Higher education in Poland and academic concentrations

Poland boasts a long tradition of higher education, with currently about 470 higher education institutions, including 17 comprehensive research universities. Among them is the prestigious Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland’s oldest university and the second oldest university in Central Europe. Moreover, there are specialized schools of medicine, education, maritime studies and sports in Gdansk, Bromberg, Lublin and Gdynia. For those interested in agriculture and the contemporary industrial sector, the universities of agriculture and technology in Cracow and Warsaw are popular destinations. If you are passionate about theatre, art, film and music, the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw or the National Film School in Lodz may be the right choice. In addition, a large private university sector emerged during the 1990s, with most institutions concentrating on courses in business and management. In other words, Poland has academic offerings to suit every interest.

Applying to Polish universities: Documents and deadlines

As an international student, you typically apply directly to your Polish university of choice. Because most European countries have switched to the bachelor/master system, getting your undergraduate examinations and degrees recognized is generally not a problem. To find out which credentials you need to be eligible for enrolment in the new degree programme, you should contact the relevant representative at your target university. Since admissions requirements vary widely from one Polish university to another, make sure to collect all the information on application deadlines etc. from the universities’ websites. There you will also find the contact details of the schools’ international offices, which are there to assist international students.

Polish student visa and entry requirements

EU citizens are free to visit Poland as tourists anytime without a visa, of course. But since a university degree usually takes more time to complete, all EU students who plan to stay longer than three months should apply for a temporary residence permit, or student visa, no later than 45 days after arriving in Poland. The process is easy: simply go to the local registration office to demonstrate that you have sufficient funding to support yourself during your stay in Poland. If you are a non-EU citizen, however, you have to apply for a student visa prior to entering the country. This has to be done at the Polish consulate or embassy in the country where you are registered as a permanent resident.

Tuition fees

Based on a policy introduced in 2004, foreign EU citizens who study in Polish are exempt from paying tuition fees and only need to pay an enrolment fee of about 170 euros. Degree programmes taught in a language other than Polish, however, typically involve tuition fees ranging from 4,000 to 10,000 euros per year. Private universities are free to set their own fees, meaning that costs may range from 2,000 to 12,000 euros per year, depending on the degree programme (BA, MA, MBA etc.).

More info on studying in Poland