The existing educational system poses a lot of barriers on the path to higher education degree which represents an overwhelming obstacle for some study applicants. Therefore, education is not generally available; on the contrary the higher education system has for many years favoured the applicants who have been prepared for studying due to their social status (background).

The project’s mission

The mission of the project STUDY AT VŠEM is the contribution towards the barrier removal in accessing the education, and support the related discussion amongst the professional and general public. The University of Economics and Management declares the project STUDY AT VSEM open.

The project is designed for both individuals and institutes, which share the project goals, and decide to participate within the aim to change the tertiary education system in the Czech Republic. The handicaps affecting the possibility to achieve higher education include particularly:

• Physical challenges, when a student cannot study within a common full-time or part-time mode.
• Social challenges, when an applicant must select a different social role than is compliant with his/her skills and interests due to his/her social or material background despite noticeable talent.
• Parenthood, when the requirements of family life often eliminate the study options without further support by the state or the specific educational institute.
• System challenges, when the current system of tertiary education often discriminates some groups of applicants for the study.
• Legislation challenges, when the Acts and legal standards do not fully support university education, i.e. pose legislation disadvantages for most of population within the productive age.

The project’s goals

The goal of the project STUDY AT VŠEM is to enable an equal access to university education, and the below defined focus is in place during the removal of challenges within the access to education:

Removing the obstacles within the access to education by means providing support to challenged students in the form of scholarships, material support, and special approach. The University of Economics and Management aims to pose an example to inspire other providers of educational services within the tertiary sector to adopt similar approach.

Public activity with the aim to change the social approach and state policy within the area of tertiary education. This public activity will be completed via three channels: Marketing campaign (placing PR articles in press), by means of partners and activity coordination with the partners.

The scholarship and support of the project

Our main goal is to remove the varied admission conditions for the study applicants at VŠEM caused by medical challenges, adverse living situation or non-democratic conditions in the country of the applicant’s origin, and support the persons during the university education.

• The support of students with great study results or exceptionally talented students by means of study scholarships (the announcement of the best students, the best research projects, seminary and bachelor/diploma thesis).
• Support Veterans from Czech republic according to Law no. 170/2000 Sb.
• The support of the sport talented students in the form of sport scholarships (possibility of individual study and examination plan, financial support).
• Support of challenged students in the form of special scholarships (payment of study related costs), and creating special conditions for studying (multimedia tuition transfer, e-learning).
• The support of single mothers in the form of special scholarships (possibility of individual study and examination plan, financial support).
• Financial and material support of students who are in exceptionally adverse family or social situation without their own fault, and show great study results, by means of VŠEM scholarship.
• Support of foreign students from European countries with non-democratic regimes, by means of providing the language courses of Czech language and scholarships.
• Education support for employees in the form of company scholarship (private subjects and organizations, public and state administration institutes).