University of St Andrews

At a glance

Univerzita Karlova, known also as Charles University in Prague or historically as the University of Prague, is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe. Charles University attracts students not only because of its long and eventful history, but also because of the huge variety of programmes on offer. The campus is spread around the city of Prague. The main fourteenth-century historical building, Carolinum, is situated in the Old Town and acts as the heart of the university. Prague is considered as one of the most beautiful European capitals, attractive for its architecture and unique atmosphere.
Established : 1348
Student Population : 49200

Website and links

Website : Charles Homepage

Study abroad page : Inbound study abroad webpage

Study abroad guide : International Student Guide

Who can go

Students on degree programmes in the following subject areas may apply to study abroad during their Junior Honours year at Universita Karlova (Charles University):
Please note that this Charles is also a School Abroad option for International Relations students.

• International Relations
• History
• Comparative Literature

Semesters Available

• Second Semester
• Full Year

Note: Joint Honours students may only apply for a full year abroad if BOTH subjects are listed above. Joint Honours students applying for one semester must seek permission from both Schools.

Study abroad coordinator

Each School has a designated Study Abroad Coordinator.

Semester dates

Semester dates are as follows

2022/3
Semester 1 Sep 2022 to Feb 2023
Semester 2 Feb 2023 to Jun 2023
2024/5
Semester 1 Sep 2024 to Feb 2025
Semester 2 Feb 2025 to Jun 2025

Your studies abroad

Partner Course Catalogue : Course catalogue

See our Credits and Modules Abroad webpage for information on the number of credits we expect students to take at our partner institutions. St Andrews expects students to attend all classes as part of their programme abroad. Assessment methods may vary across partners and could include class participation, continuous assessment in the form of homework and final exams. All courses must be agreed with your Study Abroad Coordinator. See our academic information webpage for further details, as well as information about credit and grade conversion.

Application and selection

This institution is part of the programme. .

Places available

Places available : 1 semester place for History. 1 semester place for Comparative Literature through the Faculty of Arts, and 6 semester places for International Relations through the Faculty of Social Sciences will be available for Charles University in the academic year 2025-26

Places available may vary from year to year depending on the exchange balance. Numbers for the following academic year will be confirmed at the information meeting.

Getting there and getting around

There are four ways you can get from the airport to your dormitory:

• Take a taxi directly from the airport.
• Hire a city shuttle van to take you direct to the dormitory.
• 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/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.

For more information, click here.

For students under 26 years of age, discounted season tickets are available for the Prague Public Transport Company. Discounted train tickets are also available for students under 26 years of age, on presentation of either the student rail card or a Charles University Student ID card with ISIC membership.

Accommodation

Rooms are allocated to students based on their host faculty (students of one faculty are usually housed together); if you state your preference in any of the halls of residence in the Erasmus online registration, Charles will try to allocate you a room corresponding with your wishes (in Prague, exchange students can be housed in following four residences: Hostivař, Větrník, Trója, Hvězda). For more information, see the University's webpage.

Please note that St Andrews is unable to guarantee housing at any of our partner institutions. Guidance on finding accommodation abroad is available on the Global Office webpage.

Student services and orientation

Charles University offers a number of resources through their Student Services. Contact the International Relations Office with any queries.

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