ISEP Program

ISEP Exchange or Direct track

Masaryk University offers two options for ISEP students: foreign students can come either through the ISEP Exchange Track or via the ISEP Direct Track. The differences between the ISEP Exchange and the ISEP Direct Track are as follows:

ISEP Exchange Track:

• Is based on a two-way exchange; that is the local student goes via ISEP to study abroad and the foreign student comes to study in the Czech Republic. Thus the ISEP Exchange Track is a swap of a student for a student. On the ISEP Exchange, you pay your home institution's tuition and fees and swap with a student from another ISEP university. Placements may depend on the space available.
• Incoming students receive an accommodation and meals grant to cover their room and board costs for 16 weeks.
• Incoming students participate in the on-site Orientation Week for free.
• Applicants who apply for the ISEP Exchange Track are able to choose from courses across the university. Check out the courses on offer in the Course Catalogue.

ISEP Direct Track:

• Is one-way. The foreign student comes to study at MU and unlike with the ISEP Exchange Track the grant for the incoming student is not provided by Masaryk University, but by the student via ISEP.
• Housing and meals are fully to be covered by the student. You can find recommendations for your budget in the International Student Guide. Students can stay in the residence hall if they indicate it in the application.
• Included in the fee paid to ISEP is the on-site Orientation Week, semester-long Czech language for foreigners for all levels (from beginner to advanced), ISIC card, and ESN membership. 
• Applicants who apply for the ISEP Direct Track are able to choose courses from either Central European Studies Programme (CESP), Sports, Health and Management, CzechMates, or Regular University track.  Additionally, they can choose from courses across the university as well. Check out the courses on offer in the Course Catalogue.

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Application

First step: ISEP application. See more details on the official websites of the ISEP organization or consult it with your home university’s ISEP advisor.

Secondly: application to Masaryk University. ISEP students placed and accepted at Masaryk University have to fill in an online application – the link is provided during acceptance via ISEP (accept the security warning if you are requested to do so).

Here are a few hints to help you go through the online application quickly and successfully:

• When filling it in, please do not use any special signs and letters (ä, ů, ł, ŝ, etc.)
• Do not write all in capital letters or all in lower case letters when filling in your name and address.
• Write your first name into the name field, your last name into the surname field and your middle name(s) into the middle name field (exactly as they appear in your passport).
• Write in the e-mail address you will use for your correspondence with us.
• In this application, you can also apply for accommodation in our halls of residence and participate in the orientation week.

After the application is filled in and submitted, it will be automatically saved in our online database and sent both to you and to us via e-mail. Subsequently, Masaryk University will automatically send you the documents you will need for completion of the visa application via the regular post service (the confirmation of accommodation and the confirmation of the purpose of the stay, both written in Czech).

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Visa

All ISEP accepted students who are not EU citizens are obliged to be in possession of a long-term student visa at the time of arrival in the Czech Republic, with no exceptions.

The visa application process at the embassy might take up to 60 days so it is strongly recommended that you apply for it as soon as possible. Masaryk University will send you the documents required for visa purposes from its end automatically via the regular post. Keep in mind that collection of all the required documents for visa application may extend the visa application process at your end.

The CZS will send you the documents mentioned above as soon as we receive your completed application from the ISEP Central Office.

For more information about the visa application process check the website of the Czech Embassy in your country (see the list of Czech Embassies and Consulates worldwide). Please note that Czech law requires that all foreigners (including students) have to show a travel health insurance plan meeting the minimum requirements.

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After Arrival

When you arrive in Brno:

• your tutor/buddy will be waiting for you and will pick you up from the station (if you have asked your tutor/buddy to do so)
• you will go to your halls of residence (reception open 24/7) or your pre-booked private accommodation
• during the working day, you should submit the signed accommodation contract to the accommodation assistant
• open a bank account – ISEP Exchange students must open a local bank account in order to receive the scholarship to cover accommodation and meal costs
• you have to attend the Compulsory Admission to the University International Office (with us)
• participate in Orientation Week

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Before Departure

Which we see as not “good-bye” but “see you again soon”, you need to complete a few steps:

1/ Make sure you have returned all books to libraries.

