About Charles University in Prague

Charles University (CU) in Prague, founded in 1348, is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. It was the first university to be established in Central Europe and takes its name from its founder, King Charles IV, King of Bohemia and King of the Romans. The university was modelled on the first European universities, Bologna and Paris in particular, and its original faculties were in theology, liberal arts, law, and medicine.

Today, CU is a modern, multi-disciplinary and research-oriented institution that is home to more than 50,000 students undertaking bachelor, master’s and doctoral programs. The university comprises 17 faculties in total, including ones dedicated to Catholic Theology, Protestant Theology, Hussite Theology, as well as Law, Arts, Pharmacy, Science, Mathematics and Physics, Education, Social Sciences, Physical Education and Sport, Humanities, and five separate Medicine Faculties.

According to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024, Charles University in Prague is the highest ranked university in Czech Republic.

About East and Central European Studies (ECES) program

Studying at Charles University, Faculty of Arts through the ECES program allows students the opportunity to fully immerse themselves into Czech culture. ECES provides a comprehensive academic and cultural program that gives students the chance to study as Charles University students in one of the oldest universities in Europe while gaining academic credit for their degree program.

Under this sponsored program, students MUST take the "Czech Language for Everyday Use" (Course code: CUFA CZE 102) plus 1-2 additional courses as stated below. Courses meet for 3 hours per day Monday-Thursday. Course list can be found via this link at the bottom of the page and is subject to change. ECES cannot guarantee any specific course will be taught in a given summer. The ECES Academic Board updates our course list following a review of course evaluations and syllabi.

Notes:

• Host Institutions may provide orientation activities for students, with some mandatory, which you should attend. You are required to pay attention to the host institution's arrival information and arrive in time.
• You should only depart after completion of the program (i.e. finishing all final examinations and/or assessments, both compulsory and optional ones) (see "Completion requirement" below).

Completion requirements

Students are required to complete the program following the requirements of the host institution. Students are also required to arrive by the program start date, and are not allowed to leave the program before the last program date or class or exam, whichever is later. Students who do not complete these requirements will not be allowed to receive any subsidies/sponsorships/scholarships issued by HKUST. In addition, since this program is sponsored by HKUST, students who do not complete these requirements are required to repay HKUST for the sponsored amount.

For student’s reference, below is the relevant information excerpted from the program website. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm the program completion requirements with the host institution before the start of the program.

ECES Attendance Policy

Class attendance is mandatory for all courses and counts towards the student’s final grade. Each student is allowed to miss 180 minutes of class time per course. All excused absences must be cleared with ECES staff (not just the teacher), and medical absences require a doctor’s note. For each additional unexcused absence, the student’s final grade will be reduced automatically by 1/3 letter grade (eg. A to A- or A- to B+). Students must attend at least 70% of each course to receive a passing grade; once a student has missed 30% of class time (excused or unexcused), they automatically receive a failing grade for the course. The ECES Attendance Policy applies to all ECES courses.

Grades

Grading is based on the letter grade system from A to F. Grades are based on course attendance, participation, and additional factors according to the professor and course. Completing the final test or paper is also a required component. Failure to submit the final test or paper according to the deadline will result in a letter grade F for the entire course. Except for the pre-semester Introductory Czech Language and Culture Course, ECES does not provide courses with pass/fail or withdrawal grades. Students’ grades will be available on the ECES website two weeks after the end of the semester.

Fees

This is a sponsored program and HKUST will sponsor the tuition and accommodation fees as listed below. HKUST students will bear other costs such as travel, visa, insurance, personal expenses and other administrative fees.

Fee payment arrangement

• Students will be required to pay the tuition and accommodation fees first directly to the host institution. The sponsorship amount for the tuition and accommodation fees which you have paid in foreign currency will be calculated based on an exchange rate adopted by HKUST and will be reimbursed to you (i) upon completion of the program with PASS for all the courses taken and (ii) OGL's review of your study abroad report submitted by the deadline.
• If you withdraw from the program after acceptance or fail to fulfill the above requirements, sponsorship amount for the fees listed will not be reimbursed to you.