Who can undertake studies in Poland without any tuition fees?
Below is a list of all groups of foreigners who, according to article 43 section 2 of the Law on Higher Education, have the right to undertake studies at Polish public universities without any tuition fees:
- foreigners holding a permanent residence permit;
- foreigners holding a valid Pole’s Card;
- foreigners with refugee status granted by Poland;
- foreigners who enjoy the right to temporary protection in Poland;
- foreigners being migrant workers who are citizens of Member States of the European Union (EU), European Free Trade Association (EFTA), as well as their family members if they reside in Poland;
- foreigners holding a long term EU residence permit granted in Poland;
- foreigners holding a temporary residence permit:
- for the purposes of highly qualified employment (article 127 of the Act on foreigners),
- for the purposes of family reunification and being a family member of a foreigner residing within the territory of the Republic of Poland (article 159 section 1 of the Act on foreigners),
– due to other circumstances including: - holding a long-term EU residence permit granted by another European Union Member State (article 186 section 1 of the Act on foreigners) or being a family member of such a foreigner (article 186 section 1 point 4 of the Act on foreigners)
- foreigners to whom subsidiary protection in Poland has been granted;
- citizens of Member States of the EU, EFTA and their family members, holding a permanent residence permit.
If the above mentioned foreigners are students of courses which are paid as a rule (e.g. part-time studies, post-graduate studies, lectures in foreign languages), then they pay educational fees on the same grounds and in the same amount as citizens of the Republic of Poland.
Other foreigners may undertake paid education in Poland.