17 - Czech Republic - Private education

For quantitative data on private vyšší odborné školy and vysoké školy.

As higher education and education at vyšší odborné školy are regulated by different Acts and regulations

Tertiary professional education

Private vyšší odborné školy follow the rules set for private education up to the upper secondary level.

Natural persons, joint stock companies, limited companies, unincorporated associations, foundations and the like, may establish vyšší odborné školy.

Higher education

The Higher Education Act of 1998 enabled the establishment of private vysoké školy and these have emerged rapidly since 1999. Usually, their founders have already had some experience with operating private střední školy, vyšší odborné školy or industrial institutes. All private vysoké školy are non-university institutions except two  and at present outnumber the public institutions. By the end of 2007 state approval had been granted to 43 institutions, out of which one has ceased to exist so far because it merged with a public vysoká škola. For technical reasons, only some institutions register students.
Under the Higher Education Act, only a legal entity with a registered office or with the main seat of their entrepreneurial activity in the territory of one of the EU states, or a legal entity which was established in accordance with the legislation of any EU member state which has been granted state approval by the Ministry of Education on the recommendation of the Accreditation Commission may operate as a private vysoká škola. Apart from the usual formalities, an application for state approval must include the following: a long-term plan for educational and scientific, research, developmental, artistic or other creative activities of the private institution, information on how its operations will be provided for in terms of finance, material, personnel and information, proposals for study programmes and for study regulations governing the institution's operations and the status of the members of the academic community.

The private companies usually have the status of a joint stock company, a limited company or a beneficiary corporation.

A private vysoká škola is obliged to submit an annual report on its activities to the Ministry of Education and if it has received a state subsidy, also an annual report on the management of these funds. It is also obliged to publish its long-term plan for educational and creative activities and to up-date this annually, to publish a list of accredited study programmes and fields of study in which it is authorised to perform procedures for appointment venium docendi and for appointment to a professorship. (Until the end of 2007 no private vysoká škola has got this authorisation.)

If a private vysoká škola violates its legal obligations, if it has no accredited study programme or if has had accreditation of more than two study programmes withdrawn, its state permit can be withdrawn.

A majority of private vysoké školy are non-university type institutions, accreditation is mainly for Bachelor's programmes. In 2007 all 43 institutions have accredited Bachelor's programmes, 16 of them have accredited Master's programmes and two of them doctoral programmes.

The most common branches of study at private vysoké školy are economics, banking and business (more than one quarter of all students), while other frequent areas include technical fields, hotel and tourism studies, law, administration and art (all around 10%).

Financing of private higher education

Under the terms of the Higher Education Act, a legal entity authorised to operate as a private institution of higher learning is obliged to secure funds for its educational and scientific, research, developmental, artistic or other creative activities.

If a private vysoká škola has charity status, it may receive a state subvention from the Ministry of Education to support the development of accredited study programmes and lifelong learning programmes together with the related scientific, research, development, artistic or other creative activities. All private vysoké školy may obtain a subvention to cover social grant and accommodation support. The Ministry can provide a subsidy to a former private vyšší odborná škola, which received subventions as such, which organises a study programme that is considered to be in the public interest relating to the entry of graduates into the labour market and has negotiated this with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the region. A subsidy can be allocated to the creative activity linked to this programme. The application must include the amount of fees. There is no automatic right to such a subsidy and a majority of private vysoké školy do not receive it.

In 2007 a subsidy for supporting study programmes was not granted as the relation to the European law which limits the State intervention into the economic competition has not been clarified.

Private vysoké školy set study fees in their internal regulation, even for the standard length of study. These fees are not regulated by law or other legislation.

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