The Ministry of Education and Science is responsible for the development and implementation of educational policy at primary and secondary levels. Educational establishments at these two levels are supervised directly by regional educational authorities (kuratorium) in each of 16 voivodships. Higher education institutions are also supervised by the same ministry.
Education in public institutions is free. Non-public establishments in Poland, which charge tuition fees, offer a wide range of programmes at all levels. They are set up on the basis of a permit from the Ministry of Education Science.
Non-nationals working or studying in bigger cities may send their children to international schools and nursery schools or bilingual establishments where the language of instruction is, for example, English, French or Spanish. A number of higher education institutions offer full degree programmes or selected courses taught in a foreign language.
Children under 3 years of age can attend day nurseries/creches (pl żłobek) which are not part of the education system. They are supervised by the Ministry of Family and Social Policy. There are public/publicly-funded and private nurseries and you have to pay for both but the rates differ substantially. Public units may only charge for food/catering and in the private ones you may have to pay also for the care, maintenance and equipment, etc. Prices in public nurseries are defined by the local authorities so may differ from region to region.
A child aged 3 to 5 mayattend a nursery school/kindergarten (pl przedszkole), which is not compulsory either and the decision remains at its parents’ discretion. Similarly, kindergartens can be run by the state or by private organizations/individuals. Some private units offer their activities in languages other than Polish.
An interesting option to consider is sending a toddler to a bilingual nursery, thanks to which the child will have contact with a foreign language from the earliest months of life. Teachers speaking fluently in a foreign language and native speakers work in this type of facility. Children listen to the language and learn the first words. The most popular language nurseries are bilingual, Polish-English schools. This is because nurseries are often combined with kindergartens, where children can begin to attend at the appropriate age.
You can also hire a babysitter. Job offers can be found online at various job and advert platforms
Education is compulsory in Poland for children and adolescents between the ages of 7 and 18. All children aged 6 in a given calendar year are obliged to attend a one-year preparatory class at a nursery school or a primary school in order to acquire basic skills before they start school. This rule also applies to children of foreigners, regardless of the status of themselves or their parents (e.g., foreigners with permanent or temporary residence permits).
Children aged between 7 and 15 attend primary schools (single-structure education). Primary schools are divided into two stages: the first stage (grades 1 to 3) offers elementary integrated education, and the second stage (grades 4 to 8) provides subject teaching. The school year usually starts in September and ends in the last week of June. In addition to a two-month summer break, pupils in primary and secondary schools have short breaks of several days at Christmas and Easter and a two-week winter holiday. Classes usually begin at 8 am and last 45 minutes. Breaks last at least 5 minutes and no longer than 25 minutes. Pupils attend primary and secondary schools five days a week (from Monday to Friday). At the end of grade 8 of primary school pupils take a compulsory external examination. The exam results together with end-of-school achievement influence admission to secondary schools.
- 4-year general secondary school (liceum ogólnokształcące)
- 5-year technical secondary school (technikum)
- 3-year stage I sectoral vocational school (szkoła branżowa I stopnia)
- 2-year stage II sectoral vocational school (szkoła branżowa II stopnia)
Graduates of the first two schools may take the external secondary school leaving examination (egzamin maturalny) to obtain the Matura certificate, which gives access to higher education. Higher education institutions may specify the results of the maturity examination which will provide the basis for admission to their degree programmes.
Students of vocational schools, including technical schools may take exams confirming vocational qualifications in a given occupation during the course of study or upon completion of school.
The Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Poland are divided into two main groups: state (public) and private (non-public) institutions. They are further divided into two main categories: academic and vocational institutions. The academic year starts on 1st October, lasts 30 weeks, and is divided into winter and summer semesters which end with an examination period. Depending on the level, higher education programmes last between 3 and 6 years. Students may be enrolled in full-time or part-time programmes.
The Polish higher education system is divided into the following three stages:
Bachelor’s degree (first-cycle) programmes, open to holders of the maturity examination and secondary school-leaving certificates. It lasts between 6 and 8 semesters, leading to the degree of bachelor (pl. licencjat), or between 7 and 8 semesters, leading to the degree of bachelor of engineering (pl. inżynier). The exact duration of the programme and the degree awarded depends on the field of study.
Master’s degree programmes are open to holders of the Bachelor’s degree and last 3 to 4 semesters (second-cycle programmes). Master’s degree programmes in Law, Psychology, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy, Medicine and Dentistry are open to holders of the secondary school-leaving certificate and last between 9 and 12 semesters (long-cycle programmes). In both cases, students are awarded the master's degree (pl. magister) or an equivalent degree, depending on the field of study.
4-year doctoral schools open to holders of the Master’s degree or an equivalent degree. They are run by individual universities, institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences and research institutes or jointly by several such institutions in collaboration with private companies or/and foreign institutions. They offer programmes in a single research discipline or interdisciplinary programmes. Education in these schools is free-of-charge and all the PhD candidates receive monthly scholarships.
TUITION FEES and SCHOLARSHIPS
Full-time studies in the Polish language at the state HEIs are free for Polish students and foreigners who are citizens of the EU/EEA and students who hold the Card of Pole (Karta Polaka). All other foreigners are required to pay tuition fees, except for cases when university authorities decide otherwise or in cases of some government-funded programmes. Fees at public and non-public HEIs are established by the institution itself depending on the institution and field of study. The studies provided in English or other foreign languages usually required tuition fees.
Poland offers scholarships to students through the government, various foundations and the universities themselves. They are available to students of Polish origin including disabled applicants as well as to international students both from the EU and from countries outside the EU.