The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland issued a decree that may lead to the blockage of admission for foreign applicants, including Ukrainians, to universities. Now, to confirm language proficiency in Polish or another language at the required level, certificates are needed that foreigners cannot obtain in time. A group of activists has already gathered a petition asking to postpone the implementation of the decree. This was reported by Glavkom with reference to mostmedia.
As of July 1, 2025, the Law on Eliminating Violations in the Visa System came into force in Poland. One of the measures was the requirement to confirm knowledge of the language in which the education will occur, at least at the B2 level.
However, the law itself did not define the methods for confirming language knowledge, which necessitated a separate decree from the Ministry of Education. No explanations from the ministry were made before the start of the admissions campaign.
The Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities called on the minister to regulate the admission rules for foreigners. For example, to allow internal tests for determining knowledge levels.
Problems even for those who have already paid for their education
To confirm knowledge of the Polish language at a level not lower than B2, foreigners must have a state examination certificate or ECL or TELC certificates. There are also other documents, but they concern a limited number of applicants, such as those who completed preparatory courses at a university. For education in a foreign language, the list of documents differs slightly.
By refusing internal tests by universities, the Ministry of Education took into account the wishes of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that higher education institutions, being interested parties, cannot independently verify foreigners' knowledge and need external institutions. This was supposed to avoid abuses that were identified in some universities that actively recruited foreigners into paid programs.
The decree from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland regarding confirming language knowledge at the required level may cause problems for foreign applicants, including Ukrainians, who want to enroll in Polish universities. The requirement to have certificates in a language at the relevant level creates an unacceptable bureaucratic barrier, as it is difficult for foreigners to obtain the necessary documents on time. Nevertheless, activists have already taken action to solve this problem by collecting a petition to postpone the implementation of the decree.