There are four good reasons for any international student to study at a Polish University: safety, quality, costs and jobs
Safety: There are various ways a student might be unsafe, especially when s/he is thousands of miles or kilometers away from home. Some countries may have higher rates of certain kinds of crime which may present a danger to unsuspecting outsiders, while in some certain places there may be too many distractions for a healthy study environment. Poland is a country that scores very high on all counts of safety statistics and in terms of a healthy, clean and green environment in which to live as well. According to the Global Peace Index (2022), Poland is ranked number 25 out of 163 of the safest countries in the world (United States ranks at number 129, France – 65, United Kingdom – 34). Poland is a place where both locals and travelers feel safe. Parents can rest assured that their loved ones will be studying peacefully wherever they may be in Poland.
Quality: On average Poland is one of the best countries in the world in quality of education. This is one of the reasons lots of Polish people are able to find well-paid jobs in other European countries or places like USA, Canada or Australia. Poland’s educational institutions score high in international rankings. Polish children are the third best in Europe at maths and science, and fourth best at reading comprehension, according to the latest PISA (the Programme for International Student Assessment) international rankings (2018). Poland’s quality of education is steadily improving – there were 6 of its universities in the QS World Ranking of 2016 and 19 universities in 2022.
Costs: This is where Poland separates from the pack. There aren’t many destinations in the world where one can study in English and receive a good education at very affordable rates. Poland gives this opportunity to practically anyone. You don’t have to be rich or even a high achievement student to be accepted by a Polish university. Polish universities emphasize creating opportunities for students over academic rigour, so even with a relaxed attitude school work should be manageable.
An annual tuition fee in Poland starts with as little as 850 Euro (ca. 870 USD or 715 GBP). A typical student will pay an annual tuition in the range of 2,500-4,500 Euro (ca. 2,600-4,600 USD or 2,100-3,800 GBP). The living cost will also be in the same range. Thus, total tuition and living costs for a year will be in the range of 5,000-9,000 Euro depending largely on the student’s spending habits.
Jobs: Poland is the only country in Europe whose economy never stopped growing in the past two decades when many European countries actually got smaller in terms of economic growth. This means Poland has jobs for young people where others don’t. More important than that for international students is Polish government attitude towards them. In some countries local work force is favoured above and beyond an international one but Poland gives opportunities to international students to stay and work after receiving a degree if they wish to do so. But it also lets them work part-time during their studies to support themselves financially and gain professional experience.
When a student arrives Poland s/he needs no work permit to work part-time or even for a full-time job when school is finished. The simple fact of finishing a Polish university entitles them to sign an employment contract without a work permit. This is a huge advantage for anyone who would like to stay and work in the EU.
Ogonki and the Węgorzewo commune will be enriched with a new health tourism facility called “Rest and learn”. A contract for co-financing the project, which will be implemented by a consortium of entrepreneurs, has just been signed. The consortium leader is Avista Consulting and Management from Warsaw.
On September 30, 2020, at the headquarters of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, representatives of the consortium signed the agreement for co-financing “Rest and learn” project under sub-measure 1.3.2. “Creating network products by SMEs of the Operational Program Eastern Poland for 2014-2020”. Out of 13 projects that received a grant, our project was the 2nd best. The total amount of the grant provided from European Union funds and the state budget for the implementation of the project exceeds PLN 26 million.
The project will be implemented by a consortium composed of:
- Avista Consulting and Management Sp. z o.o. from Warsaw
- Sea Development Sp. z o.o. from Kutno
- ILC International Language Center Poland Sp. z o.o. from Warsaw
- Unitedsky Sp. z o.o. from Warsaw
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The “Rest and Learn” center will be an innovative tourism product combining effective vocational education (i.e. gastronomy training in cooperation with Italian Universita dei Sapori from Perugia, intensive language courses in ‘language village’ form and flight courses at Warmia- Masurian airports) with active relaxation in modern well-equipped facilities using natural resources of Masuria, and with lifestyle coaching. As part of the latter, guests will have the opportunity to get a health check and they will be offered an individualized spa and wellness package. All this so that they can really relax , tune their lifestyle to improve their psychophysical condition. Each guest will also be supported with on-site dietary counseling and physical activities matching their current health condition.
In accordance with the motto of the facility, “Rest and Learn”, as part of their service package, guests will be offered the following:
- hotel and catering,
- training in the field of lifelong learning (gastronomy, foreign languages, piloting),
- recreational and sports activities by providing facilities and equipment for recreation and practicing sports, whether amateur or competitive, including water sports equipment,
- paramedical (spa, wellness, biological regeneration) and medical services (health balance),
- other (group events).
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The innovative aspect of the project is confirmed by opinion of scientists from the Vienna University of Technology.
The project is based on the tourism potential of the village of Ogonki on the shores of Lake Święcajty, which is the location of the property project will be implemented as a result of which 45 new jobs will be created.
The following sports and tourism infrastructure will be built under the auspices of the project:
- hotel facility with 108 beds with an indoor swimming pool and water-sports equipment rental (yachts, kayaks, pedal boats)
- a spa and wellness facility with a diagnostic laboratory, kinesiotherapy and physical therapy rooms, a fitness room and a gym, and biological regeneration devices, such as a hyperbaric chamber, cryo-stimulation and light therapy devices.
- training facility with 9 training laboratories, including 2 foreign language laboratories, 6 rooms for gastronomy courses and 1 workshop with one of the most modern flight simulators in Poland, as well as a sports equipment rental (with bicycles, Nordic walking sticks, balls and other equipment for various sports) and a six-meter mobile climbing wall.
- a sports pitch with artificial grass and a tennis court with a polyurethane surface.