University of Silesia in Katowice

Full-time programmes taught in Polish and English are free of charge at the University of Silesia for a foreigner who meets at least one of the following criteria listed in Art. 324 section 1 of the Act of 20 July 2018 – Law on higher education and science:

1. s/he possesses the Polish Card (Karta Polaka);
2. s/he possesses a valid decision on his Polish descent;
3. s/he possesses a permanent residence permit;
4. s/he is a citizen of a member state of the European Union, of the European Free Trade Association, of the European Economic Area or of Switzerland;
5. s/he is a family member of a citizen of a member state of the European Union, of the European Free Trade Association, of the European Economic Area or of Switzerland and lives in Poland;
6. s/he is a citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (in accordance with Article 10 section 1 b or d of the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU) or a member of their family residing in the territory of the Republic of Poland;
7. s/he possesses a temporary residence permit due to the circumstances mentioned in Article 159 Section 1 or Article 186 Section 1 Point 3 or 4 of the Act on foreigners of 12 December 2013 (Journal of Laws 2013, Position 1650);
8. s/he possesses a long-term EU resident permit;
9. s/he is a refugee acknowledged by the Republic of Poland;
10. s/he is under temporary protection on the territory of the Republic of Poland;
11. s/he is under subsidiary protection on the territory of the Republic of Poland;
12. s/he is a spouse, a parent or a child of a citizen of the Republic of Poland and lives in Poland;
13. s/he possesses a certificate issued by the State Board for Certification of Polish as a Foreign Language, confirming his/her knowledge of Polish as a foreign language at least at C1 level.

Additionally, a right not to pay tuition fees for full-time studies at the University of Silesia in Katowice have foreign candidates who:

1. s/he has graduated from an undergraduate programme at the University of Silesia and wishes to continue his/her education in a graduate programme at the University of Silesia;
2. s/he has successfully completed a one-year preparatory course for foreigners planning to study programmes taught in Polish offered by the School of the Polish Language and Culture of the University of Silesia, if the programme s/he is applying for is taught in Polish;
3. s/he is a winner of the contest for the best foreign candidates.

Member states of:

A foreigner is a family member of a European Union citizen, if s/he:

1. is a spouse of this EU citizen;
2. is a child of this EU citizen or a child of his/her spouse, aged not more than 21 or a dependent of this EU citizen or his/her spouse;
3. is a parent of this EU citizen or a parent of his/her spouse and a dependent of this EU citizen or his/her spouse.

Legal basis: Article 2 Point 4 of the Act on entry, stay and exit of citizens of EU member states and their family members in the Republic of Poland of 14 July 2006 (Journal of Laws 2017, Position 900).

A temporary residence permit due to the circumstances mentioned in Article 159 Section 1 or Article 186 Section 1 Point 3 or 4 of the Act on foreigners of 12 December 2013 applies to:

Article 159 Section 1: a temporary residence permit issued to a foreigner wishing to join his/her family.

Article 186 Section 1: a temporary residence permit due to other circumstances, issued to a foreigner who:

Point 3: possesses a long-term EU resident permit issued by another EU member state

and:

– is planning to work or operate a company in Poland

or

– is planning to start or continue a university programme or vocational training in Poland

or

– shows that there are other circumstances justifying his/her wish to live in Poland

or

Point 4: is a family member of a foreigner meeting the above criteria (under Article 186 Section 1 Point 3), s/he has stayed with this foreigner in another EU member state and joins him/her in Poland.

A foreigner, i.e. a person without Polish citizenship, who is a spouse, a parent or a child of a citizen of the Republic of Poland and lives in Poland.

A certificate confirming a foreigner’s knowledge of Polish as a foreign language has to be issued by the State Board for Certification of Polish as a Foreign Language, in accordance with the Act on the Polish Language of 7 October 1999 (Journal of Laws 2018, Position 931).

The certificate has to confirm that the foreigner knows Polish at least at C1 level.

Only a certificate that is in conformity with the specimen included in the Ruling of the Minister of Science and Higher Education on exams in Polish as a foreign language of 26 February 2016 entitles the candidate to start full-time courses taught in Polish free of charge.

Detailed information about certificate exams in Polish as a foreign language are available from the State Board for Certification of Polish as a Foreign Language.

In the academic year 2025/2026, all the foreigners applying for programmes offered by the University of Silesia who are not entitled to study free of charge, may participate in a contest for the best foreign candidates. Foreigners with the best results of the qualification procedure will not have to pay to study. This applies to undergraduate, graduate and long-cycle MA/MSc programme candidates.

The qualification procedure creates a ranking of the best foreign candidates. The criteria are the candidate’s results (i.e. grades on his/her secondary school-leaving certificate or university/college diploma) as well as their knowledge of Polish (or English).

Each candidate who registers in the IRK system, has good grades from the previous stage of education, and possesses language skills in Polish or English that enable them to study in this language, may get a chance to study at the University of Silesia free of charge.

If a candidate is admitted within this procedure, they will not pay student fees, but they will not receive any scholarship from the University. They will have to cover the costs of living in Poland, including accommodation.

Key Information about the Competition for the best foreign candidates

Applicants who meet the following criteria may take part:

• Candidates from outside the European Union who do not have statutory rights to exemption from tuition fees for full-time studies in Poland (i.e., they are not listed in Article 324, paragraph 2, and do not hold any other entitlements under the Act of 20 July 2018 – Law on higher education and science, allowing them to undertake and pursue full-time studies in Poland free of charge)

→ Information on statutory entitlements can be found above;

• Candidates who have been qualified for studies by the Faculty Recruitment Committee;
• Candidates who do not currently hold student status at the University of Silesia in Katowice.

Rules for participation in the Competition for the best foreign candidates

1. To participate in the competition, a candidate must:

• Complete full registration in the IRK system (i.e., enter all required data and upload all required documents);
• Pay the application fee;
• Meet the qualification criteria for the chosen field of study;
• Be qualified for the selected study program by the Faculty Admissions Committee;
• Achieve the highest possible score on the ranking list of candidates qualified for the selected study programme.

2. A candidate who is awarded a tuition-free place must:

• Within 2 days (48 hours) of receiving information about being granted a tuition-free place under the competition, confirm their intention to begin studies by uploading in the IRK system (in the designated field) a signed declaration regarding participation in the competition for the best foreign candidates for the 2025/2026 academic year

→ A form of the declaration will be sent to candidates who meet the competition criteria;

• Enter the name of the selected field of study in the declaration to confirm that they will begin studies in that programme

→ Only one chosen study program can be undertaken under the competition in a given academic year;

• Personally submit the required documents within the deadline specified in the IRK system and complete enrollment at the appropriate Dean’s office or the KISM secretariat

→ If it is not possible to travel to Poland within the specified timeframe, the foreign candidate must submit a request for enrolment for studies based on the remote submission of documents issued outside Poland by sending a scan of the request to the Dean’s office.

• If the above formalities are not fulfilled, the offer to study as part of the best foreign candidates competition will be withdrawn.