Provision of the Dean No. D127
on doctoral student income
Effective as of December 5, 2025
Article I
General Provisions
This Dean's Provision of the Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia (FSC USB), is issued in response to the amendment of Act No. 111/1998 Sb. on Higher Education Institutions and in accordance with the valorization mechanism of the minimum wage established by Act No. 230/2024 Coll. Its purpose is to fulfill the legal obligation of the faculty to provide a guaranteed doctoral study income (DoStuP) in an amount corresponding to the currently applicable legal regulations and the predicted valorization of the minimum wage in the coming years.
According to this measure, entitlement to the doctoral study income applies to a student who is enrolled in their first study in one of the doctoral study programs implemented by FSC USB from September 1, 2025 onwards, during the standard period of study in full-time form.
DoStuP is determined for each academic year starting on September 1, and its amount is based on the minimum wage valid as of July 1 of the year in which that academic year begins.
The amount of the minimum wage is, in accordance with Act No. 230/2024 Sb., announced annually by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in the Collection of Laws no later than September 30 for the following calendar year.
Article II
Financial Support
Throughout the entire standard period of study, financial support is required for students meeting the conditions of Article I, which, together with the basic doctoral scholarship of CZK 11,700, will at least reach the minimum statutory amount of DoStuP for individual academic years.
The support may be provided in the form of a scholarship, salary, or a combination of both, subject to the following conditions:
a) DoStuP paid solely as a scholarship is greater than or equal to 1.2 times the minimum wage,
b) DoStuP paid solely as a salary must meet the condition that two-thirds of the gross salary are greater than or equal to 1.2 times the minimum wage,
c) DoStuP paid as a combination of scholarship and salary must meet the condition that the sum of the scholarship + two-thirds of the gross salary is greater than or equal to 1.2 times the minimum wage.
The decision on the form of support lies within the authority of department heads or statutory representatives of legal entities in which the student performs creative work related to their dissertation as an employee and with which FSC USB has concluded a cooperation agreement under § 91a(1) Act No. 111/1998 Sb. (hereinafter referred to as “cooperating employer”), taking into account the current situation of individual students and their mandatory participation in health insurance, see Annex 1 of this measure.
Financial support is guaranteed for the entire duration of the standard period of study by the signatures of the department head, or the statutory representative or other responsible person of the cooperating employer, principal investigator of the grant title on the “Form on the Planned Dissertation Project” which is a mandatory attachment to the application for admission to the doctoral program, and subsequently on the “Partial Agreement on Financing Doctoral Studies” issued on the basis of the legal agreement with the cooperating employer.
The current and predicted amounts of DoStuP and the required minimum gross salary are listed in Annex 2 of this measure.
Article III
Other Provisions
This provision replaces the previous version dated February 26, 2025. However, Annex 2 of this document is regularly updated following the announcement of the minimum wage amount.
In case of any discrepancies between the English and Czech versions, the Czech version shall prevail.
This document becomes effective on the date of its issuance.
In České Budějovice
prof. RNDr. František Vácha, Ph.D.
dean
Appendix 1
Mandatory Participation of Doctoral Students in Health Insurance
- Czech students: The state covers health insurance for the standard duration of the first full-time doctoral study program.
Exception: If the student is over 26 years old and is employed (regardless of workload) or self-employed.
EU students: Health insurance is provided by the country of residence of the primary provider (usually a parent) until the age of 26. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) covers necessary healthcare in the Czech Republic.
Exception: If the student has permanent residence in the Czech Republic, is employed, or is self-employed.
- Non-EU students: Must always arrange commercial health insurance in the Czech Republic.
Exception: If the student has permanent residence, is employed, or is self-employed in the Czech Republic.
If a student is employed at USB, the university payroll office ensures the payment of health insurance contributions to the respective health insurance provider.
Appendix 2 from 5/12/2025
Current and projected amounts of DoStuP and the required minimum gross salary for individual academic years in the case of a combination of scholarship and salary according to Article II, letter c) of this document
Academic year 2025/2026, i.e., the period from September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2026
The minimum wage for 2025 is set at CZK 20,800 per month.
The minimum DoStuP amount is CZK 24,960 per month (1.2 × 20,800).
The required financial support in the form of a gross salary of at least CZK 19,890, or the equivalent of CZK 13,260 as a scholarship (if the scholarship is an eligible item of the project), may be funded:
- from projects (e.g., GA ČR, TA ČR, NAZVA, ERC, other grant schemes),
- from departmental funds,
- or from the budget of a cooperating employer.
Academic year 2026/2027, i.e., the period from September 1, 2026, to August 31, 2027
The minimum wage for 2026 is set at CZK 22,400 per month.
The minimum DoStuP amount is CZK 26,880 per month (1.2 × 22,400).
The required financial support in the form of a gross salary of at least CZK 22,770, or the equivalent of CZK 15,180 as a scholarship (if the scholarship is an eligible item of the project), may be funded:
- from projects (e.g., GA ČR, TA ČR, NAZVA, ERC, other grant schemes),
- from departmental funds,
- or from the budget of a cooperating employer.
Academic years 2027/2028 and 2028/2029 (forecast)
The expected increase in the minimum wage, and thus in DoStuP, is approximately 10% annually.
This fact must be taken into account when applying for grants and when planning the budgets of departments or cooperating employers for the coming years.
Current and projected amounts of DoStuP and the required minimum gross salary for individual academic years in the case of DoStuP funded solely by salary according to Article II, letter b) of this document
Academic year 2025/2026, i.e., the period from September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2026
The minimum wage for 2025 is set at CZK 20,800 per month.
The minimum DoStuP amount is CZK 24,960 per month (1.2 × 20,800).
The required financial support in the form of a gross salary is at least CZK 37,440.
Academic year 2026/2027, i.e., the period from September 1, 2026, to August 31, 2027
The minimum wage for 2026 is set at CZK 22,400 per month.
The minimum DoStuP amount is CZK 26,880 per month (1.2 × 22,400).
The required financial support in the form of a gross salary is at least CZK 40,320.
Academic years 2027/2028 and 2028/2029 (forecast)
The expected increase in the minimum wage, and thus in DoStuP, is approximately 10% annually.
This fact must be taken into account when applying for grants and when planning the budgets of departments or cooperating employers for the coming years.
