First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague

The First Faculty of Medicine of Charles University (LF1 UK; Czech: 1. lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy) is the oldest medical faculty in Central Europe, located in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. It was founded along with Charles University itself in 1348, making it the 11th oldest medical institution in the world. The faculty is close to the city centre. Prague is sometimes called “The City of One Hundred Spires”. The faculty provides education in all fields of general medicine. This faculty is one of the most prestigious institutes in the world, placed amongst the top 1%.

It is one of the five medical faculties of Charles University in Prague; the others being as follows: Second Faculty; Third Faculty; Faculty in Pilsen and Faculty in Hradec Kralove. The latter two are situated in Bohemia, the former three directly in Prague.

Charles University was established in 1348 and a medieval faculty of medicine was one of the four founding faculties (the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Law and Faculty of Theology being the others). In the late 19th century, because of the division of the university during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, an additional German faculty was founded. There were now two parallel faculties: a German one and a Czech one, and it remained so until the foundation of the independent state of Czechoslovakia in 1918, when the German faculty was disbanded. In 1953 the former Faculty of Medicine in Prague was divided into three medical faculties: the Faculty of General Medicine, the Faculty of Pediatric Medicine and the Faculty of Hygiene. After the changes in the country resulting from the Velvet Revolution, these three faculties evolved into the First, Second and Third Faculty of Medicine, respectively.

The admission to medical studies in the faculty is based on performance in high school (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), English proficiency and performance in the competitive entrance exams. Entrance examination is conducted at the university and by some representative offices abroad. The entrance exams are highly competitive due to students from all over the world fighting to secure a place. The entrance exam for the First Faculty of Charles University in Prague is considered to be one of the hardest among all the universities in Europe. After the entrance exams, successful candidates are further scrutinised by conducting interviews.