To apply for the doctoral study programme Bioinformatics and Computational Biology taught in English you must hold or be working towards a master's diploma and have the necessary abilities for research. The latter consists mainly of the knowledge of the chosen field, English language, and the ability of independent creative work as well as teamwork. The assessment of these abilities is based on the documents submitted with your application and on the entrance examination.
The admission procedure commences with the submission of an application form.
Important dates:
• Application's submission till November 30, 2025
• Letters of recommendation are due till November 30, 2025
• Invitation to take the entrance examination in mid-December, 2025
• Entrance examination dates: between January 12 and 16, 2026
• Alternative entrance examination date: between January 26 and 30, 2026, can be requested for serious reasons only
• A document certifying completion of a university education at Master's level needs to be delivered as soon as possible after the application submission, and in any case no later than February 28, 2026.
Admission for studies
Admission for studies in the doctoral study programme Bioinformatics and Computational Biology taught in English will be granted to the applicants, who
• Submitted a complete application form together with all obligatory attachments before the deadline.
• Submitted a document certifying completion of a university education at Master's level
• Successfully passed the entrance examination
APPLICATION SUBMISSION
Applications are to be submitted electronically via the Student Information System of Charles University at
https://is.cuni.cz/studium/eng/prijimacky/. The application fee is 1500 CZK. You need to fill in the application form, confirm it, and submit it in the system. Electronically submitted applications do not need to be sent in paper form.
After the completion and submission of an electronic application, the information system generates a 6-digit ID number for each applicant; this ID should be given in any subsequent correspondence about the application with the Department of Student Affairs.
In the application the applicant chooses a study programme, and states a desired supervisor (from the list offered by the programme). The list of potential supervisors will be finalized by October 15, 2025. A confirmation from the desired supervisor constitutes an obligatory attachment to the application. It is highly advisable to contact the desired supervisor or the relevant department and to discuss the supervision well before the application deadline.
ATTACHMENTS TO THE APPLICATION
A. Obligatory
1. A document proving the completion of a master's study programme;
A document certifying the completion of a university education at Master's level needs to be delivered as soon as possible after the application submission, and in any case no later than February 28, 2026.
This is not required from students and graduates of the Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics.
Those applicants, who completed their education at a university abroad, must deliver one of the following documents:
- a document about a general recognition of equality or validity of a foreign university graduation certificate in the Czech Republic (so called "nostrification"), or
- a foreign document about a foreign university education if it is automatically recognized in the Czech Republic, according to its international agreements, without further official processing (university diploma from Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia), or
- a foreign document about completing university education which will be assessed by the faculty itself (no fee is being charged).
2. A written proposal for a doctoral project (approximately 250-500 words). It is advisable to discuss the project with the desired supervisor prior to submitting the application.
3. Two letters of recommendation; letters of recommendation from professors and employers who can comment on applicant’s recent professional accomplishments and qualifications for pursuing a doctoral degree in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. The applicant should arrange for letters of recommendation to be sent directly by the referees to the e-mail address phd@mff.cuni.cz till November 30, 2025.
4. A structured CV.
5. Letter of motivation.
6. Transcript of records from current Master studies or a diploma supplement of a Master diploma.
7. A confirmation of a desired supervisor stating that (s)he is willing to supervise the applicant.
B. Optional
• List of published and unpublished works of the candidate, or professional reviews of these works and other documents worthy of consideration, e.g. documents on professional courses completed, documents on language tests, etc.
APPLICATION FEE
An application fee must be paid for each application. The fee is 1500 CZK. The fee is to be paid by the application submission deadline to the bank account below with the 6-digit ID applicant number as “a specific symbol” or a message for the recipient. The fee can either be paid in EUR or in CZK. The application fee is non-refundable. The fee can be paid by postal order or by bank transfer. When paying by bank transfer, the applicants are obliged to pay any additional fees charged by the banks (esp. when paying from abroad).
Bank details for the application fee:
Bank: Komercni banka
Account number: 21210277/0100
IBAN: CZ49 0100 0000 0000 2121 0277
SWIFT: KOMB CZ PP
If the application is not completed and confirmed and the deficiencies are not corrected in the additional time permitted, the faculty will officially terminate the admission procedure. The fee is due on the 3rd day after the application submission deadline. If the applicant does not pay the fee within this deadline, the application is considered withdrawn.
Entrance examination
The entrance examination takes place in front of a committee consisting of representatives of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics and the Faculty of Natural Sciences. It will be conducted in English and will have two parts. In the first part, the applicant will present himself/herself and his/her doctoral project in a short (max 10 minutes) presentation (with slides). In the second part of the examination, the committee will ask the candidate three questions. One question will focus on the project itself, and the other two questions will test the orientation in the field regarding the proposed project's topic and the applicant's field of study. The evaluation is based upon the quality of the dissertation project; its feasibility, also with regard to the form of study; and the quality of its presentation. The applicant may obtain a maximum of 25 points for the first part of the exam, and a maximum of 25 points for a correct answer to each question from the second part of the exam. The maximal total amount of points, which the applicant may obtain, is therefore 100 points.
During the entrance exam, the applicant must demonstrate professional knowledge and prerequisites for independent scientific work. Furthermore, during the exam, the ability to communicate in the English language is evaluated. The applicant must obtain at least 50 points in order to successfully pass the entrance examination. The exam may be conducted online.
Admission for studies
Admission for studies in the doctoral study programme taught in English will be granted to the applicants, who
• Submitted a complete application form together with all obligatory attachments before the deadline,
• Successfully passed the entrance examination.
Invitation to an entrance examination
The invitation to the entrance examination will be sent in mid-December 2025 to those applicants, who
• submitted a complete application together with its obligatory attachments before the deadline,
• paid the application fee.
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