entrance exam in person. But due to the pandemic, the admission process was way easier, as some of the entrance exams were conducted online, and some of them were canceled. Because of this students got the chance to gain their education from the comfort of their homes.

There has also been a rise in students from Slavic-speaking countries. These students don’t have to pay tuition fees as they enroll in the Czech course. Not only this but there has also been an increase in the number of students attending English language courses so the Czech language study opportunity is not the only option.

This rise is very beneficial to the local students as they encounter colleagues from different cultural and educational backgrounds. Being exposed to such diversity helps them gain more knowledge about the outside world, and make lifelong connections. Not all Czech students travel overseas, this gives them a good taste of the world outside.

Hopefully, things will get back to normal soon and we will see more rise in the ratio between foreign and native students in the Czech Republic.