For completion of Bachelor's studies, 3 academic years are required. Almost all the courses of Bachelor’s degree have 6 semesters that is 2 semesters in each academic year. The Master's degree courses normally consist of 1 to 2 academic years, that is every year has two semesters.

The institutions in Poland provide courses in Polish as well as in English languages. International students in Poland may choose English as a medium of instruction. After completion of the Polish language course, you may also choose Polish as a medium of instruction.

International students can also avail English courses; hence speaking Polish is not mandatory. However, to study in Polish, you are required to complete the Polish language course before you begin studying.

Students who are of Polish origin with "karta polaka" may apply for studies that are budget-funded similar to the citizens of Poland. You can go through the scholarship list which is given by the Polish government as well as other organizations at www.buwiwm.edu.pl. Certain Universities may also offer other scholarships. It can be found in the course search engine as well as in the office of the International students of the chosen University.

All international applicants need to fulfill the minimum qualifications at first for their admission to higher education. From their respective countries, they should have a matriculation certificate or any other equivalent document. Also, they must have command of English up to intermediate level. Aptitude tests of some other departments such as physical education, arts, technical and medical universities, departments providing learning for the teaching profession, may also be required.

A Diploma Supplement is received after finishing higher education from Polish institutions. It is obtainable for free, issued in Polish, and upon application in other languages, including Russian, English, Spanish, German or French. With the ratification of the Lisbon Convention on Recognition of Degrees in 2004 by Poland, the Polish diplomas are recognized internationally.

Normally, for Polish universities, an academic year has 2 semesters which are each of 15 weeks span.

At the start of October, the Fall semester commences and continues up to mid-February, with a break of two as Christmas holidays. There is a one-week holiday in February. The Spring semester begins in mid of February and continues till the end of June. There is a break of one week for the Easter holidays. There is a Summer vacation which starts in July and lasts up to the end of September.

As there are multiple study programs by Universities in English, it is not mandatory. However, learning Polish for your daily use can help while staying in Poland. It can be helpful for joining any university course which is in Polish. The Courses which are of Polish language, as well as culture or survival Polish including the programs of orientation are generally held by universities for hosting foreign students. These courses may continue for a few weeks before the commencing of the academic year or may also run during the entire semester.

On choosing Polish as the language of studies, you are required to prove the ability in the Polish language prior to your commencement of studies. Command over the Polish language is required for the Foreign students aspiring to use Polish as a medium of study so that they can understand the tuitions and lectures at universities. For command over the Polish language as a foreign language, The State Commission for Certification of Command provides Information on Polish language certificates.

Students of EU/EEA are not required to submit any Polish visa. For a stay longer than 90 days on arrival to Poland, they must apply for a temporary residence permit. For the Non-EU/EEA students, a student's visa is to be obtained at a Polish Embassy or Consulate located in their respective countries. Visa is granted here for a maximum period of three months. For students willing to extend their stay in Poland, an application for a residence permit for a particular duration of time is to be made in the Voivodeship office. Students must reach out to the International Relations Office of their respective universities for additional support. The website www.msz.gov.pl by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs contains more useful information concerning: arriving in Poland, legalizing the stay, driving license, medical care, and insurance, addresses of diplomatic missions in Poland.

As medical care in Poland is chargeable, so Health insurance is compulsory for students in Poland for the complete term of their stay in Poland. For the non-EU/EEA countries, it is advisable to obtain medical insurance from their home country or shortly after they arrive in Poland. Or else, students will have to spend on the health service they receive. It is recommended for international students to purchase third-party liability insurance along with accident insurance.

The citizens of the EU while at stay in Poland are qualified for their free health service, provided they produce EHIC or the European Health Insurance Card.

Those EU citizens without the insurance in their respective country of residence and the non-EU citizens, can sign the insurance agreement with that of the Polish Health National Fund, also referred to as NFZ - Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia. They need to acquire insurance for the monthly payment costing 40 PLN.

With the bilateral agreements, various citizens of countries of Sweden, the U.K, and Slovakia are allowed to free of cost medical care. Also, the agreement with that of the Czech Republic, the students of the Czech students are qualified to require medical care in the event of sudden illness or even an accident.

The international students can apply for scholarships under bilateral agreements for direct cooperation extended by the Bureau for Academic Recognition and International Exchange (www.buwiwm.edu.pl). These are offered to countries including Angola, Albania, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Australia, Austria, Algeria Bulgaria, Brazil, Belgium, Belarus, Czech Republic, China, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Cyprus, Croatia, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Israel, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Jordan, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Mexico, Macedonia, Moldova, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Peru, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Serbia, Syria, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tunisia, Turkey, Tajikistan, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

The scholarships for the students from the European Union are allowed inside the frame of the Socrates/Erasmus program (www.socrates.org.pl). Also, for academic distinction as well university scholarships are provided.

Working together with studying in Poland can help the educational as well as the stay here. On pursuing a course that is on the degree level or higher than that the students are allowed to work during the span of the international student visa. However, prior to that for paid work, you need to ensure that your visa has permission for it. These vary across the countries.

Quite a few universities have their own jobcentre, which is on campus for students who advertise job opportunities as well as internships to aid students to acquire various skills. Various university job services are also a useful source of information.

The experiences as well as qualifications that the employers and the professional bodies need will differ across countries. For instance, for a career in medicine or engineering, accounting, or even that of teaching, there is some research work with the appropriate certified bodies in the home country that can provide advice.

The career possibilities will be benefitted enormously by your knowledge of studying, living, and staying in Poland. It's the possibility to acquire a wealth of distinct skills, attitudes, and more effective English language abilities and attempt work experience from the type of employers you aspire to work with.

Current research done with more than 4,500 ex-international students examined the specific skills employers, in the US give weightage to when dealing with hiring people that have exposure to study overseas.