06 - Poland - Admission Requirements

College programmes

College programmes provided in all three types of colleges, including teacher training colleges, foreign language teacher training colleges and colleges of social work, are open to holders of an upper secondary school leaving certificate (maturity certificate). Applicants are also required to obtain a positive result in the admission procedure. Admission rules and procedures are adopted by the Programme Council, a collective body established in each college. Moreover, those applying for admission to a teacher training college or a foreign language teacher training college must have a medical certificate confirming that they fulfil health requirements for the teaching profession.

Degree programmes

General requirements for admission to degree programmes, which are provided by higher education institutions (HEIs), are the same for both university-type and non-university HEIs.

Access to first-cycle programmes, leading to a Bachelor’s degree ( licencjat or inżynier), and long-cycle programmes, leading to a Master’s degree ( magister or an equivalent degree), is open to holders of an upper secondary school leaving certificate (maturity certificate). After the introduction of a new upper secondary-school leaving examination (maturity examination) in 2005, admission to first-cycle and long-cycle degree programmes must be based on results of this examination. Thus, HEIs may not organise entrance examinations in the subjects taken by student applicants at the maturity examination. However, each HEI may specify which results of the maturity examination provide the basis for admission to first-cycle and long-cycle programmes. Additional entrance examinations may be conducted by HEIs, upon the consent of the minister responsible for higher education, only when it is necessary to assess the knowledge or skills which are not assessed by the maturity examination or when an applicant holds an upper secondary school leaving certificate obtained abroad.

Access to second-cycle programmes is open to holders of a Bachelor’s degree ( licencjat or inżynier), a Master’s degree ( magister or an equivalent degree) or an equivalent degree.

While respecting these general admission requirements, each HEI may define its own additional admission conditions and procedures, including the number of places available to students, except in medical fields of study (numerus clausus). Admission conditions and procedures may be similar across a HEI or may vary according to the field of study. Different conditions and procedures may be applied by different HEIs for the same fields of study. Admission conditions and procedures must be published by each HEI not later than by 31 May of the year preceding the academic year to which they refer.

The maximum number of students to be enrolled in each medical field of study (medicine, dentistry, nursing and midwifery) by individual HEIs concerned is specified in a regulation by the minister responsible for health, in consultation with the minister responsible for higher education. The maximum enrolment levels take into account the teaching capacity of the HEIs concerned and the demand for graduates in these fields of study.

In HEIs where applicants must meet any additional conditions, student enrolment is carried out by admissions committees appointed by the head of a given organisational unit (e.g. faculty) or other body indicated in the statutes of a given HEI. Admissions committees take decisions in any matters related to student enrolment. Applicants may appeal against decisions of an admissions committee to the institutional admissions committee; decisions in such cases are taken by the rector and are final.

Doctoral programmes

Access to doctoral programmes, which are provided by university-type higher education institutions (HEIs) and research institutions other than HEIs, is open to applicants who hold a Master’s degree ( magister or an equivalent degree) and fulfil admission conditions laid down by a given institution. Detailed admission conditions are defined by the board of the organisational unit authorised to provide doctoral programmes in a given institution, and must be published not later than by 31 May of the year preceding the academic year to which they refer.

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