The University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (Vysoká škola chemicko-technologická v Praze, or UCT Prague) is one of the largest universities in Central Europe devoted to chemistry and related fields. Its roots go back to the teaching of chemistry at the Prague Polytechnic in the early 19th century, and it has been an independent university since 1952. It has four faculties (Chemical Technology, Environmental Technology, Food and Biochemical Technology, and Chemical Engineering) and a School of Business, on a campus in Dejvice, Prague. In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published in June 2026, it was 652nd in the world and the fifth-highest-ranked university in Czechia.
UCT Prague offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes in English, and its admissions window is one of the earliest in Czechia. Here are 10 things you can do to give yourself the best chance, based on UCT Prague’s own guidance and official Czech information.
1. Choose a programme
In English, bachelor’s programmes take three years and include chemistry and chemical technology, chemical engineering, materials and Economics and Management (in a three-year version, or a four-year version with an extra first year of English and maths). Master’s programmes (Ing., equivalent to an MSc) take two years and include Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Engineering, Biotechnology and Food Science, Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Innovation Project Management, the double-degree Chemoinformatics in Medicinal Chemistry and the Erasmus Mundus programmes IMATEC and IMETE. You must be 18 by mid-February of your first year to start the Chemistry and Technology bachelor’s, because of the laboratory work involved.
2. Apply in the December to January window
For the English-taught chemistry bachelor’s and master’s programmes, the application portal opens on 1 December at 00:00 and closes on 31 January at 23:59 (Central European Time), for studies starting the following September. If you want to start in September 2027, that means applying between 1 December 2026 and 31 January 2027. Doctoral applications are accepted all year round. UCT Prague: admissions.
3. Pay the application fee by the deadline
For 2026-27, the application fee was CZK 3,000, and you can pay it in euros or US dollars. It must be paid by the end of the application period at the latest, and it’s non-refundable: it can’t be waived, reduced or postponed. After you submit your online application, you’ll see the payment details and a QR code in the system.
4. Prepare your documents carefully
You upload your documents as PDF files when you apply. They include your diploma, or a confirmation of studies if you haven’t graduated yet, a transcript of the subjects you studied in your last four years of secondary school (or your bachelor’s) with the hours spent on each, proof of English, a motivation letter of no more than two A4 pages and the photo page of your passport. Most applicants also need UCT Prague’s Medical Assessment Form, completed by their doctor and no more than two months old; the School of Business programmes and Chemoinformatics in Medicinal Chemistry are exempt. Documents not in English or Czech need a certified translation. UCT Prague recommends taking mathematics and chemistry, and if possible biology and physics, at the highest level your school offers.
5. Prepare for the entrance exam and interview
Bachelor’s applicants take an online entrance exam in mathematics and chemistry, followed by an online selection interview. For 2026-27 entry, the exam was held on 16 February 2026 and the interviews between 16 February and 3 March 2026. You can try a sample chemistry test on UCT Prague’s website, and it suggests free resources such as Khan Academy to review difficult topics.
6. Prove your English
Non-native speakers need English at level B2+ or higher. UCT Prague accepts, for example, TOEFL iBT 80, IELTS 6.0, PTE Academic 60, Duolingo English Test 110 or Cambridge B2 First, or a medium-of-instruction certificate if your previous studies were taught fully in English.
Czechia has no single national English rule, so each university and faculty sets its own requirements, usually at level B2 or higher of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Test results usually mustn’t be more than two or three years old, and some faculties exempt you if your previous studies were taught in English. Practise with our free IELTS and TOEFL practice tests.
7. Get your education recognised
If your previous education is from outside Czechia, you must show that it’s equivalent to the Czech level needed for your programme: your secondary school leaving certificate for a bachelor’s degree, or your bachelor’s degree for a master’s. You can do this through general recognition, known as nostrification, from the relevant Czech authority, or, at many universities, through a recognition procedure that is part of your admission. Recognition within your admission is usually valid only at that university. Your documents usually need an apostille or superlegalisation, depending on the country that issued them, so start early. Diplomas from Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Slovenia are usually recognised automatically. At UCT Prague, if your diploma is from outside Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary or Slovenia and isn’t an International Baccalaureate or European Baccalaureate, recognition is mandatory, and you can complete it within your admission by paying a recognition fee of CZK 800 by the end of March. Your certified copies on paper must reach UCT Prague by the end of June, so check early whether your documents need an apostille or superlegalisation. UCT Prague: recognition of previous foreign education.
