More than half of foreign students in Poland are Ukrainians

As a result of the crisis in Ukraine, there has been an increase in the wave of admissions of Ukrainian citizens to Polish universities. Students are attracted by the available study programs and the increasing number of courses in English.

Statistics show that out of a total of 46101 people this year, almost 24,000 – are from Ukraine. According to the head of one educational agency, the conflict in Ukraine was the main driving factor in students' choice of education abroad.

In addition, the introduction of the Polish Erasmus program for Ukraine, which since last year granted 500 scholarships to Ukrainian students, also contributed. According to the website of the Ministry of Science and Education - preference is given to candidates from war zones who have lost their livelihoods in order to support the development of democratic institutions in Ukraine.

Also, one of the incentives for Ukrainian students studying in Poland has been the opportunity to get an education in both English and Polish. According to some students, the Polish language is relatively easy for Ukrainians and Polish-language programs are cheaper.

Another reason students emigrate – the current state of Ukrainian education. The problem is that the universities receive irregular financing, and many of them have lost financial support from the state altogether, as funds from the educational sector are redirected into the defense sector. There are also reports of an increased level of corruption and a deterioration in the quality of education itself.

While the number of foreign students in Poland has increased, the number of local students has fallen sharply to 80,491 in the past year. As a result of the crisis in Ukraine, the wave of Ukrainian citizens coming to Polish universities has increased. Students are attracted by affordable study programs and an increasing number of courses in English.

According to statistics, out of a total of 46101 people this year, almost 24,000 – are from Ukraine. According to the head of one educational agency, the conflict in Ukraine was the main driving factor in students' choice of education abroad. In addition, the introduction of the Polish Erasmus program for Ukraine, which since last year granted 500 scholarships to Ukrainian students, also contributed.

According to the website of the Ministry of Science and Education - preference is given to candidates from war zones who have lost their livelihoods in order to support the development of democratic institutions in Ukraine. Also, one of the incentives for Ukrainian students studying in Poland was the opportunity to get an education in both English and Polish. According to some students, the Polish language is quite easy for Ukrainians and Polish-language programs are cheaper.

Another reason students emigrate – the current state of Ukrainian education. The problem is that the universities receive irregular financing, and many of them have lost financial support from the state altogether, as funds from the educational sector are redirected into the defense sector. There are also reports of an increased level of corruption and a deterioration in the quality of education itself.