Happy New Year from Welcome Point UW!
As 2025 comes to a close, we want to take a moment to thank all of you — students, PhD candidates, employees, colleagues, and friends — for being with us this year!
This year was full of meaningful encounters, new ideas, and shared experiences. Together, we’ve made the University of Warsaw a more welcoming and inclusive place for everyone.
Events, Trainings & Other Activities
- 79 events and workshops — open to students, PhD candidates, and employees — including orientation meetings, city walks, intercultural activities, and personal development trainings.
- Around 1,200 attendees took part in our in-person activities throughout the year.
- 4 editions of improvisation courses – bringing together over 50 Polish and international employees and offering a unique opportunity for play, fun, cooperation, and the development of social and performance skills
- 5th edition of the Polish language course for UW employees implemented under the Excellence Initiative – Research University (IDUB) UW in cooperation with Polonicum UW : 3 trimesters, 5 proficiency-level groups (from beginners to advanced), with a total of 163 course places filled.
- Released 21 new or updated brochures, a redesigned online guide, and a video series with practical tips for international students.
- Shared over 150 social media posts to keep our community informed and connected.
- Partnered with the University of Warsaw Sports Centre, AZS UW, and production company #BĘDZIEŁADNIE to create 5 videos showcasing sports opportunities for international students.
Legalisation of Stay & Administration Support
- 8 Legalisation of Stay online meetings (in both Polish and English) — attended by international students, PhD candidates, and UW employees.
- 205 individual consultations for students and doctoral candidates on the legalisation of stay.
- 154 consultations and additionally 23 tax-related consultations for international employees.
- Launched an online registration system for international visitors, with nearly 1,500 visitors registered between April and December.
- Continuously updated Legalisation section on our webpage with detailed guidelines, checklists, document templates, and other materials for both EU and non-EU nationals.
Projects and Fundings
- Successful completion of the “Welcome Point – Better Together!” project, co-funded by NAWA’s Welcome to Poland programme 🇵🇱
- Our new project, “Welcome Point – Expanding Horizons”, has been awarded funding under NAWA’s Welcome to Poland 2024 programme
- The University of Warsaw has officially joined the EURAXESS network – a pan-European initiative supporting researchers in their career development and facilitating international mobility. We were also selected as a member of the Mazovian NAWA – EURAXESS regional network.
- We have been awarded funding under the Erasmus+ KA220-HED call for Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education for the INSIGHT project — submitted by a consortium of four institutions, led by Palacký University Olomouc (Czech Republic). The project’s goal is to enhance the internationalisation of higher education institutions (HEIs) by providing better support for international students, PhD candidates, staff, and researchers.
Foundation Year & Pathway to UW
- Launched the 9th edition of the Foundation Year, with 147 applications from around the world and 35 participants enrolled from China, Turkey, Morocco, Japan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bangladesh, Somalia, and Uganda.
- Celebrated the graduation of Pathway to UW (for Palestinian candidates): 9 out of 13 participants completed the preparatory programme with strong final results and began their full-time studies at the University of Warsaw in October 2025.
Student Engagement
- Collaborated with two volunteer groups coordinated by the UW Volunteer Centre:
- 9 volunteers supported international employees and PhD candidates with tasks like visiting offices, hospitals, translating, and navigating Polish systems.
- 6 volunteers helped Pathway to UW participants with airport pickups, dorm check-ins, document support, and integration activities.
We are incredibly grateful to our student assistants, volunteers, and every single person who contributed to building a more welcoming and inclusive University of Warsaw in 2025.
We wish you a joyful, peaceful holiday season and a wonderful start to 2026! We can’t wait to share with you what’s next — stay tuned!
With warm regards,
Your Welcome Point Team