8. Understand the fees and look for scholarships
Programmes taught in English charge tuition fees, whatever your nationality, and the fee for your first year stays the same for your whole programme. For 2026-27, chemistry bachelor’s and master’s programmes cost CZK 84,500 a year (about €3,500), economics programmes CZK 110,000 a year (about €4,530) and Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Engineering €6,000 a year. You pay within three months of enrolling. Students with an average of 1.00 to 1.80 can apply for a merit-based scholarship, and the Miroslav Vlček Scholarship rewards international students who contribute to university life. If you study in Czech at a public university, you pay no tuition fees, whatever your nationality, and many universities offer a one-year preparatory Czech course. The Czech Government also offers scholarships to students from selected countries, mostly for study in Czech with a preparatory language year, and for selected English-taught programmes in priority fields. UCT Prague: tuition fees.
9. Apply for your long-term visa or residence permit
EU/EEA and Swiss citizens don’t need a visa; if they stay longer than 30 days, they register their address with the Foreign Police, although student dormitories often do this for you. If you’re from outside the EU/EEA, you apply in person at a Czech embassy or consulate, usually in your own country, for a long-term visa for studies (valid for up to a year) or a long-term residence permit for studies (usually issued for up to two years). You’ll need UCT Prague’s confirmation of your studies, proof of accommodation and proof of funds. Under Czech law, the funds you must show are 15 times the official “existential minimum” for the first month plus twice that amount for each further month, and the figure changes, so check it with your embassy. You’ll also need comprehensive travel medical insurance for your whole stay before the visa is issued. Foreign documents must have an officially certified Czech translation. Processing usually takes up to 60 days, and embassy appointments can be hard to get, so apply as soon as you’re admitted. Some Czech universities can nominate students from selected countries for the Student Mode (Režim Student) programme, which gives faster embassy appointments; you can’t apply for it yourself. After you arrive, register with the Foreign Police within 3 working days unless your accommodation provider does it for you. Citizens of Russia and Belarus, including dual citizens, may face restrictions under current Czech visa policy, so check before you apply. EU Immigration Portal: studying in Czechia.
10. Plan for work during and after your studies
If you’re a non-EU student on a full-time accredited degree programme with a long-term visa or residence permit for studies, you can work in Czechia without a separate work permit, although your employer must report your job to the authorities. There’s no fixed weekly limit, but your studies must come first, and many part-time jobs need Czech, apart from those in international companies, mostly in Prague and Brno. In May 2026, the national minimum wage was CZK 134.40 an hour. After graduating, if you hold a residence permit for studies, you can apply once for a 9-month residence permit to look for a job or start a business. You apply in person at a Ministry of the Interior office, no earlier than 120 days before your current permit expires and no later than its last day, and the permit can’t be renewed. Graduates of Czech universities also have free access to the labour market, so an employer doesn’t need a work permit to hire you, although you’ll still need a valid residence permit, such as an Employee Card or EU Blue Card, to stay longer. UCT Prague’s careers centre can help you find internships and jobs.
Applying for a PhD at UCT Prague?
UCT Prague accepts doctoral applications all year round. You choose a dissertation topic from the topics its supervisors offer, and you’ll need a master’s degree in a relevant field. Doctoral research is closely linked to the university’s laboratories and industrial partners. See our 50 sample SOPs and free GRE practice tests.
Be ambitious, but apply to a balanced list
Apply to more than one university to give yourself options. Read our guides to Charles University, the Czech Technical University in Prague, Masaryk University and the Brno University of Technology. Our guide to studying in Czechia explains how the Czech system works, and our free study abroad assessment can help you build a shortlist.
Information was taken from UCT Prague’s official admissions and fee pages, Czech government and EU sources and the QS World University Rankings 2027, and checked in October 2026. Admissions rules, deadlines, fees and immigration rules can change, so always confirm the details on UCT Prague’s website for applicants before you apply. StudyAbroadMarket is not affiliated with the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague.