Read on for the first part: expenses before arrival
This is the second part of our account of the expenses that await those who are going to language courses in the Czech Republic. The first part is about the finances that you need before your arrival – for visa processing, etc. If you haven’t read it yet, you can find it here.
So, first of all, let’s take a look at the educational process. You do not need to buy textbooks or workbooks, they are included in the course price. If you are not preparing for admission to an art-related program, such as architecture, 20 euros for a semester or even a year will be enough for stationary items (pens, pencils, notebooks). If you want to study design or architecture, you will need specialized materials.
Applications for entrance exams, or “přihlášky”. You can apply to as many programs as you like – by submitting several applications to different universities for different specialties. One application (přihláška) costs about 25 euros. This means, if you submit 2 applications – you spend 50 euros, everything is simple.
Application for SCIO exams. I didn’t take this type of entrance exams, but I know that one attempt costs 21 euros and you are allowed to have 6 attempts per year.
Nostrification in Czech Republic
If you are applying for an undergraduate degree, then you will need to pass exams in several (mostly three) high school subjects so that a special commission can recognize your school certificate as equivalent to the Czech one. Here you need to take into account the mandatory fee of 1000 crowns (40 euros) for the regional administration. If you are not confident in your Czech language proficiency (the exams are taken in Czech), you have the right to use the services of an interpreter. On average, services for the translation of your exam answers cost 40 euros per exam. In case of admission to a master’s or doctoral studies, you need to nostrify a diploma of higher education – this confirmation costs 120 euros (recognition of higher education does not require taking any exams). Read more about nostrification process
In addition to educational expenses, we must not forget about everyday issues. Let’s say a few words about them.
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Accommodation
In the first part, I mentioned that in order to get the accommodation agreement, you need to pay 300 euros – this is the room reservation payment. Accommodation price depends on number of students per room, on the city, and on the dormitory type. You can find the prices here. On average, one month of living in a dormitory costs 200 euros, that means that the money that you have already paid is enough for 2-3 months of paying your rent. Another nuance – before moving in, you will be asked to pay a refundable deposit (in case you break something). It usually equals to the cost of monthly payment. This money will be returned to you when you move out of the dormitory.
Read the article How fast will the UJOP preparatory course pay off?
Transport in Czech Republic
Depending on the city where you are going to study, an annual public transport pass will cost about 50 euros (Prague, student fare). In Poděbrady, you will hardly need public transport. Everything you need is within a 5-minute walk from the dorms and the study center’s building. You can read a good article on how Prague’s public transport works here.
Other
Stuff for household (pots, ladles, forks and spoons) – 60 euros will be enough to get by. Food – about 2000-2500 crowns per month. Of course, everyone has different ideas about proper and tasty nutrition, so these are approximate costs.
Mobile communication. The Czech Republic has the most expensive mobile Internet among all European countries.
You won’t have to spend money on the Internet. You will be connected to the Eduroam international student Wi-Fi network.
To summarize – after your arrival, you will spend approximately 5,000 euros during the first year.
And if you add up this with the expenses before arrival, it turns out that during your first year in the Czech Republic you will need about 12,000-13,000 euros. This is not a small amount, but as soon as you start studying at a university, three times smaller amount will be enough for living. In addition, you can start earning this money by that time.
In the end, the most important thing that I would like to emphasize once again: all of this are not expenses – those are investments. Expenses are the money that you waste buying some kind of rubbish. In the case of one-year ÚJOP UK courses, this is a contribution to your own education, to a future European diploma, salary and high standard of living, with which everything that you have spent by that time will be paid off.
Read on for the first part: expenses before arrival