Poznan.pl, oficjalna strona Miasta Poznania

EU/EEA students do not need any Polish visa, however upon arrival to Poland they should apply for a temporary residence permit if they stay in the country longer than 3 months. Non EU/EEA students need to arrive in Poland with a student's visa that can be obtained at the Polish Embassy or Consulate in country of residence. Visas are granted for a maximum three months, so in order to extend the stay in Poland, it is necessary to apply for a residence permit. To get more detailed information cotact the International Relations Office of your university and check the website of Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs: www.msz.gov.pl/Main,page,2.html

Students from the EU countries have to apply for Temporary Permit Card if their stay exceedes 3 months. For stays which are shorter than 3 months no legalisation is necessary.  The residence permits are issued by the Department of Citizens Affairs of the Regional Office (province administration) and valid for one year in case of students.

Students who are EU citizens and have their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) are legible for free health service. EU citizens are entitled to receive free health care services from health care providers who have contracts for health services with the National Health Fund (NFZ).The students from non-EU/EEA countries are recommended to buy medical insurance in their home country or immediately after their arrival in Poland. Otherwise students are required to pay for any health service they get. All the foreign students are advised to purchase third party liability insurance and accident insurance. More information can be found on The National Health Fund (NFZ) website: www.nfz.gov.pl.

The lenght of a program can vary, but in general:

• Bachelor courses last 6 or 7 semesters (3 or 3,5  year)
• Master courses last 3 or 4 semesters (1,5 or 2 years)
• Doctoral programmes last at least 3 years

For details visit the websites of institutions you are applying to.

The general rule is as follows:

• Students who are citizens of countries outside the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland are required to pay application and tuition fees (unless they hold a scholarship which exempts them from paying)
• exchange students, double citizenship holders (with one of them being Polish) and scholarship holders generally have their tuition fees waived.

All international students who consider studying in Poland are advised to seek more detailed information at institutions they are applying to. Tuition fee regulations can vary substantially depending on the programme, country of origin, Polish descent or scholarships.

International students can apply for various scholarships that will help to cover living costs in Poland or exempts them from paying tuition fee. Scholarships for students from European Union are offered within the framework of the Erasmus/LLP program. In addition university scholarships are available for academic excellence.

The academic year at Polish universities consists of 2 semesters (15 weeks each):

• Fall semester: beginning of October - mid-February (with two-week break for Christmas holidays and with a one-week vacation period in February);
• Spring semester: mid-February  - the end of June (with one-week break for Easter holidays)

Summer vacation lasts from the beginning of July to the end of September.

Thirty students' dormitories offer 9,500 beds for those who seek accommodation. For a monthly accommodation one have to pay there PLN 250-720. If you decide to stay in a students' flat, you will have to pay at least PLN 350 per room, whereas if you wish to rent a oneroom flat, you will have to pay PLN 1,000 monthly.

If you wish to eat something tasty and not spend a big amount of money, it is worth visiting one of a dozen or so milk bars, where dinner costs as much as PLN 5. The cost of a monthly board amounts to PLN 400.

You can arrive at any place in the town by numerous bus and tram lines, including "Pestka" (Poznań Fast Tram). The student monthly season ticket is an expense of several dozen PLN.

Student ID gives all students (also international students) an opportunity to get discounts for students on public transports, cinemas, stores, restaurants and many others.

Poznań universities offer various forms of activity. Over 270 student organisations and scientific circles function here successfully. Every student can join any number of student organizations. As an international student you will most likely have the most contact with ESN (Erasmus Student Network).

In Poznań lives more than 2,000 foreign students. You can meet them in the program you are attending, university and outside of it. You can use social media, Erasmus Student Network (ESN) or many other to connect with them.

Poznań offers one of the best public transport system in Europe. The public transport within Poznań consist of well-developed network of frequent and convenient bus and tram lines. You can buy single tickets in kiosks, ticket machines etc. or get a travel pass which gives you access to all the trams and buses for a certain period of time. For more information check the website of Urban Transport Authority in Poznań

Most of the students and univerisities staff speak English. Younger people speak English, then Russian, German, Italian, Spanish and French, at least in some capacity. Among the older, the most popular languages are English, Russian, German and French.

You can study Polish for beginners in many language schools and institiutions in Poznań.  For example, Adam Mickiewicz University (AMU) offers courses of polish language and culture: http://www.schoolpl.amu.edu.pl/go.php/en.html

As the result of a continental climate from the east and a maritime climate from the west influence,   Polish weather (so, Poznań weather as well) is changeable, with significant differences from day to day. In Poland, there are generally 4 seasons:

• Spring, which starts in March and is initially cold and windy, later becoming pleasantly warm and often very sunny.
• Summer, which begins in June, is predominantly warm but hot at times (with temperature reaching as high as 35-40C at least once per year), with plenty of sunshine interlaced with heavy rains. July and August are the hottest months.
• Autumn, that comes in September, is warm and usually sunny at first and becomes cold, damp and foggy in November.
• Winter lasts from December to March and includes shorter or longer period of snow. January and February are the coldest months with the temperature sometimes dropping as low as -15C.

The average annual rainfall in Poznan is around 600mm, with the greatest falls in the summer months (especially July).