WHY POLAND?

More and more students each year are choosing to study abroad in Poland. These students are drawn to its high-quality education institutions, low tuition fees, and equally low cost of living. Read on to discover why you should consider studying abroad in Poland.

Located at the center of the Northern European plain, Poland serves as the geographical and cultural crossroads of Eastern and Western Europe. Poland has been a nation of survivors since the foundation of the first Polish state more than 1,000 years ago. Today, Poland is the largest of the former Eastern European states and the most populous new member of the European Union.

Poland’s education system dates back to the Middle Ages. Jagiellon University, for example, was founded in the 14th century, and today is one of the oldest universities in Europe. Nicholas Copernicus and Marie Skłodowska-Curie are among great names of Polish scientists known and admired worldwide. Poland has several well-respected universities, including Jagiellonian University and Warsaw University. Warsaw University is ranked first in the Top Coder international IT ranking, outperforming such well-respected American universities as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Poland's education market has been the most dynamically developing one in Europe during the last twelve years. The number of higher education institutions has increased five fold while the number of students quadrupled. Each year almost half a million young people begin their education at universities and colleges. International students who choose to study in Poland will have the opportunity to receive a quality education in a quickly burgeoning academic environment.

Polish universities offer high quality studies and are an integral part of the European education space. All leading universities offer programmes thought in English, these include medicine, engineering, humanities, business and finance. Poland takes active part in the Bolonia Process. Thanks to the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) students can be fully mobile, and continue education in other countries.

Studying in Poland offers a wonderful opportunity to get to know the rich culture, to see splendid historical monuments, to enjoy some of Europe's largest and most unspoilt natural habitats, and to try great cuisine.

In addition, the tuition fee and cost of living in Poland is far lower than in Western or Northern Europe, which means that the total cost of a university education is significantly less in Poland than elsewhere in Europe.

Poland is a member of European Union since 2004. It joined the Schengen Area in 2007. As a result passport checks are abolished on Poland’s borders to Germany, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Lithuania. It practically means that persons admitted to the Schengen Area can travel hassle-free between 24 countries of the Schengen Area without internal land and sea border controls, from Portugal to Poland and from Greece to Finland.

Thanks to its location, Poland occupies a special place in the European Union. Poland’s border on the river Bug became the EU’s eastern border. In the wider geographical and geopolitical sense Poland occupies a central position. More and more foreign investment from Western Europe is to be shifted to Poland, as well as from the US and Asia. Poland’s geographic location facilitates, the logistics activities and forecasts indicate an increase in the number of immigrants to the country.

We hope to see you here very soon!

Poland in short

Official name: Republic of Poland - Rzeczpospolita Polska (short form: Poland - Polska)

Government type: republic

Location: Central Europe

Border countries: Belarus 416 km, Czech Republic 790 km, Germany 467 km, Lithuania 103 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 210 km, Slovakia 541 km, Ukraine 529 km

Language: Polish

Capital city: Warsaw

Major cities: Gdańsk, Kraków, Łódź, Poznań, Wrocław

Population: 38 483 957 (June 2014)

Total area: 312 685 sq km (304 465 sq m – land, 8220 sq m – water)

Climate: temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers, 4 seasons

Local time: GMT + 1 hr

Executive branch: head of state: President: Andrzej Duda; head of government: Ewa Kopacz

Member of the European Union: since 2004

Religions: Roman Catholic 89,8%, Eastern Orthodox 1,3%, Protestant 0,3%, other 0,3%, unspecified 8,3%