How to proceed with verification of previous foreign education

If the applicant completed a previous study abroad, for the purposes of enrolling in the study, it is necessary to fulfill one of the five following options:

1. Confirmation of recognition of educational equivalence or a nostrification clause in the Czech Republic

  • Provide a certificate of recognition of educational equivalence or a nostrification clause. Both are issued by the education departments of the regional authorities.
  • Documents are generally valid in the territory of the Czech Republic for other occasions. Information on the process of recognition of foreign education in the Czech Republic can be found here.
  • In the form of an officially certified copy or authorised conversion. 

2. Certificate of secondary education, which is equivalent in the Czech Republic under international obligations without further official procedure - Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Slovenia

  • So-called bilateral agreements on mutual recognition of educational qualifications with the Slovak Republic, Hungary, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Federal Republic of Germany.
  • The applicant submits a Certificate of foreign secondary education in the form of an officially certified copy or authorised conversion with an official translation into Czech or English (translations are not required for certificates issued in Slovak or English).

3. European Baccalaureate certificate

  • If you graduated from one of European Schools operating under the Convention Defining the Statute of the European Schools, you should submit a certificate of the European Baccalaureate. This certificate is automatically considered as equal to a Czech school- leaving certificate.
  • In the form of an officially certified copy or authorised coversion with an official translation into Czech or English (translations are not required for certificates issued in Slovak or English).

4. IB (International Baccalaureate) diploma

  • International Baccalaureate issued by an International Baccalaureate World School authorised by the Swiss International Baccalaureate Foundation or affiliated to an International Baccalaureate World School Association recognised by the Swiss International Baccalaureate Foundation. 
  • In form of an officially certified copy or authorised conversion.   

5. Secondary education diploma and Transcript of Records

  • The Faculty of Science is authorized to verify previous foreign secondary education of the applicant for the purpose of the admission process and studies at the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University. This recognition is valid only for the respective admission cycle and only for the studies at the Faculty of Science.
  • The verification of the admission requirement for applicants with foreign secondary education is governed by Masaryk University Directive No. 2/2019.
  • The verification of foreign education is charged with a fee of 900 CZK, which the applicant needs to order and pay here.
  • The applicant submits:

    • Secondary education diploma in form of an officially certified copy or similar proof of completion of secondary education with relevant signatures and stamps authentication (similar proof of completion of secondary education is only acceptable if the diploma has not yet been issued to the applicant, and if this similar proof of completion also entitles the applicant to access to study in the given study program in a foreign state), and with a certified translation of the diploma into Czech or English (documents issued in English do not need to be translated).
    • Transcript of Records or another listing in form of an officially certified copy with a certified translation into Czech or English (documents issued in English do not need to be translated), unless this is already included in the secondary education diploma !
    • Confirmation of SCHOOL ACCREDITATION in form of an officially certified copy, issued by the relevant foreign authority, confirming that said secondary school is authorised to provide secondary education in that foreign country (e.g., a confirmation issued by the Ministry of Education of the given country, a copy of the accreditation certificate prepared by an employee of the foreign secondary school, etc.).

Required means of authenticating signatures and stamps

  • Masaryk University requires, in accordance with section 90, subsection 3 of Act No. 111/1998 Coll., on Higher Education Institutions, authentication of signatures and stamps on the original of diplomas. Means of authenticating the signatures and stamps occurring on the original of the diploma depend on the country that has issued it, i.e. where the applicant earned his/her education. Please check the list of countries and verification requirements here.
  • The signatures and stamps authentication can be classified into three categories, depending on the (non) existence of an international agreement:
    • No authentication required: There is a valid bilateral agreement between the country and the Czech Republic, concerning mutual legal assistance. Diplomas issued in these countries are valid in the Czech Republic without the need for any further authentication of stamps and signatures.
    • Apostille: The respective country is a signatory to the multilateral treaty abolishing the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents (The Hague Convention). The authenticity of signatures and stamps on a diploma earned in one of the signatory countries must be certified by a so-called Apostille, issued by a competent authority of the country. For the list of competent authorities in all signatory countries please visit the Hague Conference website.
    • Superlegalization (Higher Authentication of Documents): Relates to other countries; the authenticity of signatures and stamps on diplomas issued in them has to be certified by means of a so-called superlegalization (Higher Authentication of Documents), i.e. verification of the diploma by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the state which is the seat of the higher education institution that has issued the document (or its authorized foreign body), followed by the verification of the respective Czech representative office (embassy) based in the foreign country.

Contact address for inquiries regarding the verification of foreign education by the Faculty: Ing. Tereza Špalková, spalkova@sci.muni.cz 

FAQ

Do you wish to apply to more than one Czech university?

  • Please note, that in case the applicant wants to have his/her previous foreign secondary education recognized officially with validity for all universities in the Czech Republic, the applicant needs to apply for the recognition of foreign secondary education (option n.1).

How do I process the verification?

Information for applicants to English-taught programmes:

  • You will receive a detailed information what you need to submit and in what form in the first e-mail after beeing accepted.
  • During summer, you will get the documents ready and send us the certified COPIES by post (regular post service, DHL, FEDEX...).
  • Please do not forget to send us soft copies first!
  • If you fall under the 5th option = submitting your diploma and transcript of records, do not forget to pay the fee!
  • Address for document submission is following:

Faculty of Science, Masaryk University
Office for Studies
Kotlářská 267/2
611 37 Brno, Czech Republic

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