In the 2021/2022 academic year, 89,420 foreign students from 180 countries studied in Poland, 4,731 more than in the previous year (an increase of 5.6%). According to the report ‘Foreign students in Poland 2022’, foreign students now account for 7.34% of the total number of students in Poland. The upward trend has continued since 2005, i.e. since the launch of the long-term Study in Poland programme by the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland and the Perspektywy Foundation.

The report “Foreign Students in Poland 2022” is based on unpublished data from the Central Statistical Office for the academic year 2021/2022, data from the POL-on Integrated Information System for Higher Education and Science, the “Perspektywy” Educational Foundation’s own survey, as well as data from the OECD, UNESCO and Project Atlas.

The report shows that the dominant group at Polish universities are students from Ukraine and Belarus. In the 2021/2022 academic year, 36,011 Ukrainians and 11,075 Belarusians were studying in Poland. The authors of the report indicate that for both nations, our country’s membership of the European Union and the similarity of cultures are a major factor in their decision to study in Poland. 

Another argument in favour of studying in Poland is the high quality of education. This is mainly a criterion for students from Turkey (2854) and India (2449). 

Fewer students from China (1471) and Taiwan (805) came to Poland to study than in the previous year. On the other hand, there was an increase in the number of students from Kazakhstan (1725), Azerbaijan (1814) and Uzbekistan (2141).

Students from Norway (1,427), Sweden (771) and the United States (700) are the most likely to choose medical faculties in Poland.

In the 2021/2022 academic year, students from the Northern Mariana Islands, Bermuda and Curacao began their studies at Polish universities for the first time.

Adrian Andrzejewski