Scholarships for international and local students in Warsaw: How to get funded

Rector’s Scholarship for Academic Achievements and Achievements

It is awarded for a high grade point average or scientific, artistic and sporting achievements. At the Warsaw University of Technology or the University of Warsaw, this benefit can usually be applied for by the best 10% of students in each field of study.

• Average ratings: Each faculty sets its own threshold, but usually realistic odds start with an average of 4.50.
• Points for activity: Activity in scientific clubs, publications in scientific journals or successes in the colors of AZS Warszawa can significantly increase your position in the ranking.

Scholarship for people with disabilities

This benefit does not depend on your income or academic performance. The only criterion is to have a current certificate of disability. The amount depends on the degree (light, moderate, significant). In Warsaw, the Offices for Persons with Disabilities (e.g. BON UW) offer additional support in the application process.

Scholarships m.st Warsaw – unique support from the city

Warsaw as a city has its own scholarship system, which functions independently of material assistance at universities. This is a chance to get additional funds, even if you are already taking the Rector’s scholarship.

John Paul II Scholarships m.st Warsaw

It is one of the most popular programs in the capital, managed by the John Paul II Thought Center. It is addressed to students studying in Warsaw who, despite their difficult financial situation, achieve scientific, sports or artistic success.

• Income criterion: The net income per person in the family may not exceed the amount determined annually by the city (usually oscillating around PLN 2500 net). 
• Scientific criterion: Average grade point average of at least 4.0 for students.
• Social involvement: The program places a strong emphasis on volunteering and activity outside the study program.

SAPERE AUDE Scholarship

Dedicated to outstanding young scientists studying in Warsaw. If you conduct innovative research, have patents or publications of international scope, this program is for you. Recruitment usually takes place once a year at the Office m.st Warsaw.

How to get a scholarship step by step: Procedure at USOSweb

Most Warsaw universities use the USOSweb system. The application process is digitized, but requires the physical delivery of a set of documents to the Office of Student Affairs or the Dean’s Office.

Step 1: Filling out the income statement

Before you can submit a proper application for a social scholarship, you must fill out an electronic statement of family income in USOSweb. The system will ask you to enter the amounts from the certificates from the Tax Office and health contributions.

• Important: Remember to add non-taxable income (e.g. alimony, farm income).

Step 2: Generate and sign the application

After the declaration of income is accepted by the university employee, the system will unlock the possibility of filling out an application for a specific scholarship. You need to generate it, validate the data, and sign it.

• Electronic signature: Some universities accept signatures through the Trusted Profile, which allows for full online proceedings. On others, you need to print out the application and take it to the window.

Step 3: Completing additional documents

If you are applying for the Rector’s Scholarship, you must attach certificates of:

• sporting achievements (confirmed by the club or federation),
• scientific achievements (copies of publication title pages, language certificates),
• work in a scientific club (certificate from the club supervisor).

Deadlines you can’t miss

In Warsaw, the fight for scholarships takes place within strict time regimes. Missing the deadline by one day usually results in the inability to pay the benefit for a given semester.

• October: This is a crucial month. Most universities (UW, WUT, SGH) set deadlines for submitting applications between 1 and 20 October.
• November: Period of verification and calls to complete formal deficiencies. Check your student mail and notifications on USOSweb regularly.
• March: The second round of applications for students starting their studies from the summer semester or applying for a recalculation of income due to its loss.

Allowances – one-off support in difficult times

If your financial situation has deteriorated suddenly (e.g. death of a family member, sudden illness, theft or fire), you can claim the benefit.

• Limit: You can usually receive two allowances in an academic year.
• Documenting: The application for the allowance must be supported by evidence (e.g. death certificate, medical certificate, police report). In Warsaw, scholarship committees consider these applications in an accelerated procedure.

Foundation Scholarships and Private Programs in Warsaw

Warsaw is home to many foundations that offer their own scholarship programs. It is worth monitoring the websites of such organizations as:

• Entrepreneurship Education Foundation: Offers bridging scholarships for first-year students from small towns who are starting their studies in Warsaw.
• mBank Foundation: It is addressed to students of mathematics and computer science at Warsaw technical universities.
• Polish-American Freedom Foundation: Supports students involved in the development of local communities.

