Scholarships and Student Financial Aid in Poland

NAWA scholarships for foreign students

The Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) runs the country's main scholarship programs aimed at foreign students, listed on NAWA's student portal .

• The Gen. Anders Programme funds bachelor's and long-cycle master's study for young people of the Polish diaspora, with a new call opened every year.

• Poland My First Choice supports international students choosing Poland for a full degree program.

• Banach NAWA targets students from developing countries, with recruitment cycles that run across the year including a dedicated winter intake.

• POLONISTA funds students and doctoral candidates studying Polish language and literature.

Each program has its own call for applications, eligibility rules and timeline. Applications go through NAWA's online system, and you should check the current call dates before you plan around any single program, since cycles open and close across the year.

European exchange and bilateral programs

If you already study in another European country, several exchange routes bring you to Poland for a semester or more without a full transfer.

• Erasmus+ funds exchange semesters between partner universities across the EU and beyond, and remains the most used route for short study periods in Poland.

• CEEPUS supports exchange within Central European university networks.

• The Visegrad Scholarship Programme funds mobility between Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia and neighboring countries.

• Bilateral agreements between Poland and specific partner countries add further scholarship slots outside these larger programs, listed on the Study in Poland scholarships page .

State financial aid once you enroll

Once you enroll at a Polish university as a full-time student, whether Polish, EU or otherwise, you become eligible for the standard categories of state financial aid defined under Polish higher education law.

• Stypendium socjalne (social scholarship): a need-based grant for students whose family income falls under a threshold each university sets for itself.

• Stypendium rektora (rector's scholarship): a merit award for high academic, sports or artistic achievement, again set and ranked by each university.

• Stypendium dla niepełnosprawnych (disability scholarship): support for students with a confirmed disability.

• Zapomoga: a one-off emergency payment for students facing sudden financial hardship.

Amounts and exact eligibility thresholds differ by university and update every academic year, so check your own institution's student affairs office (dzial spraw studenckich) for the current rates rather than relying on a fixed figure.

Merit awards for top performers

The Minister's Scholarship for Significant Achievements rewards students with standout scientific, artistic or sports results nationally. For the 2025-26 competition (SST06), the application deadline fell on 29 September 2025, with results announced 18 March 2026, according to the Ministry of Science page . Expect a similar annual cycle with a deadline in autumn for future rounds, and confirm exact dates on the ministry's page each year.

Doctoral funding

If you enter a doctoral school at a university-type institution, you get a stipend automatically as part of your enrollment, alongside tuition-free study, regardless of nationality. This differs from every other funding route above, which requires a separate application.

How to choose the right route

Match your situation to the right program before you apply. If you want a full degree in Poland funded from outside, start with NAWA's Gen. Anders Programme or Poland My First Choice. If you already study elsewhere in Europe and want a semester in Poland, use Erasmus+ or CEEPUS through your home university's international office. If you already study in Poland, ask your student affairs office about social, rector's and disability scholarships before each semester's deadline.