2/ Close your bank account

3/ Dormitory:

• You can check out from MU dormitories only during the working day (up to 2 pm), on the date of your departure or a maximum of 2 days beforehand. (You can check-out in advance and stay in the halls of residence until your departure day, meanwhile bringing the Check-out Confirmation Form to your MU coordinator). If you are planning to leave at the weekend, please arrange everything on the previous Friday.
• Please follow these steps:
  • Tidy and clean your room. Then go to reception and call a cleaning lady to check your room. After checking your room, she will give you a small check-out paper called the “Odhlašovací lístek”. This can be done a maximum of two days in advance.
  • Bring the “Odhlašovací lístek” and Check-out Confirmation Form to the accommodation assistant in the halls of residence. The accommodation assistant will sign the Check-Out Confirmation Form.
  • When leaving the dormitory, please do not forget to return your key to reception.

4/ Final Documents

• Check-out Confirmation Form (see the Documents section): If you want to successfully complete your studies at Masaryk University you have to prepare the Check-out Confirmation Form and bring it to your CZS coordinator’s office (Komenského square) before your departure. You can deliver it in person, ask someone to deliver it, put it into the post box in front of the CZS entrance or you can send it by e-mail. Please note that without filling it in and delivering it you cannot get the final documents signed by the MU coordinator. The signature of the accommodation assistant is absolutely necessary.
• Transcript of Records is an official document that will be used to transfer your grades from Masaryk University to your home university (the list of your courses and their evaluation) and shows the dates of your placement. It is issued by the CZS coordinator. The date of your departure is considered to be the date of checking-out from the halls of residence or your flat (leaving your room) and this date must be confirmed by the accommodation assistant/landlord in the Check-out Confirmation Form a maximum of two days in advance. We do not take into account the date up to which you pay for the accommodation. The date of your last activity at university is taken into account too and cannot differ from the departure date by more than one week. In the case that not all your grades are already in the IS on the date of your departure, we will send you your Transcript later. You can find a sample of the Transcript of Records in the Documents section. 

And, of course… stay in touch as an alumnus – a proud member of the Masaryk University family!

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FAQ

Are the practical aspects of studies at Masaryk University available?

Yes, see the International Student Guide.

Does everybody have to apply for a Czech student visa? 

Yes, except for the students with EU citizenship or similar rights.

How will ISEP students receive grants for room and board? 

Grants for accommodation and meals will be deposited only on a bank account opened with a Czech bank. Students are to open a bank account in Brno after their arrival. Subsequently, they are responsible for transferring money from their Czech bank account to the Accommodation Service account in order to pay rent. Money from the board grant can be used to purchase meals purchase in the students' canteen or in restaurants or students can cook at the halls of residence.

Do ISEP students fill in a Host Institution Enrolment Form? 

If it is required by the home institution ISEP students have to fill it in. But Masaryk University will issue a Transcript of Records after the placement. Therefore, Masaryk University does not require the HIEF to be filled in.

When does course registration happen? 

ISEP students receive a “Courses registration dossier” two months before classes start. This means that they have access to the Information System which is an online tool for the administration of studies at Masaryk University. Moreover, students are able to register for courses online and use an Information System e-mail address. Students are responsible for registering for courses on time.

Who pays the accommodation deposit? 

Everybody. All students who have been accepted by our office are obliged to pay the accommodation deposit online before their arrival in Brno to secure a place at the MU halls of residence. You will be e-mailed instructions sufficiently in advance.

Have Czech language courses got codes for course registration? 

Yes, but the codes will be given to students after taking a placement test in Brno. As students do not know which group they will be placed into, they cannot register for the course before arrival.

Which grading system does Masaryk University work with? 

Masaryk University works with European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). Further description of this system as well as types of course evaluation is available here.

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