Freemovers
The programme for Freemovers is intended for students who themselves arrange a study or work placement at a foreign university outside of any kind of Masaryk University exchange programme (e.g. Erasmus+), or outside any intergovernmental, interuniversity or interfaculty agreement.
Freemovers can choose from universities around the world, however their home faculty/department and the foreign university must consent. Each foreign university has its rules for the acceptance of Freemovers – some do not accept them at all, others require them to pay tuition fees and others openly welcome Freemovers.
Information on the experiences of students who have made use of the grants for Freemovers to study at a wide range of foreign universities can be found here here (only in Czech).
Participation Conditions
The Freemovers study placement is open to a student who:
- is enrolled on an accredited bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral study programme at MU – full-time, combined or distance forms of studies
- must have completed at least the first semester of bachelor’s studies at the time of submitting the application
- throughout the period of their placement is enrolled in studies at the faculty/department through which the placement was organised, and the studies may not be ended or interrupted
- is not travelling to their Country of Origin or Country of Residence
Study placement conditions:
- the scholarship is awarded for a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 1 semester
- study programs at MU and the selected foreign university must be compatible, i.e. the faculty will confirm that the student's completed courses will be recognized as part of the study plan at MU
- the student must prove knowledge of the foreign language in which they will study; this does not apply to PhD students if the language of communication during their stay is English
- the student must complete 20 ECTS per semester from abroad; in the case of short-term preparation of the dissertation, the number of credits obtained can be lower; however, the student must meet the study requirements of the home faculty
- it is possible to travel with this grant once during bachelor’s, once during master’s and once during doctoral studies; if there is a lack of suitable applicants, this grant can be offered repeatedly
- this programme requires MU students to submit an application for recognition of courses/credits from their stay abroad after the end of the stay (more information can be found here)
- the student must submit all required documents before the start of the stay and after its completion; failure to submit them is considered a failure to meet the conditions for awarding the scholarship and the scholarship must be returned
Top ▲
Financial Conditions
- the grant is only allocated to physical mobility in a foreign country, not to online mobility
- the monthly scholarship rate can be up to 16,000 CZK
- account shall be taken of the financial cost of the placement, any material or financial support provided by the receiving institution or by a third party, such as free accommodation or food, other scholarships, etc.; any other support provided or requested for the placement shall be indicated by the student in the application form; if they receive it later, it is necessary to inform the CZS programme coordinator immediately via email
- in justified cases, it is not excluded to gain a grant from the scholarship fund of the faculty, region, foundations, etc. to make up part of the costs – if the student has gained another grant or has applied for one, they should give information in the application on its amount, attach a summary of anticipated costs and a justification of the request for a further grant
- it is not possible to have another grant for the same placement from EU sources (e.g. Erasmus+) and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
- we would like to point out to students who are also MU employees that it is not possible to receive full travel reimbursement from the employer for the aforementioned study abroad (always after an individual assessment by the CZS)
- the scholarship is paid in CZK accounts in crowns held at any bank in the Czech Republic, which the student has entered in the IS MU (Scholarships section)
- the grant serves for only partial coverage of costs, being only a contribution to the increased costs linked to a placement abroad – the financial contribution of the student is assumed
- the specific amount of the grant is set according to the specific amount of time spent at the foreign university and depending on the possibilities of the project budget.; if you are not going for a period of complete months, the level of the grant for the last incomplete month is calculated as follows:
- 1 to 7 days: zero financial support
- 8 to 20 days: 1/2 financial support for a month
- 21 to 30 days: full financial support for a month
- the student is responsible for arranging accommodation, insurance, visa, etc.
- the scholarship may be paid only in the calendar year in which the mobility takes place
- students departing for the autumn semester may be awarded the scholarship for January only at the end of January or later (i.e. after approval of funds) if they do not terminate or interrupt their studies at MU in the meantime; there is no automatic entitlement to this scholarship
Top ▲
List of Deadlines
Calendar year 2025: Application deadline: 15 February 2025, or until funds are exhausted (application opens 1 January 2025)
Calendar year 2026: Application deadline: 15 December 2025 (application opens 15 October 2025) – funding for calendar year 2026 is still to be decided
Top ▲
Application
Application to the foreign university:
Those who are interested must first contact their preferred foreign institution (the central foreign department of the school and/or faculty/department) and agree the conditions for entry. Take into account all the prerequisites of studies and life abroad, including the possible duty to pay tuition fees.
To apply use the form of the receiving school, if it exists (posted on the pages of the foreign department). If there is no information for incoming students on the pages of the school outside of exchange programmes, then write an e-mail to the foreign department of the chosen school (do not forget the basic information: what you want to study, how long and in what period).
