While graduates of one of the strongest classes are wondering whether and where to send their applications for university studies next year, the government of Andrej Babiš (ANO) has prepared an unpleasant surprise for them. The cabinet has cut funding for universities in the draft budget for 2027, and they will therefore probably limit the number of newly admitted students compared to this year. Getting into your dream university will therefore be significantly more difficult next year than this year, and many talented young people will not be able to get in.
“Everything indicates that we will not have enough money for the strongest year. Either the government will provide us with additional funds, or we will have to limit the number of admitted students so that the quality of studies does not deteriorate,” confirmed Milan Pospíšil, chairman of the Czech Rectors’ Conference and head of the University of Chemical Technology, to Novinka.
Despite several years of efforts by public universities (VŠ), calls from experts, and their own promises of high investments in education, the government has decided to save on tertiary education. In the draft budget for next year, it allocated 35.9 billion crowns, about 293 million crowns less than this year.
“With this amount, we can admit a maximum of 59 thousand new students to the first years,” Pospíšil calculated. According to data from the Ministry of Education, in 2025, 63.5 thousand new students began studying bachelor’s or long master’s programs at public universities. The number of university students at public universities, including doctoral students, jumped by 13 thousand to 297.7 thousand people between 2024 and 2025.
It is not yet clear how many students will start studying in the academic year that is just beginning, but given the demographics, it is clear that there will be approximately the same number as last year.
In 2027, even more applicants will probably head to the university entrance exams, because there will be roughly four thousand more first-time high school graduates next spring than there were this year. “Unfortunately, there is a real risk that some high school graduates who would otherwise continue their studies will have to enter the labor market,” said Petr Kopecký, rector of the University of Ostrava, to Novinky.
The government talks about priorities, but finances speak differently
Education Minister Robert Plaga (ANO) has repeatedly spoken about the need to increase the budget of universities. He agreed with rectors that he would request three billion crowns more for them for 2027 than this year. However, he ran into opposition from Finance Minister Alena Schillerová (ANO).
“It would be reasonable for the study allowance to increase by three billion crowns every year, but we only received one billion from the Ministry of Finance. We have also been promised an additional one billion for 2028 and 2029, so we are two billion crowns short every year,” stated Pospíšil.
According to Plaga, however, the amount is sufficient. “The increased contribution covers the demographic increase caused by the stronger population year,” he said. However, both the Rectors’ Conference and the Council of Higher Education Institutions are protesting against the budget amount. They also criticize the government for hypocritically calling education a priority.
“We consider it unacceptable for the state to declare education, science, research and innovation as a prerequisite for competitiveness and long-term economic growth of the Czech Republic, without the state budget policy corresponding to these priorities,” the University Council decided.
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