University of Silesia in Katowice

1. Foreign candidates who are not citizens of the EU, EFTA, or EEA with foreign documents entitling them to apply directly for studies in Poland

Foreign candidates who are not citizens of the EU, EFTA, or EEA countries applying on the basis of foreign documents entitling them to apply directly for first-cycle (Bachelor’s) or long-cycle Master’s studies in Poland, are required during the admission process to:

• verify their proficiency in the language of instruction at least at B2 level [3].

2. Foreign candidates with documents issued outside the EU, OECD, EFTA, EEA and outside countries covered by international agreements

Foreign candidates applying for first-cycle (Bachelor’s) or long-cycle Master’s studies on the basis of foreign documents not entitling them to apply directly for studies in Poland are required during the admission process to:

• verify their proficiency in the language of instruction at least at B2 level;
• take entrance exams for the chosen field of study;
• submit a document confirming eligibility to apply for admission to first-cycle or long-cycle Master’s studies in Poland. This must be one of the following documents:
• a decision of the Education Superintendent (in Polish: Kurator Oświaty) on recognising a foreign certificate as a document confirming eligibility to apply for admission to higher education. An application for recognition of education at the Education Superintendent’s Office could be submitted until June 30, 2025. Decisions of the Education Superintendent issued by June 30, 2025, or issued after June 30, 2025, as a result of proceedings initiated but not concluded with a final decision by June 30, 2025, are accepted. Detailed information is available on the website of the Education Superintendent’s Office in Katowice (available in Polish language only).
• an individual recognition statement confirming eligibility to apply for admission to higher education issued by the Director of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA). The individual recognition statement issued by NAWA must include:
• the number or other designation of the certificate or other document, if assigned,
• the full name of the holder of the document,
• the number of the identity document of the person named in it.

The document that does not contain all the above-mentioned data will not be accepted.

Applications for confirmation of eligibility to undertake studies at NAWA may be submitted from July 1, 2025, via the SYRENA system. Detailed information is available on the NAWA website.

[3] The list of documents confirming knowledge of the language of instruction has been specified in the Regulation of the Minister of Science of 30 July 2025 on the types of documents confirming knowledge of the language in which studies are conducted. The requirement to confirm knowledge of the language of instruction at the level of at least B2 applies to candidates for first-cycle, second-cycle, and long-cycle Master’s studies who are citizens of countries outside the EU, EFTA and EEA.

1. Foreign candidates who are not citizens of the EU, EFTA, or EEA with foreign documents entitling them to apply directly for studies in Poland
Foreign candidates who are not citizens of the EU, EFTA, or EEA countries and who apply on the basis of foreign documents entitling them to apply directly for second-cycle (Master’s) studies in Poland are required during the admission process to:
• verify their proficiency in the language of instruction at least at B2 level.
2. Foreign candidates with documents issued outside the EU, OECD, EFTA, EEA or with documents not recognised under an international agreement or through nostrification
Foreign candidates applying for second-cycle (Master’s) studies on the basis of foreign diplomas that were not issued by authorised universities in EU, OECD, or EFTA countries, or were not recognised under an international agreement or through nostrification, are required during the admission process to:
• verify their proficiency in the language of instruction at least at B2 level;
• submit an individual recognition statement issued by the Director of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) confirming eligibility to apply for admission to higher education in Poland. The individual recognition statement issued by NAWA must include:
• the full name of the document holder.
The recognition statement that does not contain the above information will not be accepted.
An application for the issuance of an individual recognition statement by NAWA is submitted via the SYRENA system. Detailed information is available on the NAWA website.

1. Legal information

On August 1, 2025, the Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of July 30, 2025, concerning the types of documents certifying proficiency in the language in which studies are conducted, came into force. The regulation contains a list of documents recognised as confirming proficiency in the language of instruction at a level sufficient to undertake studies in Poland.

1. Changes

Changes apply to:

• foreigners meeting both of the following conditions:
• who are not citizens of the European Union,
• applying for studies on the basis of an educational document issued outside Poland (both entitling and not entitling to direct application for studies in Poland);
• foreigners meeting both of the following conditions:
• who are citizens of the European Union,
• applying for studies on the basis of an educational document issued outside Poland that does not entitle them to apply directly for studies in Poland.

Changes do not apply to:

• citizens of Poland;
• foreigners who are citizens of the European Union, applying for studies on the basis of educational documents issued in the EU, OECD, EFTA or EEA countries;
• foreigners applying for studies in Poland on the basis of a secondary school leaving certificate issued in Poland (Polish matura).

