The internationalisation of Czech universities: different approaches, varying outcomes

Are Czech universities making progress towards the targets set out in the Strategy for the Internationalisation of Higher Education for 2030? The answer is provided by a new study on the internationalisation of higher education, produced by the National Training Fund as part of the Strategic Intelligence for Research and Innovation (STRATIN+) project.

The study, which focuses on 26 public higher education institutions in the Czech Republic, maps the state of internationalisation and the differences between individual institutions. It is based primarily on the universities’ annual reports for 2024, statistics from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, and the database of the European Higher Education Sector Observatory (EHESO). As well as monitoring selected objectives of the Strategy for the Internationalisation of Higher Education for the period from 2021, it also utilises its own set of indicators. It monitors internationalisation across three areas – education, international mobility, and academic and research activities – each of which is characterised by four sub-indicators.

The greatest progress is evident in the proportion of international students; however, progress in developing international experience amongst undergraduate and doctoral students, in particular, has been considerably slower. The study also shows that individual higher education institutions are pursuing different paths to internationalisation – whilst some rely primarily on international students and programmes taught in foreign languages, others focus on student mobility or international research collaboration.

The number of international students is rising, but Slovaks still make up a significant proportion

Czech public universities are closest to achieving the strategic target in terms of their attractiveness to international students. In 2024, international students accounted for almost 18 per cent of all students at public universities; the target for 2030 is a share of 20 per cent. Ten out of 26 public universities are already exceeding this threshold. The University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (VŠCHT) recorded the highest proportion, with international students making up more than a quarter of all students.

However, behind the relatively high proportion of international students lies a specific pattern in their origins. Students from Slovakia account for 42 per cent of all international students at Czech public universities. The situation is similar amongst international academic and research staff, where Slovak nationals make up 43 per cent. Furthermore, international students show a marked preference for universities in Prague and Brno, whilst many regional institutions have a significantly lower proportion of international students.

Students’ international experience remains a weak point

Achieving strategic objectives in the area of student mobility is considerably more complex. In 2024, only three institutions exceeded the 20 per cent threshold for graduates who had spent at least fourteen days abroad at bachelor’s level: the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, the University of Economics, Prague (VŠE) and the University of Hradec Králové (UHK). The situation is more favourable for master’s programmes: almost a third of public universities have met or exceeded the target. Certain art schools, in particular, are performing particularly well in this regard.

The greatest gap in relation to the strategic target is evident in doctoral studies. The strategy envisages that, by 2030, 80 per cent of doctoral programme graduates will have gained at least 30 days’ experience abroad. No public higher education institution achieved this level in 2024. However, the results must be interpreted with caution, as a physical stay abroad may be replaced, for example, by participation in an international research or creative project in the case of doctoral students.

The difference between student mobility and academic staff mobility is also interesting. Whilst, on average, around 6 per cent of students go abroad, the figure for academic staff is 42 per cent. However, academic mobility varies much more significantly between institutions, and the study also highlights shortcomings in how it is recorded – unlike student mobility, it is not yet reported in a standardised manner across higher education institutions.

There is no single approach to internationalisation

To provide a more comprehensive overview, the study developed a composite indicator of internationalisation, reflecting the overall level of internationalisation and the contribution of individual areas. The highest overall scores in 2024 were achieved by the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (ČZU; 59.7 points), the University of Economics, Prague (VŠE; 52.5 points) and Masaryk University (MUNI; 50.1 points). They were followed by VŠCHT and Charles University.

However, very different profiles may lie behind a similar overall result. ČZU has relatively balanced results across all three areas assessed and, at the same time, achieved the highest score in international mobility. VŠE stands out primarily for the internationalisation of its education, including, amongst other things, its active use of joint study programmes with foreign universities. MUNI has a particularly strong position in the internationalisation of academic and research activities.

It is precisely the results in individual areas that confirm that high scores are not the preserve of the largest universities alone. In terms of academic and scientific internationalisation, for example, UHK and the University of Technology and Economics in České Budějovice (VŠTE) achieved the highest scores, followed by MUNI, the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice and ČZU. Some regional institutions are thus developing their international focus primarily through research and academic collaboration, even though they are less successful, for example, in attracting international students.

Over the past five years, the rankings of some schools have changed significantly

A comparison of 2019 and 2024 shows that the internationalisation of Czech higher education institutions is not progressing across the board or at a uniform pace. The most significant positive change was recorded by VŠTE, whose score rose by 22 points, moving the institution from 25th to 7th place. ČZU and the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts (JAMU) also improved significantly. All three institutions made progress in all areas monitored, though each in a different way – VŠTE primarily in academic and research activities, ČZU in mobility, and JAMU in the internationalisation of study programmes.

At the other end of the scale are, in particular, the Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT) and the University of Veterinary Sciences Brno (VETUNI), which saw a more significant decline in their overall scores. At ČVUT, the decline was mainly linked to international mobility, whilst at VETUNI it was linked to the internationalisation of study programmes. It is noteworthy that, for 42 per cent of institutions, certain areas improved between 2019 and 2024, whilst others deteriorated at the same time. The trend therefore does not resemble a gradual, collective shift by all institutions in a single direction, but rather a transformation of their various internationalisation profiles.

The results should not be interpreted as a simple ranking of schools

The study points out that the composite indicator presented is primarily a tool for mapping and comparing selected dimensions of internationalisation, rather than an assessment of the quality of higher education institutions. For example, the quantitative data do not indicate the quality of international partnerships, how experience abroad affects students, or whether internationalisation actually enhances the quality of teaching and research. Furthermore, the results must be assessed in light of the size, disciplinary focus, regional context and mission of individual institutions.

This marked diversity is one of the study’s main conclusions. Czech public higher education institutions do not follow a single, common model of internationalisation. Some are successfully opening up to international students and expanding their foreign-language programmes, whilst others excel in student mobility or international research. The challenge for the coming period remains not only to raise the overall level of internationalisation, but also to narrow the gaps between individual institutions, make international experience accessible to a wider range of students, and ensure that internationalisation is not merely a question of the number of international students or mobility programmes, but is genuinely reflected in the quality of education, research and the academic environment.

The study, including its appendices, is available in the repository Zenodo.