Programmes of study implemented in cooperation with universities abroad differ from traditional Czech programmes in several respects. Due to the nature of the arrangement, these studies are not implemented only at Charles University, and all students will therefore visit at least one partner university during their studies (in the case of a bilaterally structured programme). Of course, there may be more than one partner university (commonly even 10), which for this purpose are grouped into consortia, i.e. groups of educational institutions that organize the implementation of the programme. The principal position is always held by the coordinator, i.e. the university in charge of managing the entire jointly implemented programme.

Depending on the number of partner universities and the degree level (from bachelor’s to PhD studies), the details of the programmes, including the parameters for foreign mobility, can change significantly. In some programmes, it is determined in advance at which university the student starts studying and where they will continue. In other programmes, the student can choose where they will study from among the partner schools, depending on the options available. Due to this variability, the operation of each programme is regulated by an agreement concluded between all of the universities involved. All of these elements are specified in advance in this document. In addition to mobility parameters, these consist of study requirements (transfer of grades, study plans) and purely organizational formalities, which include, for example, the form of the diploma and how it is conferred. The diploma is usually a joint effort or the universities award their standard diplomas stating that they award them within the jointly implemented study programme.

Due to the financial demands of mobility not only for students but also academic staff, the operation of these programmes necessarily entails higher expenses. These can be partially covered by grants provided to prestigious and exceptional consortia by the European Commission through annual public tenders (Master Mundus, Horizon 2020, etc.).

In 2023, Rector's Collegium approved this material listing the most common types of joint programmes. It describes their specifics and Charles University's preferences in developing them.