All foreign candidates affected by the changes, participating in admission for studies that will be concluded after July 31, 2025, must meet the new requirements related to possessing a document confirming proficiency in the language of instruction, in accordance with the list of documents provided below, as specified in the regulation of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

• Documents Confirming Proficiency in the language of Instruction

The document must confirm proficiency in the language of instruction (Polish or English):

• at a level of at least B2 (levels B2, C1, C2 are accepted);
• in the four language skills:
• listening comprehension,
• reading,
• speaking,

The following documents confirming proficiency in the Polish language are accepted:

1. Certificate of Polish Language Proficiency issued by the State Commission for the Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language (pl).
2. Certificate confirming proficiency in Polish issued by the following institutions:

• ECL – European Consortium for the Certificate of Attainment in Modern Languages (https://eclexam.eu/)
• TELC – telc GmbH, WBT Weiterbildungs-Testsysteme GmbH (https://www.telc.net/en/language-examinations/; https://www.sjikp.us.edu.pl/pl/o-egzaminie-telc/)

3. Certificate of completion of a preparatory course for studies, lasting at least 9 months (School of Polish Language and Culture, University of Silesia – Preparatory Course for Studies in Poland).
4. Diploma of completion of studies with Polish as the language of instruction, issued by a university operating within the higher education system of the Republic of Poland.
5. Diploma of completion of first-cycle, second-cycle, or long-cycle Master’s studies in Philology (Polish language) or Applied Linguistics, issued by a foreign university, together with a diploma supplement or certificate confirming that the number of hours of Polish language classes amounted to at least 500.
6. Certificate of entitlement to practice as a sworn translator issued by the Minister of Justice, or a certificate confirming registration on the list of sworn translators.

The following documents confirming proficiency in English are accepted:

1. A certificate, diploma or other document that confirms proficiency in English in the four language skills: listening comprehension, reading, speaking, writing at a level of B2, C1 or C2 issued by:

• University of Cambridge, ESOL Examinations:
  • B2 First (FCE),
  • C1 Advanced (CAE),
  • C2 Proficiency (CPE),
  • B2 Business Vantage (BEC Vantage),
  • C1 Business Higher,
  • Certificate in English for International Business and Trade (CEIBT);
• University of Cambridge, ESOL Examinations, British Council, IDP IELTS Australia: International English Language Testing System IELTS – at least 5.5 points;
• Trinity College London:
  • ESOL Skills for Life – Level 1 (B2) or higher,
  • Integrated Skills in English (ISE) – ISE II or higher,
  • ISE Digital – above 80 points (B2);
• Educational Testing Service (ETS):
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Internet-Based Test version (iBT) – at least 72 points,
  • Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) – at least: 785 points in the Listening & Reading part and 150 points in the Speaking part, and 160 points in the Writing part;
• Pearson Assessment English:
  • Pearson English International Certificate – in person or online test (previously Pearson Test of English General (PTE) or London Tests of English) – Level 3 (Edexcel Certificate in ESOL International Level 1 – grade Pass, Merit, Distinction) or higher,
  • Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) in person or online test– score at least 59 points;
  • LanguageCert (PeopleCert Qualifications (PCQ)):
  • LanguageCert International ESOL – LanguageCert Level 1 Certificate in ESOL International (Listening, Reading, Writing) (Communicator B2), also known as: LanguageCert International ESOL Communicator B2 Listening, Reading, Writing or higher, including LanguageCert Level 1 Certificate in ESOL International (Speaking) (Communicator B2), also known as LanguageCert International ESOL Communicator B2 Speaking or higher,
  • LanguageCert Academic – LanguageCert Level 1 Certificate in ESOL International (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) (LanguageCert Academic B2) or higher,
  • LanguageCert Test of English – LanguageCert Level 1 Certificate in ESOL International (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) (LanguageCert Test of English B2) or higher;
• Education Development International (EDI), London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Examinations Board: London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Examinations (LCCI):
  • English for Business Level 2 or higher,
  • Foundation Certificate for Teachers of Business English (FTBE);
• ECL – European Consortium for the Certificate of Attainment in Modern Languages – Level B2 (Vantage) or higher;
• TELC – telc GmbH, WBT Weiterbildungs-Testsysteme GmbH:
  • Certificate in English,
  • Certificate in English for Business Purposes,
  • Certificate in English for Technical Purposes,
  • telc English,
  • telc English Business,
  • telc English Technical,
  • telc English University.

2. Certificate of completion of a preparatory course for undertaking studies, lasting at least 9 months, confirming knowledge of English in four skills: listening, reading, speaking, and writing, at the language proficiency level of B2, C1, or C2.
3. Diploma of completion of first-cycle studies, second-cycle studies, or long-cycle Master’s studies in the field of English philology or applied linguistics issued by a higher education institution operating in the system of higher education and science of the Republic of Poland or by a foreign university, together with a diploma supplement or certificate confirming that the number of hours of English language classes was at least 500.
4. Diploma of completion of first-cycle studies, second-cycle studies, or long-cycle Master’s studies issued by a higher education institution operating in the system of higher education and science of the Republic of Poland or by a foreign university, containing information that English was the language of instruction of the studies; if the diploma does not contain such information – additionally a diploma supplement or certificate containing information about the language of instruction of the studies.
5. International Baccalaureate Diploma – with reference to the primary language (https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/).
6. European Baccalaureate Diploma – with reference to the first (L1) or second (L2) language (https://www.eursc.eu/en/European-Schools/European-Baccalaureate).
7. Certificate of entitlement to practice as a sworn translator of the English language issued by the Minister of Justice or a certificate confirming registration on the list of sworn translators of the English language.