Czech Republic - Education and TrainingCzech-Republic-Education-and-Training
Total number of students studying abroad: 12,832
Percent of population under 24 years of age: 24.55%
57 022 437
Overview
The Czech Republic is a good potential market for student recruitment. High quality educational programs, with a strong emphasis on the English language, have produced a large pool of well-qualified candidates for both undergraduate and graduate studies in the U.S. Study abroad programs are popular in the Czech Republic. Czechs discovered travel and study abroad in the 1990s after the fall of communism. Young Czechs are eager travelers with a desire to gain experience by living and studying in another country.
The number of Czech students in the U.S. has been relatively stable in the last five years and has ranged between 700 and 800 students a year. The number of Czechs studying in the U.S. was 763 students in 2017 which represented a decrease of 9 students over 2016. During the past seven years the number of degree-seeking students has gone down slightly due to competition from both European and Australian and increasingly Asian universities.
U.S. schools are regarded as highly prestigious and attractive to Czech students and the U.S. has a good chance of regaining its former position as a preferred location for higher education. The U.S. was the 5th most popular study abroad destination for Czechs in 2017.
The knowledge level of U.S. university admission procedures has been increasing, especially at the best Czech national high schools. More well-qualified high school students are seriously interested in attending schools in the U.S. and they are well prepared for the admission process. The Czech Facebook community is booming and this network has become one of the major sources of information, as well as a place for social interaction and sharing experiences. Twitter and other social networks lag behind Facebook. The best students, who meet the requirements, can obtain scholarships from several new private foundations. English is the standard second language in the Czech Republic and is taught in schools from grade three onward. Approximately half of the Czech population speaks a foreign language and younger people tend to speak English. A recent government decision making English mandatory for primary school students should improve the ability of Czech students to study at U.S. universities and colleges. Currently 27 percent of all Czechs speak some level of English. According to the EF Index, 59 percent of the Czech working population are proficient in English and 10 percent are reported to be fluent.
Sub-Sectors
Research and Development
Market Entry
Partnering with local universities is a very effective way of entering the Czech market. The most common partnership model is through student exchanges. One-year study exchange programs are highly attractive to Czech students. U.S. universities should note that Czech universities might expect foreign schools to send a similar number of students to their school.
U.S. universities may also make use of the EU-funded Erasmus Mundus cooperation and mobility program. The Erasmus Mundus Joint Program is an outstanding quality academic program and is designed and implemented by a consortium of European universities. The consortia may also include universities from the U.S. and other parts of the world. Scholarships are open to students and academics from all over the world.
More and more Czech companies are requiring the ability to work in English from their employees, following the lead of global companies based in the Czech Republic. This trend creates demand for English as a Second Language (ESL) studies in the Czech Republic. However, European countries appear to be a more attractive destination for short-term ESL studies especially given the advantages of price and proximity.
Current Demand
Currently, three-quarters of university students who go abroad take advantage of the Socrates– Erasmus program to study in Europe. University studies in the U.S. are most attractive for academically talented students and student athletes who take advantage of sports scholarships. Many Czech students studying at Czech universities spend time at American universities thanks to bilateral exchange agreements.
High school exchanges to the United States can be facilitated through an organization (non-profit or commercial) or can be self-organized. Czechs interested in studying in the U.S. need to apply for the correct visa.
The majority of university students are interested in economic and humanities subjects whereas technical areas rank third in popularity. Around 51 percent of Czech students in the U.S. study at the undergraduate level, 24 percent in graduate programs, and 15 percent opt for non-degree studies.
