How to Get Into a University in Poland as an International Student

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Poland has no national application portal. You apply to each university, and often to each programme, through the university's own online recruitment system, often called IRK. Every institution publishes its admission rules a year ahead: by law its senate adopts them by 30 June of the year before the intake, so the rules for October 2027 were already out by the end of June 2026.

The first choice: Polish or English

• Programmes taught in Polish at public universities are free for Poles and for citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Some non-EU applicants also study free, for example holders of the Karta Polaka or of a Polish language certificate at C1 level. Other non-EU students pay a fee set by the university. See how much it costs to study in Poland.
• Programmes taught in English are usually paid by everyone. Our catalogue lists 446 programmes taught in English out of 4,951 in total.

How universities select

By law, admission to a bachelor's or a long-cycle master's programme (such as Medicine, Law or Pharmacy) is based on school-leaving results. Polish applicants are ranked on their matura scores in the subjects each programme chooses. For foreign certificates, the university converts your final grades using its own table, published in its admission rules.

Entrance exams are the exception. They are allowed to test artistic talent, physical fitness or specific aptitudes, so you will meet them in fine arts, music, architecture or sport. English-taught programmes, including Medicine, often have their own selection rules, so read them programme by programme.

Poland does not publish national cutoff scores. Some universities post last year's ranking thresholds per programme on their own admissions pages, which is the best guide you will find.

Recognition of your school certificate

• Certificates from EU, OECD and EFTA countries, IB and European Baccalaureate diplomas, and certificates covered by an agreement between Poland and the issuing country are accepted for admission without further formalities.
• Other certificates need a written statement from NAWA, the national academic exchange agency, confirming that your certificate gives access to higher education. Since 2025 the law also requires universities to hold an entrance exam for applicants with these certificates, testing the knowledge needed for the programme.

Universities also set their own rules on certified copies, apostille or legalisation and translation into Polish, so check them before you order documents. See apostille and legalisation and sworn translation.

Language requirements

Since 2025, applicants from outside the EU must prove at least B2 in the language of the programme, using a document from a closed list set by the Ministry of Science. For Polish this means the state certificate of Polish as a foreign language, an ECL or telc certificate, or a preparatory course of at least nine months. For English the list includes IELTS from 5.5, TOEFL iBT from 72 and Cambridge B2 First or higher, and a university may set a higher level. EU citizens follow the university's own language rules. See IELTS and TOEFL for European universities.

If you do not yet speak Polish, a preparatory course of at least nine months is a common route into Polish-taught study.

Step by step

1. Decide between Polish-taught and English-taught study.
2. Shortlist programmes and read each university's admission rules: subjects counted, conversion of foreign grades, any entrance test.
3. If your certificate is not covered by automatic recognition, request the NAWA statement early.
4. Get your language certificate at B2 or above.
5. Register in each university's IRK system and pay the application fee. Campaigns usually open in spring and the main round runs into the summer, with dates that differ by university.
6. Upload or deliver your documents, sit any test, and check the ranking lists.
7. Enrol by the deadline the university gives.

If you are not an EU citizen

You need a national (D) visa for study, applied for at a Polish consulate with your admission letter, and later a temporary residence permit from the regional office (voivodeship) where you live. Both require proof of health insurance and of enough money to live on. Leave several months between admission and the start of term. See student visas in Europe.

Where to look next

• How much it costs to study in Poland
• All 4,951 programmes in Poland at 339 universities and campuses
• Medicine in Poland: 57 programmes, 17 of them in English

Official sources

• Study in Poland: official portal of NAWA and the Ministry of Science
• NAWA: recognition for admission to first-cycle and long-cycle studies
• Law on Higher Education and Science (in Polish)
• Regulation on documents proving B2 language level (in Polish)

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.