Documents required for first-cycle studies for people who do not have Polish citizenship

  • Foreign certificates - recognition under the law

    Recognition of certificates issued in foreign education systems

    Certificates issued in foreign education systems on the basis of which candidates apply for admission to first-cycle studies and long-cycle studies must be recognized as documents confirming secondary education in Poland and the right to apply for admission to higher education. Certificates may be recognized by operation of law or as a result of administrative proceedings of the school superintendent.

    LEGAL RECOGNITION – these certificates are not subject to the recognition procedure at the Polish office, thus they can be submitted directly to the university. Recognition under the law applies to certificates entitling to apply for admission to higher education, issued by a school or educational institution operating in the education system of a European Union Member State, a Member State of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a Member State of the European Free Trade Agreement ( EFTA) – parties to the agreement on the European Economic Area.

    This applies to documents on education issued in the education systems of the following countries:

    AUSTRALIA, AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, BULGARIA, CHILE, CROATIA, CYPRUS, CZECH REPUBLIC, DENMARK, ESTONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GREECE, SPAIN, IRELAND, ICELAND, ISRAEL, JAPAN, CANADA, KOREA, LITHTENALSTEIN, LEMBURG, LITHUANIA, LITHUANIA MEXICO, NETHERLANDS (NETHERLANDS), GERMANY, NORWAY, NEW ZEALAND, PORTUGAL, ROMANIA, SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA, SWITZERLAND, SWEDEN, TURKEY, USA, HUNGARY, GREAT BRITAIN, ITALY.

    In addition, by law it is recognized:

    • IB diplomas (International Baccalaureate), issued by the International Baccalaureate Organization in Geneva;
    • EB diplomas (European Baccalaureate) issued by the European Schools, in accordance with the Convention on the Statute of the European Schools, done in Luxembourg on June 21, 1994. (Journal of Laws of 2005, No. 3, item 10);
    • Certificates entitling to higher education, covered by bilateral agreements concluded by Poland on the mutual recognition of certificates and diplomas. Certificates entitling to apply for admission to higher education in Poland on the basis of international agreements include:

    – certificates of secondary general education, diplomas of vocational and technical education, diplomas of secondary specialist education issued in the Republic of Belarus,
    – secondary school leaving certificates (gaozhong) issued in the People’s Republic of China,
    – certificates of complete secondary education issued in Ukraine.

    The full list and texts of the contracts are available on the website of the Ministry of National Education – read more

    In the case of certificates issued outside Poland, which do not contain information on the entitlement to continue education at higher education in the country in which the education system was issued, the Admissions Committee may request the submission of a certificate containing the above information. The certificate should be issued by the school or educational institution that issued the certificate, or confirmed by the educational authorities of the country on whose territory or in whose education system the certificate was issued.

    RECOGNITION AS A RESULT OF ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES OF THE CURATOR OF EDUCATION – concerns certificates and documents that are not recognized by law, these documents are subject to the recognition procedure, candidates for studies submit an administrative decision on recognition of the certificate issued by the school superintendent.

    The procedure for recognition of the certificate is conducted by the school superintendent competent for the applicant’s place of residence or – in the absence of a permanent address of the applicant in Poland, competent for the seat of the university where the certificate will be submitted.

    The school board of education competent for the seat of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences is:
    Masovian Board of Education
    For detailed questions regarding the recognition of certificates, please contact the appropriate school board

  • Confirmation of knowledge of the Polish language

    A foreigner with documented knowledge of the Polish language may be admitted to the qualification procedure for studies conducted in Polish.

    Documents confirming the knowledge of the Polish language at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences are:

    • certificate of completion of a one-year course preparing to study in Polish in the units indicated by the National Agency for Academic Exchange, among others:
    • certificate of knowledge of the Polish language issued by the State Commission for the Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language at the minimum B2 level http://c certatpolski.pl/ ;
    • secondary school leaving certificates or diplomas of graduation in Polish as the language of instruction;
    • a document confirming passing the Polish language exam at minimum B2 level, issued by a language school.