Resources
EducationUSA
Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport, www.msmt.cz
Open Doors 2018
SEVIS: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/
Fulbright Commission, www.fulbright.cz
National Agency for European Education programs (including Erasmus Munduswww.naep.cz
ICEF
U.S. Department of Education
EACEA
U.S. Commercial Service Contact
Zdenek Svoboda
Commercial Specialist
zdenek.svoboda@trade.gov
+420 257 022 323
Percent of population under 24 years of age: 24.55%
57 022 437
Overview
The Czech Republic is a good potential market for student recruitment. High quality educational programs, with a strong emphasis on the English language, have produced a large pool of well-qualified candidates for both undergraduate and graduate studies in the U.S. Study abroad programs are popular in the Czech Republic. Czechs discovered travel and study abroad in the 1990s after the fall of communism. Young Czechs are eager travelers with a desire to gain experience by living and studying in another country.
The number of Czech students in the U.S. has been relatively stable in the last five years and has ranged between 700 and 800 students a year. The number of Czechs studying in the U.S. was 763 students in 2017 which represented a decrease of 9 students over 2016. During the past seven years the number of degree-seeking students has gone down slightly due to competition from both European and Australian and increasingly Asian universities.
U.S. schools are regarded as highly prestigious and attractive to Czech students and the U.S. has a good chance of regaining its former position as a preferred location for higher education. The U.S. was the 5th most popular study abroad destination for Czechs in 2017.
The knowledge level of U.S. university admission procedures has been increasing, especially at the best Czech national high schools. More well-qualified high school students are seriously interested in attending schools in the U.S. and they are well prepared for the admission process. The Czech Facebook community is booming and this network has become one of the major sources of information, as well as a place for social interaction and sharing experiences. Twitter and other social networks lag behind Facebook. The best students, who meet the requirements, can obtain scholarships from several new private foundations. English is the standard second language in the Czech Republic and is taught in schools from grade three onward. Approximately half of the Czech population speaks a foreign language and younger people tend to speak English. A recent government decision making English mandatory for primary school students should improve the ability of Czech students to study at U.S. universities and colleges. Currently 27 percent of all Czechs speak some level of English. According to the EF Index, 59 percent of the Czech working population are proficient in English and 10 percent are reported to be fluent.
Sub-Sectors
Research and Development
Market Entry
Partnering with local universities is a very effective way of entering the Czech market. The most common partnership model is through student exchanges. One-year study exchange programs are highly attractive to Czech students. U.S. universities should note that Czech universities might expect foreign schools to send a similar number of students to their school.
U.S. universities may also make use of the EU-funded Erasmus Mundus cooperation and mobility program. The Erasmus Mundus Joint Program is an outstanding quality academic program and is designed and implemented by a consortium of European universities. The consortia may also include universities from the U.S. and other parts of the world. Scholarships are open to students and academics from all over the world.
More and more Czech companies are requiring the ability to work in English from their employees, following the lead of global companies based in the Czech Republic. This trend creates demand for English as a Second Language (ESL) studies in the Czech Republic. However, European countries appear to be a more attractive destination for short-term ESL studies especially given the advantages of price and proximity.
Current Demand
Currently, three-quarters of university students who go abroad take advantage of the Socrates– Erasmus program to study in Europe. University studies in the U.S. are most attractive for academically talented students and student athletes who take advantage of sports scholarships. Many Czech students studying at Czech universities spend time at American universities thanks to bilateral exchange agreements.
High school exchanges to the United States can be facilitated through an organization (non-profit or commercial) or can be self-organized. Czechs interested in studying in the U.S. need to apply for the correct visa.
The majority of university students are interested in economic and humanities subjects whereas technical areas rank third in popularity. Around 51 percent of Czech students in the U.S. study at the undergraduate level, 24 percent in graduate programs, and 15 percent opt for non-degree studies.
Resources
EducationUSA
Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport, www.msmt.cz
Open Doors 2018
SEVIS: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/
Fulbright Commission, www.fulbright.cz
National Agency for European Education programs (including Erasmus Munduswww.naep.cz
ICEF
U.S. Department of Education
EACEA
U.S. Commercial Service Contact
Zdenek Svoboda
Commercial Specialist
zdenek.svoboda@trade.gov
+420 257 022 323