September 18, 2025
3 mins read

Prague City University Collapses, AAU Helps Pick Up the Pieces

Anglo American University officials opened their doors to students of the former Prague City University after the school shuttered its doors to bankruptcy in August, leaving teachers unpaid and hundreds of students scrambling to continue their studies in Prague. 

AAU quickly stepped in to fill the educational void, announcing a plan to offer PCU students tuition discounts, one-on-one orientation meetings and credit transfers if they jumped ship to Anglo-American.  

“The international AAU community feels a social responsibility to assist them provided we have the capacity for doing so,” said AAU President, Jiří  Schwartz. “Our aim is to help them settle quickly, continue their education smoothly, and feel at home here.” 

After months of circulating rumors, students at Prague City University were blindsided by their school’s closure. PCU student Thaden Heuer explained that he had received the occasional email ensuring students’ that their degrees remained unaffected, but the lack of transparency left him unconvinced.   

“To this day I have heard more from the lecturers and students than from the actual university. The handling of this has been embarrassing and rude, and because of the universities lack of communication I have decided not to return,” said Heuer. 

Heuer’s lucky to have a job which can keep him in the country, but students previously relying on PCU to obtain a study visa now must find another purpose of stay or leave the country. 

Photo from praguecityuniversity.cz

On 9 May, following months of uncertainty from the university’s administration, several PCU professors went on strike, refusing to submit the students’ spring semester grades until they received their salaries which had been backlogged for months. 

The striking lecturers released a document stating that teachers had not been paid for the semester “with some owed individually more than 150,000 CZK, and some departments owed more than 350,000 CZK collectively”.

The ultimatum was answered with silence from the administration with the exception of one email dated 26 May from Douglas Hajek, the owner of PCU, which states in part: 

We are committed to ensuring our students complete their studies.” 

Teesside University, the English partner university of PCU, announced a “study centre” which opened in September to substitute PCU and allow students to continue their studies. 

Peter Watkins, a lecturer in the Fine Art Experimental Media programme at PCU, has been vocal on social media in condemning the lack of accountability.

 “Our understanding is that they will replace the institution while continuing with the same students, effectively writing off the debt owed to staff,” said Watkins,“We consider this deeply unjust and are calling for all staff to be paid in full,”.

The truth is that some teachers suspected financial issues as early as 2024 when monthly salaries began to go sporadically unpaid. 

Photo from Prague City University Facebook.  

“I’m from Miami, and I feel like I can spot a bullshitter, and I felt I was being bullshitted.” said a PCU lecturer of arts, who requested anonymity due to concerns of dealing with university administration in getting his salary. 

“It seemed like every semester I was asked to do a little more as the facade of the business was crumbling. [Now] it’s gotten to the point that Doug, the president of the school, has essentially been in hiding for probably a year. He doesn’t come into meetings and he doesn’t answer emails.”

The lecturer was offered the  position by the new management but rejected the offer out of solidarity with his colleagues. 

AAU graduate, Chloe Oliver, planned to follow up her bachelor’s with a year-long “foundation” program at PCU, but as things soured she questioned her original plans and if the price tag was worth it. Some foundation year students haven’t received their tuition back from the school and the instability of PCU could cause her residency permit to be rejected. Oliver decided to cancel her study plans and return home to the U.S. in October. 

“I’ve accepted the situation that I have to go home in three weeks, but the hardest part about leaving is saying goodbye to the people I love. The community I have here, it’s one of the most precious things I’ve ever had,” said Oliver. 

While many lecturers, students, and even administrators have jumped off the sinking ship, the momentum of PCU’s downfall continues to damage the lives of all who were involved at the university. 

The PCU Financial Director refused to comment. The Strategic Manager and the owner of PCU did not respond to requests for comment. 

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