For many years now, Polish universities have been accepting foreign students on a massive scale, requiring neither educational documents nor proof of language proficiency. However, more than 50% of foreign students do not even complete their studies. Find out the details of the student visa scandal in Poland

Since 2014, the number of Polish student visas issued has increased significantly, allowing over 321,000 students from almost 200 countries to come to Poland. This includes even such remote countries as Papua New Guinea and Tanzania. 

However, according to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, about half of them do not make it to the second year of their studies. A government audit found that many foreigners use the Polish student visa as an easy way to enter Europe, where their real goals are to find employment or emigrate to other Schengen countries. 

Audit results from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior and Administration confirm this fact, noting that abuse of the system is widespread.

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How many foreign students in Poland failed to complete their studies?

Currently, there are 98,056 foreign students studying in Poland, although 103,147 students started the academic year 2023/2024. This means that more than 5,000 students disappeared from the system after the first semester. In 2014, the number of foreign students was over 41,000, and their number has grown exponentially, doubling in 2020. Most students come from Ukraine - over 45,000, followed by a significant number of students from Belarus (12.4 thousand), Zimbabwe and Turkey (over 4 thousand), India (over 3 thousand), and Russia (1.1 thousand).

The list of foreign students in Poland includes representatives from more than 200 countries, including such distant and exotic countries as Mauritius, Saint Lucia, and the Seychelles. Since 2014, when a significant influx of foreign students began, 118,371 students have graduated to date. Last year, there were 17,000 foreign graduates (1,214 Ukrainians, 361 Belarusians, 199 Indians, and 149 Turks), and the year before that there were more than 16,000.

An audit by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs revealed abuse of the visa system, showing that of the group of students who start their studies in the first year, only 59% (in 2018) to 53% (in 2022) reach the second year. The largest number of foreign students study at the Academy of Applied Sciences in Lublin (72% of all students) and the Wisłin University of Finance and Business (56.5%) according to 2022 data.

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Is language proficiency taken into account when applying to Polish universities?

Foreign students in Poland are mainly attracted to non-state universities that do not receive state funding for the maintenance and development of teaching staff, including the education of foreigners. According to Natalia Zhytomyr, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Science, foreign students pay their own tuition fees, but control over their presence in class remains at the university level. Thus, only rectors are responsible for monitoring the educational process.

A student visa in Poland is a national visa and is issued for a maximum of 365 days. After that, students must apply for the right to stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland. In accordance with the directives of the European Parliament, an EU member state may require proof of sufficient knowledge of the language to be studied in order to obtain a visa. However, Poland does not impose such requirements on foreign students. It is enough to provide proof of payment of tuition fees, even if it is only one semester, and a certificate of enrollment.

Thus, the system of attracting foreign students in Poland is largely based on self-financing by students and a liberal approach to language requirements. This creates certain challenges in ensuring the quality of education and monitoring actual attendance.

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Is it possible to restrict access to the labor market for foreign students in Poland?

The el Dorado for foreign students in Poland is gradually coming to an end. The government is planning to scrutinize the practices of admission of foreigners to Polish universities. In particular, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior and Administration propose to ban the admission of foreign students to those universities that do not meet the minimum recruitment criteria. The process of pre-selection of foreign candidates for study, as in Germany, should be centralized and conducted by one institution, for example, the National Agency for Academic Exchange. This agency would be responsible for verifying matriculation certificates and proof of knowledge of the language of instruction, as well as other criteria.

The government also proposes to consider restricting the access of foreign students to the Polish labor market and raising the minimum amount of financial resources required to obtain a visa and residence card. It is planned to introduce an obligation to have a blocked account with a minimum amount of funds. Currently, this amount is only PLN 1270 for the first two months of the planned stay.

Such changes are intended to reduce the abuse of the visa system and ensure a better and more controlled process of admission of foreign students to Polish educational institutions.

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