Applying to a university is undoubtedly exciting, but can also be demanding and stressful. We know this all too well and are ready to support you every step of the way – so we’ve prepared a handful of key information about the formalities involved in the admission process.
Admission schedule
Admission to 1st cycle studies, 2nd cycle studies, and long-cycle studies is divided into two stages:
Stage I, is conducted online via the Online Application System (IRK), followed by the announcement of admission results, and Stage II, during which candidates accepted for admission submit the required documents to the dean’s office. This is a compulsory stage, as being accepted for admission is not tantamount to being admitted to a degree programme – in order to be admitted to a chosen field of study you must complete enrolment.
Remember that the admission deadlines are absolute, and in some courses – especially those with an additional entrance exam or interview – the deadlines may differ. Therefore, you should carefully read the deadlines listed on your course catalogue in the IRK system.
You can find all the details about the admission process, including a tutorial on how to register in the IRK system, here.
Waiting list
If you are on the waiting list on the day the results of the admission process for your dream degree programme are announced, don’t worry – it often happens that some of the candidates accepted for admission do not enrol. In such cases, the ranking list ‘shifts’, and people from the waiting list are accepted. If you are accepted, we will certainly inform you of this and ask you to complete the necessary formalities.
If you are worried that you will not be accepted into your first choice, you can enrol in another degree programme for which you have been accepted. After you have enrolled in a given programme, you still have the option to resign if you are accepted to your ‘first choice’ degree programme from the waiting list.
Additional recruitment
If there are still vacancies for a particular programme at the end of the admission, further recruitment may be launched. However, if you want to get into a popular, high-demand degree programme, be sure to take part in the first recruitment round, which is always launched at the beginning of June. You can check the number of applicants per spot in previous years here.
Point threshold
None of our courses have a minimum number of points required, so we are unable to provide a specific number. Admission is based on ranking lists. How do you assess your chances then?
Firstly, check how the points from your Matura exam/secondary-school leaving exam are calculated, bearing in mind that an advanced exam is twice as favourable as a basic exam, and make a preliminary tally of your points.
Secondly, see what is the average number of candidates per place for your chosen programme. Remember that each year the ‘thresholds’ can change depending on the number of candidates and their exam results. The higher the number of applicants per place, the higher the threshold will be.
Acceptance criteria
You will find the acceptance criteria for the selected degree programme in the degree programme catalogue in the IRK system and on our website. Usually, these are the three subjects passed in the written part of the matura exam. The result of the examination at the basic level is multiplied by a factor of 0.5, and at the advanced level by a factor of 1. If a candidate has passed the matura exam in a given subject at both levels, the result from the level that is the most favourable for the candidate after conversion will, of course, be the one that applies.
Some programmes require an entrance exam and/or interview. Please read all the criteria for the programme you are interested in very carefully and do not forget the most important deadlines!
What if the criteria include a subject which you did not take at the matura/secondary school-leaving exam?
You can still apply if more than one subject is taken into account in the admission process and you have a score in that subject. Admittedly, your score will then be lower (because you will get zero points in the missing subject), but you still have a chance of being accepted, especially if your score in the other subjects is high enough. The only exceptions to this are degree programmes for which having a score in a particular subject is a formal requirement.
You can find details on the conversion of your matura/secondary school-leaving exam grades here.
Olympiads and contests
A candidate who is the winner or a finalist of ‘Olympiads’ at the national level, or a winner of an international or national contest may be admitted to a programme of their choice outside the regular admission process. This applies to 1st cycle and long-cycle programmes offered by the University of Silesia.
However, registration in the IRK system is still required – go to my account → personal forms → education → OLYMPIADS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS GIVING EXEMPTION IN ADMISSION, fill in all the information about your Olympiad and upload a certificate of your degree in electronic form. Then register for your chosen programme and select the relevant Olympiad or competition entitling you to study without taking part in an admission procedure.
You can find the list of Olympiads and entitlements in 2024-2026 here.
A list of contests and entitlements in 2024-2026 can be found here.
In addition, athletes with outstanding sporting achievements included in competitive academic sports are also exempted from the qualification procedure for their chosen degree programme. The document serving as the basis for eligibility is the certificate issued by the Polish Sports Association, specifying the type of sports class, the dates, and sporting achievements.
If you are able to claim the above-mentioned achievements, be sure to check out the Talent Fund, as part of which you can receive, among other things, a high scholarship, an Individual Organisation of Studies (IOS), a guaranteed place in a dormitory, and discounts on accommodation!
You can find the most important information for applicants for first-cycle and long-cycle studies at https://us.edu.pl/kandydat/en/