Specific tips for future scholarship holders

To increase your chances of receiving extra money, follow these rules:

• Collect documents in advance: Certificates from the Tax Offices in the autumn are issued with a delay. Order them in September.
• Check the regulations of material aid at your university: The regulations at the Warsaw University of Technology differ from those at the MUMU. The devil is in the details of calculating the grade point average (e.g. whether grades from PE or language courses are included).
• Take advantage of the status of a Varsovian: If you settle PIT in Warsaw, you have access to a larger pool of city scholarships.
• Monitor USOSweb daily: Notifications about the need to correct the application have short turnaround times (often only 7 days).
• Take advantage of consultations: Student self-governments of Warsaw universities conduct scholarship duties. If you don’t know how to calculate the income from your parents’ farm, ask an expert from the Local Government.

Specifics of scholarships for students from Ukraine in Warsaw

Warsaw has become a major academic center for thousands of young people from Ukraine. If you are studying at the University of Warsaw, Warsaw University of Technology or Lazarski University, you need to know that your right to scholarships depends on the legal status you have in Poland.

• Students with UKR (temporary protection) status: Under the special law, students from Ukraine who came to Polish after February 24, 2022 have the right to apply for a social scholarship and allowances on the same terms as Polish students. This is key information that allows you to obtain support in the range of PLN 1200-1800 per month, depending on the internal regulations of the university.
• People with the Pole’s Card: If you have a Pole’s Card, you are fully entitled to all financial assistance benefits: social scholarship, Rector’s scholarship and allowances.
• Students on general terms (without UKR and Pole’s Card): If you are studying in Warsaw on the basis of a visa or residence card (without eligibility for a social scholarship), you can still apply for the Rector’s scholarship for academic achievement. Your nationality does not matter here – only your grade point average obtained at the Warsaw university counts.

How to correctly calculate the income for a social scholarship in Warsaw?

The procedure for calculating income is the most complicated stage of applying in the USOSweb system. Tax offices in Warsaw (e.g. the First Tax Office Warsaw-Śródmieście) issue certificates that you must precisely transfer to the form.

Income lost and income gained

These are the two concepts that determine whether you will receive money.

• Income Lost: If your parents worked last year but lost their jobs before you applied for the scholarship, their earnings from that period are not included. You must provide a certificate of employment and a certificate of deregistration from insurance.
• Income obtained: If someone in your family did not work last year, but started a new job in Warsaw this year, their current earnings (from the second month of work) will be added to the family income.

Certificate from the Social Welfare Center (OPS)

If your net income per person in the family is very low (below PLN 600), the university (e.g. WUM or SGGW) is obliged to ask you for a certificate from OPS (Social Welfare Center suitable for your district in Warsaw, e.g. OPS Wola or OPS Mokotów). This certificate must confirm that your family is using system support. The lack of such a document in the case of low income may result in a refusal to award a social scholarship.

Strategy for the Rector’s Scholarship: How to Maximize Points?

The Rector’s Scholarship is a prestigious benefit, which in Warsaw can be as high as PLN 1500-2000 per month. To be in the top ten students, it is not enough just to have a high average. The point system at universities such as WUT or UW rewards multi-track activity.

Scientific publications and conferences

As a student of the Warsaw university, you have access to numerous scientific clubs. If you publish an article in a peer-reviewed journal or speak at a scientific conference (e.g. at the Warsaw School of Economics), you will receive additional points, which often weigh the same as an increase in the average by 0.2.

• For example: Participation in a nationwide scientific panel organized in Warsaw can give you a “point advantage” that will move you on the ranking list over people with a higher average, but without scientific activity.

Sports achievements in the colors of the university

Representing the university in the Academic Championships of Warsaw and Mazovia is a sure way to earn additional points to the Rector’s scholarship. If you train in a sports section (e.g. volleyball, rowing ergometer or chess), make sure that the coach issues you a certificate of your results by mid-September.

Doctoral scholarships at Warsaw Doctoral Schools

If you plan to pursue a post-master’s degree, Warsaw offers some of the highest PhD scholarship rates in Poland. Within the framework of Doctoral Schools (e.g. the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of the University of Warsaw), each doctoral student receives a statutory scholarship.

• Amount of the benefit: For the first two years (until the mid-term evaluation), the scholarship is about PLN 3400 gross, and after a positive assessment it increases to over PLN 5000 gross.
• Increase in scholarship: Outstanding PhD students in Warsaw can apply for additional grants from the NCN (National Science Centre) or projects funded by the m.st Warsaw, which allows them to accumulate income exceeding the national average.

