Studying in Poland can be one of the best experiences in your live. Polish universities offer a lot of courses taught in English and the general level of education is high. However there are two paths you can take, you either choose to do your Erasmus in Poland or you decide to do the whole degree over here. Before you make up your mind here is some basic information about the Polish higher education system and about studying in Poland.

Basic information about studying in Poland

The first thing you probably want to know is how long you have to study before you will receive your desired degree. A bachelor’s degree can be usually achieved within 3 years of studying while a master’s degree equals 5 years of your hard work. Why? Well, usually you might be so into university that you’ll forget to pass your exams, you’ll focus on meeting new people, attending many parties in the city which might result in repeating a year or two. However, you will have to work very hard to do this as if you focus on studying during the exam session – you should be alright!
After you graduate, you receive a diploma and you’re ready to conquer the world.

Types of higher education institutions

There are many types of the institutions of higher education in Poland with two of them most common – universities and universities of technology. Within these two kinds, there is a variety of ones who take their name from the faculty they focus on – for example artistic university is for the people whose heads are into art.

One more hint for you – universities are usually more focused on theory and the science itself while universities of technology in most cases focus their attention on practical skills. But as we said – it’s only in general and there are exceptions to these rules.

Private vs public

There was a time when each and every higher education institution was public. These times have changed (probably forever) and nowadays you can choose from the public and private universities. What are the most important differences between these two? Well, the general difference is that you have to pay for all the daily, full-time courses at the private universities. There’s also one thing you should know. By many people private universities are considered to be less specialised and also to have a lower level of education. On the other hand, this kind of institution has a greater chance to hire the greatest minds and professionals to run the courses as they simply have money to do so. Which one should you pick? The choice is yours, however we have one tip for you. If you really want to start studying at the private universities make sure that the one you chose is in the registry of the non-public universities of the Ministry of Education. This is also the proof that your diploma will be eligible and recognized not only in Poland but also abroad.

Free courses for everyone! Really?

This paragraph only relates to the public universities. As we said before, these institutions are free of charge and if you get admitted you can study free of charge (but some fees may apply depending on the university and the origin of the student).
This rule only applies to the daily/full-time courses. If, for example, you’re a person who work from Monday to Friday and want to study part-time or during the weekends then you will have to pay the tuition fee. How much? It depends on the faculty and on the university you choose. Find out more about it on the university website before you make your decision!

Admissions

This one isn’t as complicated as you might think. To become a student first you have to take part in the admission process. It looks more or less the same for all of them:

1. Find the faculty of your dreams
2. Check what are the requirements to take part in the admission process:
– school leaver’s certificate/bachelor’s degree grades/results
– required language knowledge
– graduating from the specified school/faculty
– some other requirements you can find on the university website

3. Fill out all the application form (nowadays you do it mostly online)
4. Pay the recruitment fee
5. Wait for the results!
If you’re lucky/good enough you will have no problems with becoming a student at the faculty of your dreams. After it happens, you will have to deliver a couple of additional documents personally to the dean’s office at the university of your choice. To find out what kind of documentation we’re talking about you need to visit the recruitment section on the university website.

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