The state area of Poland is ​​about 312,600 square kilometers consists largely of forests, cattle and farmland. In addition, countless lakes and rivers as well as the Baltic Sea coast with its seaside resorts characterize the landscape. Poland has a temperate transitional climate that varies between oceanic climates in the north and west and continental climates in the east.

The Polish higher education landscape

Polish higher education has a long tradition. For example, the renowned Jagiellonian University in Kraków, founded in 1364, is the second oldest university in Central Europe.

State and private universities

Since the 1990s, Poland’s higher education landscape has been undergoing a far- reaching reform. Since then, private universities have been admitted for the first time, the number of which at 325 institutions now far exceeds that of the public ones. However, the offer of the state institutions is much more diverse than that of the private ones, which mainly teach economics subjects.

From the state side there are 18 universities with a wide range of subjects. There are also numerous state technical, medical and educational academies, business universities and colleges for art, theater and music. There are also theological colleges, some of which are sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church. The most important Polish higher education and research institutions can be found in the humanities and social sciences as well as in medicine and pharmacy.

International students in Poland

In 2010 almost two million students were enrolled in Polish universities. However, the percentage of foreign students is quite low. They come to the country mainly for semester stays, less for complete courses. In 2009 there were 630 Germans – that was more than triple the number before 2003. For foreigners, the poland digital nomad visa can permit them to stay in this country for a certain period of time.

English language course offerings

Studying in Poland is not only possible in Polish, but increasingly also in English. These English-language offers are enjoying increasing popularity. The universities offer a number of double master’s degrees in cooperation with international universities. An expression of Europe growing together are studies devoted to international and especially European politics.

Administration of universities in Poland

Contrary to most countries, Polish universities are not administered by a single Ministry of Education. While the Ministry of Science and Higher Education is responsible for most of this, the Ministry of Health is responsible for medical subjects and the Ministry of Culture for arts, music, theater and film.