Quick facts
- Population: 37,967,209 (2016)
- Capital: Warsaw
- Geographical size: 312,679 km2
- GDP: € 424.269 billion (2016)
- Official EU language(s): Polish
- Currency: Polish Złoty PLN
Higher education in Poland
- Total Higher Education Institutions: 428
- Total Students in Higher Education: 1,469,386 (as of 2014, Central Statistical Office of Poland)
- International Students in Higher Education: 46,101 (as of 2014, Central Statistical Office of Poland)
- Language of Instruction: Poland offers a diverse educational landscape with over 5000 courses taught in Polish and more than 700 courses delivered in foreign languages, predominantly English.
- Tuition Fees Overview: Full-time studies conducted in Polish at public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are tuition-free for Polish students. Additionally, this benefit extends to international students who are citizens of the EU/EEA or those originating from countries holding the ‘Karta Polaka’ card.
All other international students are required to pay tuition fees that are, on average:
- EUR 2000 per year for first, second and long cycle studies
- EUR 3000 per year for doctoral, postgraduate and medical postgraduate internships, as well as scientific, arts, specialist and post-doctoral internships
- EUR 3000 per year for vocational courses and apprenticeships
- EUR 2000 per year for an annual preparatory Polish language course to commence studies in Polish.
Fees at public and non-public HEIs are established by the institution itself. Tuition fees range from EUR 2000 to 6000 per year and depend on the institution and study program (for MBA programmes, the cost is on average EUR 8000-12,000 per year).
- Average length of a full-time higher education programme in Poland:
- Bachelor’s degree programme: 3-3.5 years
- Master’s degree programme: 2-6 years
- Doctorate/PhD: 3 years
Overview
5 Reasons to study in Poland
1. Tradition
Poland’s tradition of academic education dates back to 1364, when King Casimir the Great established the Cracow Academy, known today as the Jagiellonian University. One of the oldest academies in the world, the Cracow Academy, was the second university in Central Europe after Prague.
2. Modernity
Today, the Polish higher education system is developing rapidly. Poland holds fourth place in Europe (after the UK, Germany and France) in terms of the number of people enrolled in higher education. The total student population, at over 400 university-level schools, is almost one and a half million. Each year almost half a million young people begin their education at universities and colleges here. Polish university-level schools offer over 200 high quality types of study as an integral part of the European Higher Education Area. Most schools offer courses in foreign languages.
3. Bologna Process
Poland plays an active part in the Bologna Process. Owing to the introduction of three-stage education modelled on Bachelor/Master/Doctoral studies as well as the European Credit Transfer System, both Polish students and international students studying in Poland stay fully mobile and can continue their education elsewhere in the European Union without any problems.
Within the Erasmus+ Programme that has been running for over 20 years, over 43,000 foreign students have come to study in Poland while almost 100,000 students from Poland have taken part of their education in another country within the European Union.
International students coming to Poland can expect the most attractive and diversified education opportunities, meeting high European standards. They can study medicine, biotechnology or engineering, but also art, business and many other subjects. The diploma awarded to them upon graduation is recognised in Europe and in most countries of the world.
4. High quality of education
The Polish higher education system is well developed. The quality of the education is monitored and regularly evaluated. The main Polish institutions in charge of quality assurance in higher education are the Polish Accreditation Committee, the General Council of Higher Education and the Conference of Rectors of the Academic Schools in Poland. There are over 5000 courses available in Poland and each has had to gain the Polish Accreditation Committee’s approval. Among them there are a number of fields of study that have received an ‘Excellent’ rating.
5. Competitive costs of living and studying
Compared to other EU countries, tuition fees in Poland are very competitive and the cost of living is a fraction of what a foreign student would have to spend in other European cities.