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If you want to study in Poland, you will need to meet certain requirements. But don’t be discouraged! They are not entirely different from those in your own country. This article has been written to outline the requirements for your convenience.
The first and basic step for any potential student who wants to study in Poland is that you need to have graduated from at least high school, which enables you to pursue further education at an academic level. Secondly, you need to obtain permission to legally reside in Poland during the period of your studies. Finally, depending on your chosen language of study, you need to submit a proof of language proficiency certificate indicating your accurate knowledge of the language, be it English or Polish.
To study in Poland, you are required to have completed a secondary level education and have a school leaving certificate confirm you are eligible to apply to university. Possession of further certificate examinations such as the International Baccalaureate or English Baccalaureate will qualify you to freely apply for undergraduate studies at a Polish university.
If, however, you only possess an equivalent qualification from your home country, this document needs to be legally recognised at one of the Polish diplomatic outposts or another appropriate institution. Legalization refers to certifying that your diploma is in compliance with the law of the country it was issued in. Thereafter, you have to verify its compliance with Polish law. This process of granting recognition of a degree from a foreign academic instituition is called nostrification.
Similarly, in order to be accepted for the postgraduate studies, you need to present an undergraduate diploma from a Polish institution or an overseas equivalent, also recognized in Poland. You are obliged to present nostrification of your foreign diploma to a Polish University by the end of the first term.
The procedures to applying for a student visa vary depending on the country you come from. However, some of the requirements remain the same for all the countries and they include:
Another condition you need to fulfill to be able to study in Poland is to legalize your stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland. If you are a European Union (EU) citizen and you would like to stay longer than three months in Poland, you need to register your stay in the country. If you are a non-EU citizen, you need to obtain a visa at a Polish consulate in your home country before your arrival in Poland. Once in Poland, in order to prolong your stay, you need to apply for a Temporary Stay Card – karta czasowego pobytu – 45 days before your visa expires.
Moreover, if you decide to study in Poland, you need to obtain a doctor’s certificate confirming that you can freely undertake study in the field of your choice. Additionally, you need to be insured during your total stay in Poland. The health service in Poland is not free to public and therefore you should hold an insurance policy in the event of an illness or an accident. If you are a EU citizen and possess an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you can take advantage of Polish health services free of charge. If, however, you do not have such a card, you can buy health insurance in the National Health Fund (Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia) for about 40 PLN per month. Based on the bilateral country agreement the citizens of Great Britain, Sweden and Slovakia, can take advantage of Polish health services free of charge, while Czech students can use it in case of an emergency or a sudden illness.
You do not have to be fluent in Polish in order to begin studies in Poland. The knowledge of English, French or German suffices. In order to apply for a given course, you will need to present a document confirming your knowledge of a foreign language at a sufficient level to participate in the classes. According to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, you would have to have one of the following certificates: FCE, CAE or CPE for studies in English, DEFL B2 for studies in French or Zertificat Deutsch Plus 3 for German studies. Some Universities do not require certificates as they conduct their own language tests as part of their admission procedure. You can find out in the individual course’s description whether such exams are part of the admission procedures or if a certificate suffices.
You will be happy to know that the requirements to apply to Polish universities are not that complicated!
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