Appeal procedure: What to do if you get a negative decision?

Scholarship decisions in Warsaw are issued by the Scholarship Appeals Committee (OKS). If you believe your credits have been miscalculated or the university has not taken into account the loss of income in your family, you have 14 days to appeal.

• Where to file an appeal? You submit the letter to the Rector through the committee that issued the decision.
• Argumentation: The appeal must contain specific violations of the Material Assistance Regulations. Do not write about a “difficult general situation” – focus on errors in calculations or newly disclosed facts (e.g. a sudden illness of a family member that was not included in the documentation).
• Support from the local government: In Warsaw, the Students’ Self-Government of the University of Warsaw or WUT has legal units that help to edit the content of scholarship appeals free of charge.

Specific faculty and industry funds in the capital

In addition to university-wide scholarships, some Warsaw faculties have their own funds from private donors and business partners.

• Faculty of Management of the University of Warsaw: He often cooperates with companies from the financial sector, which fund scholarships for the best students of analytical faculties.
• Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology of the Warsaw University of Technology: Partners from the Warsaw IT sector (e.g. companies located in Służewiec) offer funded scholarships that combine financial support with paid internships.
• Artistic scholarships of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw: Intended for students who stand out with vernissages and exhibitions in Warsaw galleries.

Specific technical tips – Checklist for a student in Warsaw

In order for your application in USOSweb to pass the verification without corrections, follow the steps below:

• File Format: Scans of documents uploaded to the system must be in PDF format (not JPEG photos). Make sure that official stamps are fully legible.
• Account number: Scholarships in Warsaw are paid only to Polish account numbers (IBAN starting with PL). If you have an account abroad, open an account with a Polish bank (many of them offer free student accounts with a bonus to start).
• Statement on not receiving benefits in another field of study: You can only take a scholarship in one field of study. If you study at the University of Warsaw and the Warsaw University of Technology, you must choose which university will pay you the benefit. Signing a false statement in this matter threatens disciplinary liability and the need to return the funds with interest.

FAQs about Scholarships in Warsaw

Can I receive the Rector’s Scholarship and the Social Scholarship at the same time?

Yes, these benefits are combined. You can receive both scholarships at one university, as long as the total monthly amount does not exceed the limit set out in the Act (this limit is regularly updated and is currently about PLN 3500-3800).

Does income from holiday work in Warsaw count towards the social scholarship?

Yes, the income earned in the previous calendar year is taken into account. However, if you lost this job before applying, you can apply for the so-called loss of income, which will allow you not to include these earnings in the current calculation.

Am I entitled to a scholarship as a part-time (part-time) student?

Yes. Part-time students in Warsaw have the same right to a social scholarship, the Rector’s and allowances as full-time students. The income and scientific criteria are identical.

What happens if I change universities during the year in Warsaw?

The scholarship does not automatically transfer to a new university. You need to submit a new application in a new location. Please note that the total period of receiving scholarships is limited to 12 semesters (6 years).

Is the Warsaw m.st scholarship taxed?

Most scholarships for students are exempt from personal income tax (PIT) up to a certain annual limit, which means you get the full amount in your account.

Are foreigners eligible for a social scholarship?

Citizens of EU Member States and foreigners with a Pole’s Card or a permanent residence permit can apply for a social scholarship on the same terms as Poles. Non-EU students without these qualifications can usually only apply for the Rector’s scholarship.

Does the grade point average from another university count towards the Rector’s scholarship at the University of Warsaw or WUT?

If you moved to Warsaw from another city, your average from your previous university may be recognized, but you must provide an official list of grades (transcript) confirmed by the previous dean’s office.

Winning a scholarship in Warsaw is a process that requires meticulousness and patience in contact with the university bureaucracy. However, these funds can cover a significant portion of your living expenses, allowing you to focus on your studies rather than your casual job.

What should you do now?

1. Log in to your USOSweb system and check the application schedule.
2. Download the list of required documents for the social scholarship if your per capita income is low.
3. If you have a high average, prepare a list of your academic achievements from the last year.
4. Apply for the John Paul II m.st Warsaw Scholarship if you are socially engaged.

Do not delay with the formalities – additional money for studies in Warsaw is waiting for those who meet the deadlines and document their situation correctly.