The Rector’s Scholarship

may be awarded to a student who has achieved a high-grade point average in the previous year or has made significant achievements in science, art, or sport on a national and/or international level. It can also be awarded to first-year students – winners of the International Science Olympiad or one of the Polish Science Olympiads.

Detailed information about the Rector’s Scholarship

You should register your application for the rector’s scholarship via USOSweb. Go to the COMMON SECTION tab, then APPLICATIONS and complete an application for the rector’s scholarship for the best students.

To register the application, you must have a bank account number in USOSweb! It is best to fill in the account number in the dean’s office or secretary’s office. You can also do it by entering the FOR STUDENTS tab. Select the “scholarships” tab, then “student bank account”.

Academic year 2025/2026 application deadline: 15 October 2025 (closed)

Scholarships to Start

This scholarship is offered by the Rector’s Fund of the University of Warsaw and is aimed at the most talented students and PhD candidates. The scholarship is awarded for 12 months and is paid in full within 30 days of its award.

The program offers three different types of scholarships:

1. Scholarship to Start for Olympians:

This scholarship is addressed to first-year students in first-cycle or long second-cycle studies. It is offered to students who have won subject competitions and received the highest number of points during the recruitment process for their studies, based on their title as subject competition winners.

2. Scholarship to Start for Athletes:

The scholarship is awarded to first-year students of first-cycle, second-cycle, master’s degree studies and first-year doctoral students. Eligible for the scholarship is a person who has placed in a scoring position at the Olympic Games, World Championships, European Championships, or Polish Championships (but no further than 10th), and in the case of students—who have the right to receive the Rector’s scholarship in the academic year in which they apply for the “Scholarship to Start.”

3. Scholarship to Start for Doctoral Students:

This scholarship is intended for first-year doctoral students at a doctoral school who have achieved a point score in the admission procedure that is in the top 20% of those admitted as of October 1 of the academic year in which the doctoral candidate applies for the scholarship, separately for:

a) Interdisciplinary Doctoral School
b) Warsaw Doctoral School of Mathematics and Computer Science
c) and in other cases: separately for each doctoral school by educational discipline

How to apply?

Students and PhD candidates who wish to apply should fill out an application. 

After filling out the application, please ensure that you attach the confirmation of your achievements (candidates for the Scholarship to Start for Doctoral Candidates do not have to attach the confirmation).

Download and complete the application form, then submit it to the Student Welfare and Support Office (BPM) along with supporting documents confirming your achievements (except for applicants applying for the “Scholarship to Start for Doctoral Students”—doctoral students are required to submit only the application form).

The application should be delivered by 24th April, 2026.

Application deadlines and details can be found on the Student Welfare and Support Office website.

Social scholarship

International students of the University of Warsaw can apply for the social scholarship if they meet at least one of the following conditions:

1. they study free of charge
2. have been granted with permanent residence permit
3. have refugee status
4. have a Polish language certificate at least at C1 level
5. have Pole’s Card
6. have a decision stating that the person has a connection to the Polish nation
7. benefit from temporary protection on the territory of the Polish Republic
8. are migrant workers with citizenship of an EU member state, Switzerland, European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member state, or European Economic Area (EEA) member state. This also includes the family of such persons.
9. have been granted long-term EU-resident permits on the territory of Poland, or other European country. This also includes the family of such a person
10. who has been granted with temporary residence permit on the territory of Poland due to one of the following reasons:
11. performance of work in an occupation requiring high skills
12. intention of a family member to reunite with a citizen of EU member state, EFTA member state, Switzerland, residing in Poland
13. are under subsidiary protection on the territory of Poland
14. are citizens of member states of EU, EFTA, EEA or Switzerland. This also includes the family of such a person.

Here you will find all the information you need about social scholarships.

Scholarship for people with disabilities

The rules for providing scholarships for students with disabilities are set out in the Act of 20 July 2018 – Law on Higher Education, art. 86-95 (PDF English version) and in the Regulations on Benefits for Students of the University of Warsaw (Monitor UW of 2021, item 215, only in Polish).

The scholarship application is submitted through the USOSweb system. After logging into USOSweb, go to the “Common section”, then “Applications” and complete the form by selecting it from the list of available applications.

The scholarship application is submitted as an electronic document. Electronic submission of applications in USOSweb is done using the “NEXT: SIGN AND SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY” button. When you click it, USOSweb will open another screen where you will need to enter an authorization code that will be sent to your email address. Once the authorization code has been entered, electronic submission of the application via USOSweb will occur.

Scholarship application processing is provided by the Office for Persons with Disabilities.

The application procedure should be repeated every time, at the beginning of the academic year or if the disability certificate has expired and a new document has been issued.

Required documents:

• a disability certificate,
• a certificate on the degree of disability,
• certificate referred to in Articles 5 and 62 of the Act of 27 August 1997 on Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities (certificate issued by a Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) medical expert, certificate of membership in one of the disability groups, certificate of permanent or long-term inability to work on an agricultural farm).

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