The Smart programme covers Czech tuition, access to the platform and admission support, but does not cover paperwork, relocation and living in Prague. Below are three blocks of expenses that need to be budgeted separately: one-time costs for the visa and relocation, one-time costs for university admission, and monthly living expenses.
Visa and relocation (one-time)
All costs for processing the long-term student D visa and flight to Czechia.
- Document translation — €60–100 (CZK 1,500–2,500): certified translation of the base document package for the long-term visa application.
- Document shipping — €100–150 (CZK 2,500–3,750): sending documents for translation and receiving them back + a document package from the school for the visa.
- Comprehensive insurance for 12 months — €450–600 (CZK 11,250–15,000): mandatory for obtaining the long-term visa.
- Consular fee — €100 (CZK 2,500): paid in euros in cash at the consulate when applying for the visa.
- Trip to the consulate — €50–300 (CZK 1,250–7,500): transport from the city of residence to the city where the consulate is located.
- Flight to Prague — €300–600 (CZK 7,500–15,000): depends on the country of departure, amount of luggage and season.
- Financial guarantee — €5,500–6,000 (CZK 137,500–150,000): bank statement showing available funds to prove solvency. The money stays with the student and does not need to be transferred to anyone.
Total without the financial guarantee — €1,060–1,850. Including the financial guarantee — €6,560–7,850, but to repeat: this money remains in the student's account.
University admission (one-time)
Fees and translations needed to submit documents to Czech universities.
- Nostrification — €40–120 (CZK 1,000–3,000): state fee of the magistrate for high-school transcript recognition (CZK 1,000) or of the university for diploma recognition (CZK 3,000).
- Document translation — €140–180 (CZK 3,500–4,500): certified translation of the full education document package for nostrification and universities.
- "Přihlášky" — about €90 (CZK 2,250): ~€30 (CZK 750) per application; on average students apply to 3 universities.
Total — €270–390.
Living expenses (monthly)
A basic student budget in Prague without excesses. In Brno, Olomouc and other cities expenses will be 20–30% lower.
- Dormitory accommodation — €200–650 (CZK 5,000–16,000): public dormitories €200–350, private €450–650.
- Food — €300–400 (CZK 7,500–10,000): assuming you cook for yourself.
- Transport pass and mobile communication — €25–35 (CZK 630–880): student Lítačka pass around €5 per month, mobile and internet €20–30.
- Leisure and personal expenses — €100–150 (CZK 2,500–3,800): gym, cafés, cinema, hobbies and other personal spending.
Total — €625–1,235 per month.
What is important to remember
The financial guarantee of €5,500–6,000 is not an expense: you show the money when applying for the visa, but it stays yours and is spent on living once you are in Czechia.
The largest item of "real" expenses before arrival is insurance and the flight. You can save here by getting insurance through our school with a discount and buying tickets in advance.
After relocation the key item is accommodation. A state dormitory is almost twice as cheap as a private one, so it makes sense to apply right after enrollment — there are few places and the queue is long.