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STUDY IN POLAND

Education is compulsory for children from the age of 6 to 18 years old. Public schools are tuition-free; however, there are a number of paid private schools.

Kindergartens
Kindergartens enroll children from the age of 3 to 6 years old. Parents may choose not to send children to kindergarten, if they are less than 5 years old. Moreover, it is compulsory for every child to participate in one-year long preparatory class, before they are promoted to the elementary school level.
Elementary school

6-year-old children enter six-year period of education at the elementary school level. (Since 1 of September 2015 every 6 years old children will be obligated to go to school.) Curriculum of the first three grades does not cover multiple subjects (so called integrated education) and the classes are taught by a single home room teacher. This gives children time to adapt to the school environment and learn to read and write. Teaching specific subjects does not start until the fourth grade. In the sixth grade, Central Education Commission verifies the knowledge and skills of the pupils during the nation-wide examination. The results of the examination have no influence on completion of elementary education or enrollment to public gymnasiums, which emphasizes the informational purpose of the exam. The main admission criterion for gymnasium enrollment is pupil’s place of residence.

Gymnasium (lower secondary level school)
Education at lower secondary level takes three years. Gymnasiums are attended by children from the age of 13 to 16 years old. Education at this level assumes general character and is concluded with a nation-wide examination divided into three parts: humanities, mathematics and environmental sciences, and foreign languages (elementary level – compulsory for all exam participants, extended level – compulsory for children, who have been taught foreign language since elementary school). There is no specific level of points required for passing the exam; however, its results may affect the admission to specific secondary schools.
Upper secondary level schools

Upper secondary level schools differ in scope and length of the education and type of the final examination upon its completion:

  • Basic vocational school (16 to 18/19 years old) – graduates receive a diploma certifying vocational qualifications obtained during the education process. They may continue education in a supplementary general secondary schools and obtain additional qualifications on technical courses.
  • Three-year general secondary school (16-19 years old) concluded with the final maturity examination (matura). Each examinee is obligated to attend exams in Polish, mathematics, and one of the foreign languages. Moreover, examinees choose between extended and basic forms of the exam. Some schools offer bilingual classes, which enables student to participate in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
  • Four-year technical secondary school (16-20 years old) concluded with the vocational examination. The technical school offers a possibility to participate in the final maturity examination.
  • Three-year special education schools established for students with special educational needs arising from mild or significant intellectual disability or students with multiple disabilities. Upon graduation, students receive diplomas certifying their work readiness.
Post-secondary schools

Post-secondary schools offer complementary education for the graduates of the secondary level education. Completing this type of school takes two and a half years at most.

Higher education

Polish higher education system is based on the Bologna process, which comprises:

  • Professional higher studies (three to four years) – graduates obtain professional degree of licencjat or inżynier (in the field of engineering, agriculture or economics), which is the Polish equivalent of a bachelor’s degree.
  • Two-year master studies – graduates obtain a professional degree of magister, which is the Polish equivalent of a master’s degree depending on the course profile of the studies.
  • Five-year master studies e.g. law, psychology, and medicine.
  • doctorate level studies

Education in Lower Silesia

Educational offer of the Lower Silesian region ensures availability of workers with desirable professional qualifications. Lower Silesian voivodship is one of the leading educational centers in Poland, both in respect to the number of students and the quality of knowledge obtained by young people living in the region. Two high schools from Wroclaw occupy top positions in the ranking of Polish upper secondary schools published by Rzeczpospolita and Perspektywy: XIV LO im. Polonii Belgijskiej general secondary school and III LO im. Adama Mickiewicza School.
The key role in higher education in Lower Silesia region is played by Wroclaw University of Technology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw Medical University and Wroclaw University of Economics. Most of the young people from the Wroclaw region move to the regional capital after finishing secondary schools.

Elementary, lower and higher secondary level education

During the academic year 2013/2014, there were 147 thousand elementary schools pupils, nearly 78 thousand gymnasium students and nearly 84 thousand students of upper secondary level schools, among which general schools and technical schools enjoyed the greatest popularity.