ForeignerDeck » How university admission works

Individual universities in Poland set their own terms and conditions for admitting students.

Recruitment to higher education may take place on the basis of a competition of the sum of points obtained at the baccalaureate exam in the subjects required by a given university department. Persons who have passed the equivalent of the Polish baccalaureate abroad may be required to take an entrance exam if the sum of points for the subjects in their baccalaureate is different from that in Poland and cannot be recalculated. Some universities recruit only on the basis of an entrance exam, sometimes a matura certificate and an entrance exam are required. For detailed information on recruitment, contact the faculty of your choice at the university in question.

Recruitment for studies is carried out by admissions committees appointed by the head of the university or other body indicated in the statutes. Recruitment committees decide on matters of enrolment. During recruitment, the principle of non-discrimination applies, which means that recruitment should be based on an objective assessment of the candidates' knowledge and/or skills, and the chances of admission should be equal for all - regardless of age, gender or origin.

Language skills and undertaking studies:

Studies conducted in the Polish language may be taken up by those foreigners whose knowledge of the Polish language at a level sufficient for studies is certified by:

- a certificate of completion of an appropriate course (e.g. a one-year preparatory course for taking up studies in Polish in units designated by the Minister of Science and Higher Education; the duration of such a course is included in the period of education for which the foreigner has been admitted, and during this time he/she is entitled to the rights of a person pursuing higher education);

- a certificate of proficiency in the Polish language issued by the State Commission for the Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language;

- the host university.

Foreigners may also be admitted to studies conducted in foreign languages (with the exception of doctoral studies at medical universities in clinical disciplines) if they have a document confirming their knowledge of the foreign language (e.g. a certificate of graduation from a secondary school where classes were conducted in the relevant language).

What are ects credits:

ECTS credits (European Credit Transfer System) are a measure of the average workload of a learner necessary to achieve the expected learning outcomes. Each course a student takes during his/her studies has a pre-assigned number of ECTS credits.

In order to obtain a diploma of completion:

- first-cycle studies, the student must obtain at least 180 ECTS credits;

- second-cycle studies - at least 90 ECTS credits;

- a single master's degree in a five-year study system - at least 300 ECTS credits, and in a six-year study system - 360 ECTS credits.

In addition to the courses taken to obtain the above-mentioned credits, a full-time student at a public university is entitled to take additional courses not included in the study programme free of charge, for which he/she may additionally obtain no more than 30 ECTS credits, and a student pursuing individual interdepartmental studies - no more than 90 ECTS credits.

Health insurance during studies:

Foreign students are entitled to receive medical care in Poland, provided that they are insured with the National Health Fund (NFZ) - more information on public health insurance in Poland is available here.

For persons of Polish origin, health insurance is paid by the university where they study. Such persons should prove to the university that they are of Polish origin.

Persons without Polish ancestry must pay for their health insurance from their own funds.

Accommodation during studies:

Students, including foreign students, may be granted places in student halls of residence (dormitories). In order to obtain a place in a halls of residence, an application must be made. Each university that has student halls of residence sets its own deadline for such applications. Before choosing a university, you should check whether the university has student halls of residence, their location and the price of accommodation. Also, if a student has already been allocated a place in student halls of residence in a given year and wishes to use it in the following academic year, they must submit an application before the end of the academic year to request to be re-allocated a place in student halls of residence.

Please note: please note that due to the large number of applicants and the limited number of places in the halls of residence, such applications are not always successful.

Places in the halls of residence are paid for, and the fees are set by the respective halls of residence. The price of a place in a dormitory varies from city to city, but is usually between £400 and £800 per month. Usually, dorm rooms are double or triple rooms. Single rooms are the most expensive.