General information
A degree awarded by an institution operating in the education system of an EU, OECD or EFTA country, upon completion of:
- 3-year studies or first cycle studies with the nominal duration of min. 3 years - confirms possession of a first cycle degree in Poland;
- second cycle studies or long cycle studies with the nominal duration of min. 4 years - confirms possession of a second cycle degree in Poland.
A foreign degree awarded by an institution operating in another country may be recognised as equivalent to a Polish one either on the basis of an international agreement or (if there are no such agreements) by way of nostrification.
Nostrification is a procedure aimed at recognising a foreign diploma as an equivalent to a Polish diploma. After successful nostrification an appropriate Polish academic degree can be used.
The competent authorities to conduct the nostrification procedure with regard to higher education diplomas (university degrees) are organisational units of higher education institutions authorised to confer the academic degree of a doctor (doctor) in a given field of science or in a given field of art.
Recognition of foreign degrees for the purpose of further education
If a diploma confirming completion of studies abroad gives access to the next level of higher education or entitles its holder 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.
Information regarding recognition of foreign maturity certificates or other documents which may confirm the right to apply for admission to first-cycle or long-cycle studies in Poland and list of regional educational authorities (kuratoria oświaty) responsible for recognition of these documents is available here.
If you want to check how a particular foreign diploma is recognised in Poland, you can use KWALIFIKATOR (eng. qualifier) system.
Recognition of foreign degrees for professional purposes
A diploma issued by a university operating in the higher education system of an EU, OECD or EFTA member state which confirms completion of:
- three-year studies or first-cycle studies lasting at least 3 years – confirms completion of education at the level of first-cycle studies in Poland;
- second-cycle studies or long-cycle studies of at least four years’ duration – confirms completion of education at the level of second-cycle studies in Poland.
A diploma confirming completion of studies abroad may be recognised as equivalent to the relevant Polish diploma on the basis of an international agreement determining equivalence or, where no such agreement exists, by way of nostrification proceedings.
Nostrification is a procedure aimed at recognising a foreign diploma as an equivalent to a Polish diploma. After successful nostrification an appropriate Polish academic degree can be used.
The competent authorities to conduct the nostrification procedure with regard to higher education diplomas (university degrees) are organisational units of higher education institutions authorised to confer the academic degree of a doktor (doctor) in a given field of science or in a given field of art.
If you want to check how a particular foreign diploma is recognised in Poland, you can use KWALIFIKATOR (eng. qualifier) system.
A scientific degree awarded by an authorised institution operating in the education system of one of the EU, EFTA, OECD countries is recognised as equivalent to the appropriate Polish one.
A scientific degree acquired in other country may be recognised as equivalent to a Polish one either on the basis of an international agreement or (if there are no such agreements) by way of nostrification.
A holder of a scientific degree acquired in a country – party to the Lisbon Convention who wishes to start habilitation proceedings in Poland may be exempted from nostrification.
The competent authorities to conduct the nostrification procedure with regard to scientific degrees are councils of the organisational unit authorised to confer an academic degree of doktor habilitowany (doctor habilitatus) in a given academic field or in a given field of art within the scope of a given academic discipline or of a given arts discipline concerned with the academic degree.
If you want to check how a particular foreign diploma is recognised in Poland, you can use KWALIFIKATOR (eng. qualifier) system.
In countries with which Poland has signed agreements, Polish degrees are recognised according to the rules set by those countries. In other countries, Polish degrees are recognised in accordance with the regulations on the academic recognition of foreign qualifications in force in a given country.
Information on the recognition of Polish degrees can be obtained in an ENIC/NARIC centre or the ministry of education of a given country: www.enic-naric.net
ENIC– European Network of National Information Centres for Academic Recognition and Mobility established by the Council of Europe and UNESCO for the European Region.
NARIC – National Academic Recognition and Recognition Centres is a network set up by the European Commission in order to establish effective and close cooperation between EU member states in terms of academic recognition and they support the system for professional recognition.
For more information, please contact the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange, all information regarding recognition you can find at link: www.nawa.gov.pl/en/recognition