High school admissions in 2026
Check our news to find out everything that you need to know about current admissions process — deadlines, entrance exams adaptations, tips on preparation for the exams!
Applications to high schools must be submitted during February. The deadlines are specified at https://www.prihlaskynastredni.cz/.
Admission requirements can be found in the admission procedure criteria published on schools’ websites and in the e-system DiPSy.cz. These contain important information, e.g., whether the school requires a medical certificate or a cover letter or whether it organizes an additional school part of the exam.
Applicants assign priority to schools according to their preferences.
How to apply
- electronically via the DiPSy system (verified identity – Bank identity or e-Government Mobile Key) – complete an application form and attach scanned documents.
Application acknowledgement will be sent to your e-mail. - submit a completed and signed form, including all the attachments, to each high school – The priority order must be identical in all the applications.
Send the application preferably by registered mail.
Invitations to the unified entrance exam and the school part of the exam are sent out by the school principal no later than 14 days before the exam date via the e-system DiPSy.cz (for applications submitted electronically), or by post (for applications sent by post).
TIP: See Cesta do školy for structured information about the course of admission procedure.
Adjustments to entrance exams for applicants with other mother tongues
Applicants who attended school (9 years of compulsory education) outside of the Czech Republic are entitled to submit a request to be excused from sitting the written unified entrance exam (JPZ) in Czech language and literature. In such cases, schools verify applicants’ proficiency in the Czech language in an interview.
Applicants who attended a Czech elementary school for 2 years or less over the past 4 years may also submit a request to replace the unified entrance exam in Czech language and literature with an interview. This also applies to persons covered by temporary protection with special long-term residence.
Applicants covered by temporary protection or with special long-term residence who attended a Czech elementary school for more than 2 years may request additional time (25%) and a bilingual dictionary during the unified entrance exam without the need to present a recommendation from a school counseling center. These applicants are not eligible to replace the unified entrance exam in Czech language and literature with an interview.
Other applicants, including those with special educational needs, are eligible for further admission procedure adjustments if they attach a written recommendation issued by a school counseling center to their application. This may include additional time granted for the written exam (more than 25%) and/or permission to use compensatory aids (e.g., bilingual dictionary). These can also be used in the school part of the entrance exam if applicable.
Please note that:
- Upon submitting a request to be excused from sitting the unified entrance exam in Czech language, an applicant will receive a separate invitation to interview from each school, which agreed to excuse them from the exam.
- No special request is needed to be granted adjustments — you just need to check the corresponding box in the application form and attach documents confirming that you’re eligible:
- a confirmation of study period abroad translated into Czech
- or a copy of your temporary protection visa / special long-term residence permit
Attachments to a high school application
Applicants who have completed the last two years of elementary school education abroad must attach:
- a copy of their report card for the last two years
- a translation of the report cards into Czech
All applicants must attach a confirmation of previous studies.
- Applicants who have completed the 9th grade of a Czech elementary school must attach the report cards from the 8th and 9th grades.
- Applicants who finished an elementary school earlier must confirm the completion of compulsory school education (9 years) by providing their report card from the 9th grade stating the results for the 2nd term.
- If you present documents confirming the completion of compulsory school education (9 years), document validation is not needed.
Applicants to multi-year grammar schools must also attach copies of their report cards from the previous 2 years:
- 8-year grammar school – report cards from the 4th and 5th grades
- 6-year grammar school – report cards from the 6th and 7th grades
All applicants should check the admission criteria to see if a medical certificate must be attached to the application.
- A medical certificate constitutes a separate attachment (it is not stated in the application). Download as PDF
- Please double check that the correct codes and titles of the selected fields of study are stated in the certificate.
Applicants covered by temporary protection or applicants with special long-term residence must attach a plain copy of their residence permit to the application and complete a form.
In accordance with the Lex Ukraine law, applicants covered by temporary protection or those with special long-term residence may:
- replace some or all report cards from the previous years with a sworn statement
- this requires a plain copy of their residence permit
TIP: You can use a smart Checklist to check off all the tasks that you need to get done for admission procedure.
Unified entrance examination (JPZ)
All high schools with fields of study where a high school diploma (the Czech maturita certificate) is awarded upon completion (except for art schools with talent exams) require applicants to pass the written unified entrance exam (JPZ) in mathematics and the Czech language and literature.
There is no unified entrance exam:
- for 3-year programs with an apprenticeship certificate,
- art schools (where it is replaced with a talent exam),
- and some other high schools, e.g., schools for students with special educational needs or students with disabilities.
More information about the specific admission procedure can be found on every school’s website.
The unified entrance exam is held on a date fixed every year by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MŠMT).
- For 4-year programs and other follow-up secondary studies, the 1st round is usually held during the 2nd week in April on two consecutive working days.
