Recognition first
Your school certificate may need a statement
Free of charge, applied for through the SYRENA system.
NAWA · recognition of a secondary school certificateSTUDY ABROAD / PL
Do dzieła.Your next chapter.In Poland.
Do dzieła / Do dzieła — 'let's get to work': what you say when it is time to begin properly.
Six centuries of universities and a decade of serious investment in English-taught programmes. Poland works well for applicants who want a European degree at a European-mainland price — provided you clear the recognition step early and price the city you would actually live in.
Guide checked · Official sources
KRAKÓW / IN FOCUSPOLAND
Cancre · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Display cropped
≈ EUR 2,000 a year
Average public-university fee for non-EU students
Quoted in euros on the official portal; confirm your contract currency.
study.gov.pl · tuition fees9 months, once
The graduate permit to look for work
Granted a single time, after a Polish qualification.
Office for Foreigners · temporary residence permit for a graduate01 / YOUR STARTING POINT
Where are you starting from?
Choose the closest match. Use it to plan your next checks, not as an admission decision.
Clear the recognition step, then choose the course.
Polish universities admit international applicants on their school-leaving qualification, but whether that qualification is recognised automatically or needs a statement depends on which country issued it.
NAWA · recognition of a secondary school certificate- 01Check whether your certificate is recognised by law — EU, OECD and EFTA certificates, IB and EB, and certificates covered by a bilateral agreement do not need a NAWA statement.
- 02If a statement is needed, apply through the SYRENA system with certified translations; the statement is issued free of charge.
- 03Compare the English-taught programme's modules and assessment with the Polish-taught version of the same degree.
Keep in mind
Applications are processed as quickly as possible but there is no published guaranteed turnaround. Start recognition before you start applying, not alongside it.
02 / THE REAL COST
Three checks that change the number.
The fee currency, the money you must evidence, and the cost of the city.
The official fee guide is in euros
Poland's government study portal quotes averages of around EUR 2,000 a year for bachelor's, master's and long-cycle study at public institutions, EUR 3,000 for postgraduate and specialised programmes, and EUR 2,000 to 6,000 at private institutions. Universities set their own figures, so ask for yours in the currency of the actual agreement.
study.gov.pl · tuition feesVisa and residence evidence are different checks
Ask the authority handling your application for the current checklist and amounts: living costs, tuition, accommodation and return travel are separate parts of the evidence. A national visa checklist from a different consulate is not a substitute for your own.
Department for Foreigners · sufficient financial resources for a studentKraków and Warsaw are not Poland's average
The thresholds above are administrative minimums, not a budget. Price rent, transport, insurance and food in the specific city where the campus sits, and build a real monthly figure from that rather than from the permit rule.
Department for Foreigners · sufficient financial resources for a student03 / MAKE THE NUMBERS YOURS
What would your first year look like?
Change the example figures to match your shortlist. See the expenses and the cash you may need to set aside.
UNIVERSITY STUDY / 12 MONTHS / PLN
An illustrative first year in Polish złoty: PLN 9,000 tuition is a planning allowance, not a live conversion or a quote for a specific English-taught programme. Replace it with the amount and payment currency in your university agreement. Other fees cover application, permit and administrative allowances. Monthly living assumes a shared flat, food, transport and insurance; refundable housing cash is shown separately.
YOUR FIRST-YEAR PICTURE
Total cash to plan forPLN 54,600.00
- Estimated expenses
- PLN 52,600.00
- Refundable deposit
- PLN 2,000.00
Living costs × 12 + tuition + other fees + arrival costs. The deposit is added separately as money to set aside.
Build from funds you can rely on.
No sign-up. Your figures stay in this page.This example deducts no unawarded scholarship or income from a job you have not secured.
04 / FUNDING THE MOVE
Find the right kind of support.
Start with an affordable study plan. Then explore funding that matches your background.
NAWA programmes, by category
The Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange runs several schemes for international students, including the Banach Scholarship Programme, Poland My First Choice and the Anders Programme for the Polish diaspora. Each has its own eligible countries, levels and calls — read the current call rather than an older summary.
See NAWA programmesUniversity awards and fee bands
Polish universities set their own international fees and often their own reductions for strong applicants or for continuing students. Ask which body decides, on what criteria, whether the reduction applies to every year, and what grade you must keep.
