Studying and living in Poland

Poland is getting increased popularity every year. Why? Beautiful landscapes and architecture, welcoming people, a fantastic culture and a quality education above it all. 

Studying in Poland – necessary information

Poland participates in the Bologna Process, and therefore, the organization of studying looks like as follows:

• First cycle studies – professional courses that prepare you for working in a specific profession. They last from 6 (Bachelor courses) to 7 semesters (Engineer courses) and end with obtaining a Bachelor’s or Engineer’s degree. To take up first-cycle studies, you must first graduate from secondary school and pass the secondary school-leaving examination.
• Second cycle studies – vocational studies ending in obtaining a Master’s degree, a Master’s degree in engineering or an equivalent. Second-cycle courses last from 3 to 4 semesters. Before starting a Master’s degree course, completion of first cycle studies is required.
•  MA courses – lasting from 9 to 12 semesters (depending on the field of study) and ending with obtaining a Master’s degree or an equivalent. Recruitment requirements are the same as in the case of first-cycle studies. Majors included in the Master’s degree system: pharmacy, law, psychology, medicine, etc.

Once you have dealt with first and second cycle courses or uniform Master’s degree courses, you will have two additional opportunities to broaden our knowledge and education:

• Third-cycle studies – doctoral studies, allowing to acquire specialist knowledge from a specific scientific major. These courses end with obtaining the first academic degree – doctor or Ph.D. However, it is necessary to prepare and defend a doctoral dissertation in advance.
• Postgraduate courses- allow you to acquire specialist knowledge and broaden your skills in a specific field of study. The duration depends on the chosen program – usually from 2 to 4 semesters. Important: completing postgraduate studies do not involve obtaining any degree; graduates receive only a certificate of completion of postgraduate courses.

You can find out more about the offer of postgraduate courses at Polish universities here: Studies.pl

Since you already know the type of degrees in higher education, it is probably the most top time to make a responsible decision and choose the field of study. It is a difficult task, often accompanied by the influence of the environment.

Recruitment Process at Polish Universities

In the beginning, a piece of useful information: universities do not conduct entrance examinations for the candidates (artistic majors are the exception). The recruitment process itself can be summarized as below:

• the schedule is always available on the university’s website,
• the recruitment form is filled in online via a special registration system for candidates (each university has a separate policy),
• the cost of the registration fee is regulated annually by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education,
• after receiving the results of the secondary school-leaving exam, the profile should be completed in the registration system (in case of first-cycle and Master’s degree courses),
• wait patiently for the preliminary recruitment results.

When you are admitted, it is necessary to personally go to the university recruitment office to sign the contract and physically provide all the missing documents.

People who do not succeed in the first stage of recruitment should not give up. Many candidates submit applications for more than one major or university and then, as soon as they find out where they are about to be enrolled, they resign from other options. Thus, universities with available places announce supplementary recruitment.