- Entrance exams to 6-year (for students having completed the 7th grade of an elementary school) and 8-year (for students having completed the 5th grade of an elementary school) grammar schools are held on two consecutive days later in April.
- In May, there are also substitute exam dates for applicants who could not participate in the 1st round (e.g., due to medical reasons) and sent an excuse to the school principal.
Applicants who have submitted at least one application to a school that requires the unified entrance exam will be informed where they will be passing the exam no later than 14 days before the date. Applicants must pass the exam twice, regardless of the number of study programs with the unified entrance exam they are applying to (1, 2, or 3). Invitations are sent via DiPSy.cz (for applications submitted electronically), or by post (for applications submitted by mail).
The results are published on noticeboards in the schools’ facilities and in the e-system DiPSy.cz in May.
- The written exam questions are prepared and the answers are assessed by CERMAT, an organization run by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MŠMT). All students applying to programs concluded by the maturita exam are required to pass an identical (“unified”) entrance exam held on a given date.
- High schools do not assess the answers. They publish lists of admitted students based on the results provided by CERMAT. The lists are published in the schools’ facilities as well as in the DiPSy.cz e-system.
TIP — preparation for the unified entrance exam:
- See the website of CERMAT for the test questions and answers from previous years.
- Use the CERMAT TAU app to do mock tests.
- Check some paid programmes, e. g. To dáš which offers mock tests and preparatory classes.
- Watch a video with an entrance exam interview demonstration.
School part of the entrance exam
- School principals may also send out invitations to the school part of the entrance exam (if indicated in the admission criteria).
- The school part is set out in the admission criteria (e.g., cover letter, foreign language test, student portfolio, physical aptitude test, interview, etc.)
- For useful tips and recommendations on getting ready for your interview see our video playlist or infographics “How to succeed in your high school interview”.
- Take a look at the official entrance interview template, issued by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) and the National Pedagogical Institute (NPI). It contains descriptions of possible tasks, example questions, and evaluation criteria.
Talent exam
Talent exams constitute a part of the entrance exam to art and sports schools. The purpose of the exam is to test an applicant’s talent, skills, and interest in the field of study. For artistic fields of study, e.g., singing, the exam may include performing multiple songs from memory, doing voice exercises, and passing an interview. Fine art schools also require applicants to pass a culture background test and present their own work (student portfolio).
Talent exams to sports grammar schools include a physical aptitude test.
Always check the admission requirements for the specific field of study – schools might have different criteria.
Applications for schools with talent exams are submitted at the same time as applications for schools with a unified entrance exam.
Each student can submit up to 2 applications to fields of study with a talent exam and up to 3 applications to other fields of study.
How can applicants find out whether they have been admitted to a school?
Applicants can check the DiPSy.cz e-system or the school’s website to find out whether they have been admitted.
The names and other personal data of applicants are replaced by registration numbers generated by the DiPSy.cz e-system. If the application form is sent by post, the applicant will be assigned a registration number by the school.
It is important to check the DiPSy.cz information system on a regular basis, as schools use it for communication and may request additional information. A message is considered to be delivered after 10 days.
Applicants will see their results in the system for all the fields of study to which they have applied. Decisions on admission or non-admission are not sent by post.
What to do if an applicant has not been admitted in the 1st round of admission procedure?
Applicants who have not been admitted in the 1st round, renounced their admission, or did not apply in the 1st round can submit their applications to the 2nd round.
Applying to the 2nd round:
- Up to 3 applications to fields of study without talent exams (with or without the maturita exam).
- Up to 2 applications to fields of study with talent exams.
- Assigning priority to the selected schools as in the 1st round.
- Please note: Applicants who did not apply to any programs concluded by the maturita exam in the 1st round can only apply to fields of study with an apprenticeship certificate in the 2nd round.
- Applicants who replaced the unified entrance exam in the Czech language in the 1st round with an interview will receive a new invitation to interview for all programs with the unified entrance exam.
- Please check regularly the prihlaskynastredni.cz website and schools’ websites to find information about exam dates and criteria.
- Please keep in mind that the system evaluates the results based on the priority assigned to the selected schools.
Appeal against non-admission and file inspection
If you suspect that the organization, proceedings, or evaluation of any part of your entrance examination wasn’t transparent or fair, you may file an appeal.
- The deadline is 3 working days after the publication of results within the specific round.
You can use the exam proceedings as the primary source for the appeal.
- You may consult the exam proceedings during the period of file inspection. It is necessary to arrange a date with the school in advance. You have the right to make copies or photos of the exam proceedings.
- The period of file inspection is several days before the publication of results within the specific round.
- The exact date for file inspection can always be found on the school’s website or in the DiPSy system.
- An appeal may be filed and the file may be inspected in relation to any part of the admission procedure, including an interview which can replace the unified entrance exam in the Czech language.
For further information on appeals and file inspection, please see our Tip — appeals and file inspections.
Downloadable documents: