Arrival Guide
The description of the guidance you have available to you is general. Not all items might apply to you, but all of this support is available to you. This guidance applies equally to Preparatory Semester and MAE students.
Visa
The MAE program will guide you through each step of the visa application process. The process can be different for students from different countries. Therefore, the description here cannot go into detail. We provide personalized assistance in obtaining a visa.
If you plan on bringing family members to Prague with you, we will help them obtain visas as well. However, since family members are not MAE students, we cannot guarantee that family members will receive a visa, or make admission/enrollment conditional on family members getting visas.
The CERGE-EI MAE Program is unique in that it is a degree program chartered by an American university run in Prague, the Czech Republic. The program will soon be officially registered with the Czech Ministry of Education as a foreign university operating a program within the Czech Republic. This is the standard registration for foreign university programs in the Czech Republic.
The registration with the Ministry of Education is the basis on which we request a visa for each student. This registration allows MAE students to have official Czech government recognition as a student. Therefore MAE students obtain a European student visa to study at the MAE program.
Getting a student visa can be a difficult process for any foreigner. CERGE-EI has a lot of experience negotiating with officials and guiding students through both the official procedure and the unwritten realities of obtaining a visa. Please be diligent in keeping in close communication with the MAE program about your visa application and doing the tasks that we cannot do for you.
Very soon after you receive your admissions offer, MAE staff will be in contact with you about applying for your visa.
Contact the program at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have any questions or concerns about the visa procedure.
Application, Admission, Enrollment
MAE staff will be in constant contact with you (mainly over email) before you arrive in Prague to get all the important information from you and to make sure everything is ready for your arrival. Please be diligent in responding to our requests so we can make your arrival as smooth as possible.
Arriving in Prague
If and when you arrive at the airport, train station, or bus station, MAE staff will meet you there. At that point MAE staff will assist you with practical matters such as getting local currency, public transportation tickets, etc. and accompany you to your accommodation.
Housing
MAE staff will provide complete support in finding accommodation for your 12-month stay in Prague. Normally students will stay in a hotel for the first week when they arrive. During that time MAE staff will help students find an apartment and sign a lease with a landlord. We provide accommodation assistance by suggesting certain landlords and apartments, dealing with landlords and others who do not speak English or your language, and advising you as to the good and bad things about any particular apartment, knowing the local accommodation market.
Neighborhood
MAE staff will indicate to you facilities near your initial accommodation, such as restaurants, grocery stores, drug stores, etc. We will also inform you about other MAE students staying nearby and potentially introduce you to them. If you wish, we can give you a quick tour of your neighborhood and of some of Prague's sights. We will agree with you when you will first come to the CERGE-EI building.
CERGE-EI Building
When you first come to the CERGE-EI building, we will give you a personalized tour of the facilities and the neighborhood around the CERGE-EI building. If it is a weekday (and probably even if it is a weekend) you will meet some faculty and other students as well as key CERGE-EI staff. On this day we will give you your building entrance card and any other materials you might need.
Official Business
In the first week or two after your arrival, MAE staff will accompany you to complete whatever official visa or other business you might have to complete.
Getting to know others
Once the semester officially starts there will be numerous meetings and social events to give you important information and introduce you to other students, faculty, and staff.
And then it will be time to start studying and enjoying living in Prague! Of course MAE staff will always be at your service to help you deal with problems and concerns, but we take special care to make your "first impression" of Prague, CERGE-EI, and the MAE program a positive one.
Feel free to email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have any questions.