Compare feesDoctoral study changes the maths
Full-time doctoral candidates in Poland are not charged tuition and receive a scholarship. If you are choosing between a taught master's and a doctoral route, price both properly before deciding.
Read the fee rulesSTUDY. WORK. UPSKILL.
Work during and after your studies.
Understand the study-related options, then prepare for the next stage.
During your course
Full-time students holding a student visa or a temporary residence permit for studies do not need a separate work permit in Poland. That is a permission, not a plan — you must still evidence sufficient means for the permit, and coursework comes first.
study.gov.pl · work and internshipsAfter you graduate
Eligible graduates can apply once for a nine-month residence permit to look for work or prepare a business, subject to the residence requirements. The permit does not itself grant work rights; the separate work-permit exemption applies to graduates of full-time Polish higher education.
Office for Foreigners · temporary residence permit for a graduateBuild the network while you study
Internships in Poland are commonly paid and some employers recruit interns a long way in advance. Use the university careers office, and treat the nine-month graduate permit as a window you enter prepared, not a period in which to start looking.
study.gov.pl · work and internships05 / FROM INTEREST TO ACTION
A route you can work through.
Start at the step that matches where you are. Course dates and your circumstances set the pace.
- 01
Settle the recognition question
Find out whether your certificate is recognised by law or needs a statement.
NAWA · recognition of a secondary school certificate - 02
Shortlist by language of instruction
Compare the English-taught and Polish-taught versions of the same degree.
- 03
Get the fee in the contract currency
Ask whether your agreement is denominated in euros or złoty, and whether it is fixed.
study.gov.pl · tuition fees - 04
Assemble visa evidence
Means, accommodation and insurance — with fourteen days to add housing documents if needed.
Gov.pl · financial resources for a D-type national visa - 05
Plan the residence permit before the visa expires
Apply for the temporary residence permit for studies in good time after arrival.
Department for Foreigners · sufficient financial resources for a student
06 / KEEP YOUR PLAN CURRENT
Worth knowing before you apply.
Reviewed guidance and official publishers to follow as your plan develops.
RECOGNITION
The statement is free — the delay is the cost.
NAWA issues recognition statements free of charge through the SYRENA system, and notes that they are issued as quickly as possible given the volume of applications received. There is no published guaranteed turnaround, so treat it as the first step in your timeline.
NAWA · recognition of a secondary school certificateReviewed 10 September 2026AFTER GRADUATION
Nine months, and only once.
The graduate residence permit to seek work or start a business is granted a single time for nine months, and requires insurance, a Polish address and sufficient means. Apply while you are still legally resident, ideally immediately after graduating.
Office for Foreigners · temporary residence permit for a graduateReviewed 10 September 2026Keep an eye on what’s new
For the latest published notices, visit NAWA · Poland. Read the date, eligibility and deadline on each announcement.
The reviewed guidance above is a dated reference. New announcements do not automatically change the page’s advice.
THE QUESTIONS THAT MATTER
A little more clarity.
Useful answers to bring into your next conversation.
No. Certificates from EU, OECD and EFTA countries, IB and EB diplomas, and certificates covered by international agreements do not need one. If a Regional Educational Authority has already recognised your certificate, you can apply to universities directly. Check your own certificate's position first.
NAWA · recognition of a secondary school certificateYOUR NEXT MOVE, WITH STAAR
Turn “what if” into a first step.
Tell us where you are today. We’ll help you explore what comes next.
SOURCE NOTES
Check the detail at its source.
Reviewed 10 September 2026. Course, funding and immigration rules can change. Use the current rules for your nationality, residence and intake.
NAWA · recognition of a secondary school certificate
Which certificates are recognised by law, the SYRENA system and the free statement.
study.gov.pl · tuition feesAverage fee levels for public and private institutions and free doctoral study.
Gov.pl · financial resources for a D-type national visaFind the Polish mission handling the application and its current national visa requirements.
Department for Foreigners · sufficient financial resources for a studentThe PLN 1,010 monthly figure and return-travel amounts for a residence permit.
study.gov.pl · work and internshipsWork-permit exemption for full-time students and graduates, and internship practice.
Office for Foreigners · temporary residence permit for a graduateThe nine-month graduate permit, its conditions and the labour-market-test exemption.
NAWA · programmes for foreign studentsThe scholarship programmes NAWA runs for international applicants.