Here you can find a list of scholarships provided by the Government of Poland. All below-mentioned scholarships (except for Kalinowski Programme) are granted by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) – newly set up institution to coordinate state activities driving the process of internationalization of Polish academic and research institutions.
Scholarships for the Polish diaspora (gen. Anders Scholarship Programme) are addressed to foreigners of Polish origin – nationals of: Belarus, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Rumania, Slovakia, Hungary, countries of former Yugoslavia, Ukraine, USA, Russia and countries of Central Asia and Caucasus, Latin America and Africa. The scholarships enable young people of Polish origin and holders of the Card of the Pole (Karta Polaka) to study in Poland (full-time programmes, in the Polish language) in higher education institutions supervised by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
Who can apply?
- Foreigners who have documented their Polish origin and holders of the Card of the Pole (Karta Polaka – holders of Karta Polaka does not need to document their Polish origin) are eligible to start their first (bachelor) and second (master) degree studies as well as single master degree studies– in case of first (bachelor) degree studies and master degree studies, they may undertake their studies 2 years after the matriculation exam at the latest, and in case of second (master) degree studies – two years after the completion of first (bachelor) degree studies at the latest and they cannot be older than 26.
- Dual nationals – holders of Polish and foreign citizenship who completed their entire secondary school education outside of Poland – can apply for first-degree and uniform Master’s degree studies
Approved candidates may participate in a one-year preparatory course before the beginning of their studies.
Candidates are selected on the basis of the calls for proposals announced on an annual basis.
Konstanty Kalinowski Scholarship Programme is the largest programme in Europe for young Belarusians who have not been able to study in their country because of their political views. It helps Belarusian students to get access to the best Polish universities and promotes European values. The programme offers scholarships for bachelor, master and doctoral studies as well as research internships and postgraduate studies in all fields of studies. The Konstanty Kalinowski Scholarship Programme is coordinated by the Programme Bureau at the Centre for East European Studies at University of Warsaw.
You may also check EU4Belarus Programme – financed by the European Union (materials only in Polish).
Ignacy Łukasiewicz Scholarship Programme is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange within the framework of Polish Development Assistance.
In the 2021/2022 edition the Lukasiewicz Scholarship Programme together with the Banach Scholarship Programme was merged into one programme for young people from developing countries who wish to take up studies in Poland. More information can be found below.
The patron of the Programme is Ignacy Łukasiewicz, an outstanding Polish inventor, pharmacist, pioneer of the oil industry and the creator of the kerosene lamp.
The Programme aim is to support the socio-economic growth of developing countries (excluding European and Central Asian countries) through raising the level of knowledge and education of their citizens. Scholarship holders will be first recruited from the following countries: Angola, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Palestine, Peru, The Republic of South Africa, The Philippines, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam.
Participation in the Programme enable to undertake tuition-free 2nd cycle studies (Master degree studies) at public universities in Poland supervised by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, in the following areas of study: engineering and technical sciences, agricultural sciences, sciences and natural sciences.
Second cycle degree programmes are preceded by a preparatory course to facilitate undertaking studies in Poland, which is also covered by the scholarship. The preparatory course is aimed at teaching the scholarship holders the Polish language, familiarising them with Polish culture and introducing them to subjects related to the course of their future studies.
Participating in The Ignacy Łukasiewicz Scholarship Programme is a good path for those who would like to improve their intercultural competences. Not only does it give a possibility to become familiar with the Polish culture, but also is a great opportunity to join the multicultural network.
Candidates are selected on the basis of the calls for proposals announced on the annual basis.
Stefan Banach Scholarship Programme aims to support the socio-economic growth of developing countries by improving the knowledge and education of the citizens of Eastern Partnership, Central Asian and Western Balkan countries. It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), implemented as part of the Polish development assistance programme.
Since the 2021/2022 edition the Banacha Scholarship Programme and the Lukasiewicz Scholarship Programme have been merged into one scholarship for young people from developing countries who wish to take up studies in Poland. The Programme’s patron remains Stefan Banach – an eminent Polish mathematician, the co-founder of the Lviv School of Mathematics and the branch of mathematics known as functional analysis.
The Programme offers an opportunity to pursue second-cycle studies in the full-time mode in Polish or in English in the field of engineering and technical, agricultural, exact and life sciences at public universities subordinate to the Minister of Science and Higher Education, benefiting from an exemption from university fees and a monthly Scholarship from NAWA to cover the living allowance in the statutory period of studying in Poland.
The Stefan Banach Scholarship may be applied for by citizens of the following countries: Albania, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Palestine, Peru, the Philippines, Senegal, Serbia, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
In addition, the citizens of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Montenegro, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan can complete second-degree studies in the fields of humanities and social sciences under the Programme, with the exception of philological studies in the field of the beneficiary’s native language.
The Programme also covers a preparatory course preceding studies in Poland (the Polish-language path) or a summer Polish language and culture course (the English-language path) financed by the resources granted by the Director of NAWA.
The scholarship shall be awarded based on the result of the substantive assessment of applications within the limits of places for individual Programme countries, determined by the Evaluation Team. The candidates themselves select the university and the field of study, based on the educational offer of Polish public higher education institutions. The choice of the educational path shall take place at the stage of submitting applications for the Programme and shall be binding throughout the entire period of participation in the Programme.
Details and documents necessary for application for the year 2022/2023
You may also check:
The list of public universities supervised by the competent Minister of higher education
Poland My First Choice Scholarship Programme aims to encourage young talented people from the countries listed below to pursue studies at the best Polish HEIs.
The Programme offers an opportunity to pursue full-time second-cycle studies at public and private HEIs on all fields of study offered by institutions offering education at highest level – i.e. those classified to the A and A+ category under the latest parametric evaluation – subordinate to the Minister of Science and Higher Education, with a monthly NAWA scholarship amounting to PLN 2,000 (ca. EUR 460) to cover the living allowance during the period of education in Poland specified in the Regulations. In the case of public HEIs, the Programme also offers an exemption from education fees. The Programme provides the participants with an opportunity to study in Polish or in another language. The Applicants select HEIs and fields of study in which they want to enrol based on the educational offer of Polish higher education institutions and apply for the curriculum of their choice. Final decisions regarding admissions of Applicants and financial conditions of education shall be made by HEIs.
The scholarship offer is addressed to foreigners – the citizens of the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Chile, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Canada, Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Latvia, Malta, Germany, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, Uruguay, USA, Hungary, Italy, the United Kingdom as well as to Chinese citizens residing in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
The Programme does not provide for a call for applications for fields of study offered by HEIs supervised by other ministries.
The Programme is planned to be implemented as part of a non-competition project under the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development, co-financed from the European Social Fund.
