Information for doctoral students following the amendment to the Higher Education Act
Translated automatically…
On March 1, 2025, an amendment to Act No. 111/1998 Coll., on Higher Education Institutions, came into effect, introducing changes affecting students enrolled in doctoral study programs. We would like to inform you about two fundamental changes that affect both new students and current students in their second and higher years of doctoral study.
Doctoral scholarship and doctoral study income for first-year full-time students in the 2025/2026 academic year
The first major change is the introduction of doctoral study income. The management of Palacký University Olomouc supports the possibility of obtaining a decent income for all students of doctoral study programs who duly fulfil their study obligations. Please read the detailed information and see what options you will have to obtain this income since the following academic year.
Doctoral study income may consist of:
- a doctoral scholarship;
- wages/salary for creative work related to the preparation of a dissertation;
- a combination of a doctoral scholarship and wages/salary for creative work related to the preparation of a dissertation.
The amount of doctoral study income is 1.2 times the minimum monthly wage, and students who enrol in a doctoral study program and will study in the first year of study in the 2025/2026 academic year are entitled to the guaranteed amount of doctoral study income at UP, provided that the following conditions are met cumulatively:
- is studying in a full-time doctoral study program regardless of the language of study,
- is studying within the standard period of study,
- is studying for their first doctoral degree, and
- if requested.
If you enrol in more than one doctoral program on the same day, you must specify in which program you intend to receive it.
It is therefore now necessary to apply for doctoral study income or a doctoral scholarship. Until the electronic application form is available, please follow the instructions provided by the faculty divisions for doctoral studies.
You will be entitled to the guaranteed amount of doctoral study income until a decision is made to reduce or withdraw your doctoral scholarship based on an evaluation of your fulfilment of the obligations arising from your individual study plan.
As the amount of doctoral study income is linked to the minimum monthly wage, it will be automatically valorised in subsequent years.
If the doctoral study income consists of a wage or salary or a combination thereof, then 2/3 of the agreed wage or salary for work related to the creation of a dissertation within the scope of employment at UP or a cooperating employer is included in the doctoral study income. At UP, wages refer to all decreed wage components, i.e., wage rates, personal evaluations, functional allowances according to Pay Policy of UP, and statutory allowances according to the Labour Code.
Agreements on the performance of work (DPP) and agreements on work activity (DPČ) are not included in doctoral study income.
Who is a cooperating employer:
A cooperating employer is a legal entity for which doctoral students perform work related to the creation of their dissertation. The UP faculty where you are pursuing your doctoral study program has a cooperation agreement with this employer. Without this agreement, wages for work related to the creation of a dissertation at an employer other than UP cannot be counted towards doctoral study income.
Doctoral scholarship for students in their second and higher years of full-time study in the 2025/2026 academic year
For current students at UP, a minimum doctoral scholarship of CZK 11,250 is guaranteed as part of their doctoral study income. These students must also apply for a doctoral scholarship. The above conditions also apply to them.
In the event of an inspection and, in cooperation with the supervisor, an adjustment to the individual study plan in terms of clarifying the requirements for its fulfilment, your doctoral scholarship may be increased to the amount of the guaranteed doctoral study income.
It is therefore now necessary to apply for doctoral study income or a doctoral scholarship. Until the electronic application form is available, please follow the instructions provided by the faculty divisions for doctoral studies.
There is no change for students in the combined form of study; the doctoral study income is linked to the full-time form of study.
Regular completion of studies consisting solely of the defence of a dissertation
The second major change is the regular completion of studies consisting solely of the defence of a dissertation, which applies to new students from the 2025/2026 academic year.
For current students, the obligation to take the state doctoral examination and defend their dissertation remains. Faculties continue to set dates for the state doctoral examination for current students in accordance with their individual study plans.
Further information is available from the faculty student affairs officer.