University of Silesia in Katowice

Rules and regulations for applying for and receiving the Rector’s Scholarship are stipulated in the Rules and Regulations of Benefits for Students, Chapter V ‘Rector’s Scholarship’ and Chapter VI ‘Benefits for Doctoral Students’, for PhD students who started their doctoral studies before the academic year 2019/2020.

In the period from 1 October 2019 to 31 December 2023, the Rules and Regulations of Benefits apply accordingly to PhD students who started their doctoral studies before the academic year 2019/2020.

A student may submit the formal application for the scholarship only at one university and degree programme they indicate in the application.

The application for the Rector’s Scholarship, along with all the appendixes constituting the required documentation, shall be submitted via USOSweb by 15 October (in the case of students), 30 March (in the case 2nd cycle studies starting in the summer semester), or 10 October (in case of PhD students).

A student with achievements in sports, except for students referred to in Section 12(2), shall append their substantive assessment along with the number of points collected within their achievements in sports issued by the Director of the USil Centre for Physical Education and Sport. The template for the substantive assessment form is Annex No. 8 to the Rules and Regulations of Benefits for Students. The Director of the Centre for Physical Education and Sport includes the substantive assessment of all qualified achievements of a student in one form. In the case a student has more than one achievement in sports, a student appends the substantive assessment issued by the Director of the Centre for Physical Education and Sport to one achievement in sports.

The award of the Rector’s Scholarship depends on the student’s place on the ranking list. Ranking lists are created for each degree programme individually, including all years, modes of studies and cycles of studies.

Each year, the Rector assesses the University’s financial capability and determines the percentage of students eligible for the scholarship (but no more than 10% of students of a given degree programme) and the monthly amount of the scholarship that might change in the summer semester.

The average grade required for the Rector’s scholarship in the case of students from the second and further years of the 1st cycle studies and long-cycle studies is the arithmetic mean of final grades in all modules obtained in the previous year of studies. The average grade does not include a physical education grade or a diploma examination grade in the case of students who were admitted to the first year of the 2nd cycle studies or long-cycle studies after graduation from the 1st cycle studies at the University of Silesia.

The catalogue of scientific achievements has been developed in agreement with the University Council of the Student Government; the following are included to qualify students to apply for the Rector’s Scholarship:

1) scientific publications, such as: a) reviewed scientific monographs and chapters in scientific monographs (especially issued by scientific publishing houses included on the Ministry of Science and Higher Education’s list), b) papers and articles published in scientific journals and reviewed materials from international conferences (included on proper Ministry lists);

2) active participation in scientific events (e.g. conferences, debates, science festivals, open science meetings, symposia, sessions) in the form of a paper, lecture, scientific workshops, experimental demonstration, multimedia presentation, poster, participation in a moderated scientific discussion at the university, national or international level;

3) participation in scientific and research projects;

4) participation in Olympiads or other scientific contests;

5) other science-related achievements within student research groups, student organisations, academic media, the Student Legal Clinic, summer schools, or cooperation/collaboration with other organisations in the form of scientific activity results, e.g. conducting research, publishing a scientific paper, essay or multimedia material, designing various forms of scientific presentation (e.g. papers, science shows, lectures, posters) or compiling a report.

Detailed rules, criteria for substantive assessment and methods of documenting the achievements in the application for the Rector’s Scholarship are stipulated by Part B Scientific Achievements of Annex No. 3 to the Rules and Regulations of Benefits for Students.

Achievements in sports at a minimum national level include the following:

• participation in the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships, the World University Championships, the European Academic Championships, the FISU World University Games and the European Universities Games;
• winning a medal place and participation in the Polish Championships or the Polish Academic Championships;
• participation in competitions at the central level of the first, second and third national leagues;
• winning a medal place and participation in international competitions organised by the University Sports Association;
• winning a medal (1st-3rd place) during international or national mass events (jogging, downhill biking, etc.).

The following do not constitute sports achievements entitling students to apply for the Rector’s Scholarship: membership in the sports section at the University of Silesia, organisation of sports events, participation in mass sports events.

The Rector’s Scholarship may be awarded to students with artistic achievements in plastic arts, music, audio-visual arts, literature, film, theatre, photography and dance. The indicated achievements refer to winners of top places and awards, winners of contests, competitions, festivals, reviews and artistic exhibitions of international or national scope.

The following do not constitute artistic achievements entitling students to apply for the Rector’s Scholarship: participation in an individual or collective performance (exhibition, concert, festival, project), and creation, co-creation, production, or co-production of artistic works implemented within the university curriculum.