Social scholarship

Detailed information concerning the principles of allocating the social scholarship may be found in § 6 - 11 of By-laws on benefits for students and doctoral students.

The following students may apply for social scholarship:

1. Polish citizens;
2. Foreigners who obtained permanent residence permit or long-term EU residents;
3. Foreigners who obtained temporary residence permit in relation to circumstances specified in Art. 159 sec. 1 or Art. 186 sec. 1 point 3 or 4 of the Act of 12 December 2013 on foreigners as amended;
4. Foreigners who possess the status of a refugee issued in the Republic of Poland or who avail of temporary protection or supplementary protection in the territory of the Republic of Poland;
5. Foreigners - owners of certificate confirming knowledge of Polish as a foreign language as specified in Art. 11A sec. 2 of the Act of 7 October 1999 on Polish language as amended, at least at the level of language proficiency C1;
6. Owners of the Pole's Card or persons who obtained a decision on possessing Polish origins;
7. Foreigners who are spouses, ascendant, descendant of the citizen of the Polish Republic, residing in the territory of the Republic of Poland;
8. Foreigners who obtained permit for temporary stay in relation to circumstances specified in Art. 151 sec. 1 or Art. 151b sec. 1 of the Act of 12 December 2013 on foreigners or who remain in the territory of the Republic of Poland in relation to the use of short-term mobility of scientist according to conditions specified in Art. 156b sec. 1 of this act or holding a national visa for the conduct of scientific research or development works;

Moreover, the following persons may apply for social scholarship:

1. Foreigner - citizen of an EU member state, Swiss Confederation citizen or citizen of a member state of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) - parties to the agreement on the European Economic Area and members of their families occupying the territory of the Republic of Poland or
2. Foreigner - citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Norther Ireland, as specified in Art. 10 sec. 1 letter b or d of the Agreement on joining the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Norther Ireland from the European Union and the European Atom Energy Community and members of their families residing in the territory of the Republic of Poland.
   
   Persons meeting the below criteria:
   1. being a self-employed person or being an employee specified in Art. 2 point 5 and 7 of the Act of 14 July 2006 on entry into the territory of the Republic of Poland, stay or leave from the territory by citizens of member statesof the European Union and their family members,
   2. who maintain the right of stay in cases specified in Art. 17 of the Act as specified in point 1,
   3. possessing the right of permanent stay - and members of their family residing in the territory of the Republic of Poland.

Family members of persons specified in points 1 and 2 are persons indicated in Art. 2 point 4 of the Act on entry into the territory of the Republic of Poland, stay and leave from that territory by citizens of EU member states and their family members.

Application for obtaining social scholarship in the winter semester of the academic year 2024/2025 may be registered and submitted from 1 October 2024

Application for obtaining social scholarship must be filled out by the student on USOSweb (guidelines). After filling out the application, its hardcopy (in Polish) along with the required documents must be submitted at the dean’s office personally, via electronic post (with confirmation of receipt) or via ePUAP platform.

Registering an electronic form at USOS is a technical action and does not constitute application form submission.

In accordance with § 4 sec. 1 of the By-laws of benefits, the student applying for a social scholarship is obliged to submit a signed application form with the required documents on or before the 20th day of the commenced month.

In case of documents in a foreign language, their certified translation must be submitted.

In accordance with § 4 sec. 9 of the above By-laws, the student applying for a social scholarship is entitled to the benefit starting from the month in which they submitted an application form with the required documents. The student is responsible for the correctly completed documents.

The social scholarship may be obtained by the student who is in a difficult material situation. Student’s material situation is established on the basis of the level of the monthly net amount per each family member of the student's family, established according to the principles specified in the Act of 28 November 2003 on family benefits.

In particularly justified cases the student may apply for social scholarship in an increased amount.

The monthly net income per one family member of the student entitled to obtaining social scholarship in the winter semester of academic year 2024/2025 cannot exceed the amount of PLN 1570.50.

The student whose monthly net income per single family member is lower or equal to PLN 600 is obliged to attach an application form concerning social scholarship issued by the social assistance centre or social services centre. Certificate on the use in the year of submission of the application of social assistance benefits by the student or by their family members. Failure to attach such a document will result in refusal to grant the social scholarship. In case when the student or members of their family do not use any social aid benefits, social scholarship may be granted solely if the student documents the sources of family subsistence.

In case of studying on more than one major of studies, the social scholarship may be obtained solely under one major, specified by the student.

Social scholarship cannot be granted to the student with a professional title (including also one obtained abroad):

• master, master engineer or equivalent,
• Bachelor, engineer or equivalent, if the student re-commences first-cycle studies.

The total period for which the social scholarship is granted amounts to 12 semesters regardless of their obtaining by the student, subject to this period of benefit entitlement being granted during the following types of studies:

1. first-cycle studies - not longer than 9 semesters;
2. second-cycle studies - not longer than 7 semesters.

The period of studies exceeds 2 semesters in case of undertaking uniform master's studies the duration of which lasts 11 or 12 semesters.

The above period includes all commenced by student semesters of first and second-cycle studies (first-cycle studies, second-cycle studies and uniform master's studies), including the semesters falling in the period of use of leaves specified in Art. 85 sec. 1 point 3 of the Act on Higher Education and Science, with the exception of semester on subsequent studies of the first-cycle commenced or continued after obtaining the first professional title of bachelor, engineer or equivalent. In case of education on several majors of studies, semesters undertaken simultaneously are treated as one semester.

The above provisions are applied to students who obtained education or gained professional titles abroad, respectively.

Composition of student’s family

In accordance with the Act on Higher Education and Science, whilst establishing the level of the monthly income entitling the student to apply for social scholarship, income obtained by the following persons are taken into consideration:

1. student;
2. student’s spouse;
3. parents, legal guardians or factual guardians of the student;
4. persons remaining dependants of students, minor children, children obtaining education until the age of 26 and if the age of 26 falls in the last year of studies, until their completion and disabled children regardless of their age.

The student who does not run a joint household with any of the parents, legal guardians or factual guardians and confirms this facts by means of a statement may apply for social scholarship without having to indicate income obtained by these persons if he or she meets at least one of the following conditions:

• he or she has completed the age of 26;
• he or she remains in a marriage;
• he or she has dependants, minor children, children obtaining education until the age of 26 and if the age of 26 falls in the last year of studies, until their completion and disabled children regardless of their age;
• he or she achieved adulthood whilst remaining in foster care;
• he or she has a permanent source of income and their average monthly income in the previous tax year and in the current year in the months preceding the month of submission of the statement as specified in sec. 6 is higher or equal to 40% of the minimum remuneration for work established from 1 January of the year preceding the academic year for which social scholarships are granted, pursuant to the Act of 10 October 2002 on minimum remuneration for work.