Diploma recognition

Access to first cycle studies

Upper secondary education and the entitlement to apply to be admitted to a higher education institution have to be confirmed in the Republic of Poland with the following documents:

• certificates and other documents issued by the school or educational establishment operating within the system of education of a Member State of the European Union, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – a party to the European Economic Area agreement, whereupon a candidate is entitled to apply to be admitted to a higher education institution in those states. This applies to secondary school-leaving certificates obtained in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Canada, Korea, Lichtenstein , Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Germany, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, USA, Hungary, Great Britain, Italy.
• IB Diplomas (International Baccalaureate) issued by the International Baccalaureate Organization in Geneva;
• EB Diplomas (European Baccalaureate) issued by European Schools pursuant to the Convention Defining the Statute of the European Schools, drawn up in Luxembourg, on June 21, 1994 (Journal of Laws [Dz.U.] of 2005, no. 3, item 10).

Certificates and other documents issued abroad by schools or educational establishments recognized by the state on whose territory or within whose system of education they are operating, are recognized under the principles provided for in international agreements (Belarus, Ukraine, China).

Unless international agreements provide to the contrary, certificates and other documents issued abroad by schools or educational establishments recognized by the state on whose territory or within whose system of education they are operating, may be recognized by way of an administrative decision* to be documents confirming primary, lower secondary, basic vocational, stage I sectoral vocational, stage II sectoral vocational or upper secondary education, or the entitlement to continue education in the Republic of Poland, including the entitlement to apply to be admitted to a higher education institution, taking into consideration the scope of the entitlement in the state issuing the certificate or another document.

Note!

If a given certificate or another document entitles the holder to be admitted to a certain higher education study program in the issuing state, this certificate or document confirms the entitlement to apply to be admitted in the Republic of Poland to the same higher education study program or a similar one in terms of the curriculum or may be recognized as a document confirming the entitlement to apply to be admitted in the Republic of Poland to the same higher education study program or a similar one in terms of the curriculum.

*You must obtain the certificate of recognition by the end of the first semester of your studies.  

Access to second cycle studies

If your degree gives access to the next level of higher education or entitles you to apply for doctoral degree in the country of issue, also in Poland it gives the right to access education at the corresponding level (second-cycle studies, doctoral school) or to start proceedings which lead to obtaining Polish academic degree.

If you need a recognition statement of your diploma you can do it by yourself by using the KWALIFIKATOR system, or apply for an individual statement to NAWA (National Agency for Academic Exchange National Agency for Academic Exchange).