Czech Language Exams for University: CCE and the B2 Requirement
Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.
Czechia makes a simple offer to international students: study in Czech at a public university and pay no tuition, whatever your nationality. The condition is the language. Czech-taught programmes in our catalogue usually ask for Czech at B2, and the entrance exam itself is held in Czech.
The CCE exam
The Czech Language Certificate Exam (CCE) is run by the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies of Charles University.
- It is offered at five levels: A1, A2, B1, B2 and C1.
- You register for one level. The exam tests reading, listening, writing and speaking, and you must pass every part.
- It is held on scheduled dates in Czechia and at partner centres abroad.
- The certificate does not expire.
CCE B2 is the certificate most widely named in faculty admission rules. Some programmes with heavy language demands, such as medicine, law or teaching, ask for C1.
What else faculties accept
Admission rules are set faculty by faculty, so read the conditions of the exact programme. Common alternatives to the CCE:
- an exam in Czech organised by the faculty itself
- the final exam of a recognised one-year preparatory course
- a state language exam in Czech
- a school-leaving exam in Czech or Slovak
Slovak is treated as equivalent to Czech at Czech universities: Slovak applicants need no certificate and may write exams and theses in Slovak.
One-year preparatory courses
Because few people learn Czech at school abroad, the usual route is a preparatory year in Czechia. Universities and their language institutes offer intensive courses that combine Czech with the subjects of the entrance exam, for example biology and chemistry for medicine or mathematics for technical fields. They are fee-paying, and they count as a purpose of stay for a long-term visa.
Speakers of other Slavic languages commonly reach B2 within that year. For others it is ambitious, and a second year or a move to an English-taught programme may be needed.
Free in Czech, paid in English
The same faculty often offers a programme twice: in Czech without tuition and in English for a fee. Our catalogue lists 201 programmes in Czechia taught in English. Private universities charge tuition in any language: the typical fee in our catalogue is €3,274 a year. Details are in how much it costs to study in Czechia.
Do not forget the diploma
Language is one of two formal conditions. The other is recognition of your school-leaving certificate, explained in nostrification in Czechia. Both take months, so start them in parallel.
Where to look next
Official sources
- Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies, Charles University: CCE exams and preparatory courses
- Study in Czechia
- Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.