Charles University

About Charles University

Founded on April 7, 1348, by King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, Charles University (CU; Univerzita Karlova) is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic and one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in Europe and the world. Modeled originally upon the universities of Bologna and Paris, Charles University has stood at the vanguard of European intellectual history, scientific advancement, and philosophical inquiry for over six and a half centuries. Historic scholars and luminaries associated with the university include religious reformer Jan Hus, philosopher-mathematician Bernard Bolzano, legendary physiologist Jan Evangelista Purkyně, Albert Einstein (who served as Professor of Theoretical Physics in Prague from 1911 to 1912), Nobel chemistry laureate Jaroslav Heyrovský (inventor of polarography), and literary master Franz Kafka, who completed his legal doctorate here. Today, Charles University operates as a world-leading comprehensive research powerhouse structured into 17 autonomous faculties located primarily across Prague, alongside dedicated healthcare and pharmaceutical faculty campuses in Plzeň and Hradec Králové. The university educates over 50,000 students—including more than 9,000 international scholars from over 130 countries—across hundreds of accredited undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs. Charles University is a founding member of the elite 4EU+ European University Alliance (alongside Sorbonne University, Heidelberg University, University of Copenhagen, University of Geneva, University of Milan, and University of Warsaw). In accordance with the Czech Higher Education Act (Act No. 111/1998 Coll.), degree programs taught in the Czech language are 100% tuition-free for all nationalities, while world-renowned English-language degree tracks in General Medicine, Dentistry, Computer Science, Economics, and Social Sciences draw top global talent.