Learn Czech and study for free

Did you know that education in the Czech Republic at state universities is for free? That’s probably the biggest difference between getting your education in Czechia and most other countries. Czech students, considering they don’t prolong their studies for too long unnecessarily, get their degree and graduate debt-free.

There’s a catch, though. While you don’t have to be a Czech citizen to apply for tuition-free education, only study programmes in Czech are free of charge. Conclusion: learn Czech and you can study for free. Catch number 2: Czech is one of the most difficult languages in the world and you need to master it to the level of being able to follow lectures and read textbooks.

If you feel up to the challenge, want to save money and learn a new language in the process, universities are actually eager to help you. Many of them offer special language courses for foreigners. Note that you have to develop at least B1-2 level of knowledge in order to enrol into Czech programmes and that these preparatory courses, sadly, aren’t for free so there’s an initial investment you need to plan for.

The Institute for Languages and Preparatory Studies that belongs to Charles University offers a range of language courses. You can choose from six to eight weeks long courses, individual classes and even one or two semester long courses. The Czech Technical University in Prague offers something similar but also something extra: not only language courses but also classes on Czech history and culture.

Both universities in Brno teach Czech as well. Masaryk University at its Department of Czech for Foreigners has a year-long language and professional preparation for studies course. Mendel University has courses that will teach you not only Czech for everyday life situations but also Czech for professional academic communication.

The University of West Bohemia at the Institute of Applied Language Studies offers several quality Czech courses that will land you a language certificate if you pass. Had some prior knowledge of Czech before? No problem, pick your level from a complete beginner (and gain a A2 certificate) to pre-intermediate (B1 certificate).

Almost all universities have their own Czech language courses for foreigners, these are just those we hand-picked. Check a website of your dream university to find out. Czech might not be the easiest language to learn but it’s super rewarding and Czech people love foreigners who make an effort and don’t rely only on English.