Application at the CZS:
- the application is submitted electronically
- the application form does not have to be completed in English; for names, addresses, etc. use diacritical marks where needed; in the year column give the actual year of study at MU.
Compulsory parts of the CZS application:
- a letter of acceptance (or email or some other proof of acceptance) – confirming that you have been accepted for a physical stay at a foreign university (i.e., it is not online mobility); alternatively, this confirmation can be provided later by e-mail.
- a motivational letter (in Czech, Slovak or English, max 1 A4) – has to contain:
- addressee CZS, signed by the student
- request for financial support from the Freemovers programme
- the field of study, level and the year in which the applicant is registered
- the reason for the host university selection
- what the content of the study stay will be and why
- direct relation to the student's field of study
- benefits of the traineeship for the student – academic benefits, job opportunity benefits
- the period of the study stay for which the student is asking for financial support
- a copy of proof of knowledge of the language in which you will study (this does not apply to language students and PhD students):
- the results of language examinations at MU (the results of language exams at MU will be recognised based on Academic Records in IS, other documents are voluntary)
- confirmation from the MU Language Centre (Language Proficiency Report)
- results of international examinations (e.g. for English FCE, CAE or TOEFL)
- if you have no English language certification you can take a test at the CZS, further information here
- a record of results from previous studies in the given foreign language is also recognised (e.g. if you have already studied abroad as part of Erasmus)
- a student, who is in the first semester of study and who previously studied at a different school attaches the Transcript of Records or the supplement to the diploma from the preceding studies.
- a Learning Agreement, or
- a Preliminary Study Plan filled in and signed by the student and their departmental coordinator – the plan includes the courses of the host university in which the student is interested; this list is not yet binding for any study; the form you find in the ISOIS application
Criteria for the selection of candidates:
- meeting the conditions for a study placement
- a study stay at a top university according to the QS World University Rankings (up to TOP 300)
- a motivation letter meeting the above criteria
- the year of study of the student – priority is given to students of master's and bachelor's programmes
- study records
- previous placements abroad in programmes administered by CZS – priority is given to students who are going for a placement abroad for the first time
- the formal aspects of the application form
- impossibility of using another programme (e.g. Erasmus+ programme, faculty scholarships, DZS offers, etc.)
The final results of the selection process will be announced to applicants by email within one month after the application submission deadline.
IMPORTANT! Submitting your application does not mean that it will automatically be approved and granted financial support – a proper selection process must take place.
Top ▲
Before Departure
Before departure, the student needs to:
- secure the Learning Agreement (LA), even in the case of a research placement – you can find a manual in the Documents section here
- research is also considered a study in the Freemovers programme
- if the purpose of the stay is research for the dissertation, the student fills out a Learning Agreement, in which the subject is "Preparation of a diploma/dissertation thesis" for 0 credits with recognition for a diploma seminar with credits in agreement with the authorized person of the faculty
- the student also completes a Foreign Activity Plan, which is signed by his supervisor at MU and a consultant from a foreign university (you can download it here)
- record the study placement in IS (section Internships and stays) – as the “programme” select “Freemover” and upload the Learning Agreement (and the Foreign Activity Plan in the case of research)
- secure health insurance – for the entire period of stay abroad, including return travel and repatriation insurance
- the student can secure insurance through ISIC or through commercial insurance companies (UNIQA, Allianz, etc.)
- request a grant – one to two months before starting your studies at a foreign university; for the physical transfer of the grant onto the account, it is necessary to submit an electronic application for a grant, the specific link in IS will be provided to you by the CZS coordinator if you accepted into the programme
- in the request, give the precise anticipated start and end dates of study abroad (not the stay) in the Freemovers programme; follow the academic calendar of the target school and the information in the letter of acceptance
Top ▲
While Abroad
- if there are changes to the Learning Agreement, record them in the Learning Agreement changes form (Changes section) and upload them to the IS within 5 weeks of the start of the teaching period at the foreign university
Top ▲
After Return
- after completing the stay abroad, the student must submit an application for recognition of courses/credits from the stay abroad via the Internships and Stays in the IS
- the recognition of subjects/credits is fully in the competence of individual faculties/departments/institutes (further information can be found here)
- part of the request for recognition is the following documents, which the student uploads to the IS:
- Confirmation of Study Period (in the section Documents) – within 10 days of completion of study placement abroad
- Transcript of Records (in the section Documents) – within 5 weeks of completion of study placement abroad
- in the case of a research stay, it is necessary to upload a Foreign Activity Report – signed by the supervisor at MU and the consultant at the foreign university (you can download it here)
- within 6 weeks of completing the study placement, the student must fill in the final report from the placement, which will help future participants of the programme; the report is completed online in the ISOIS application (select Final Reports in the Programme section)
Top ▲