Law at the University of Gdańsk: Everything I Need to Know Before Applying

2. Universal History of State and Law (PHPP)

• Location: Lectures in Auditorium C, exercises in the didactic blocks of the Oliwa Campus.
• Elimination mechanism: A memory object of gigantic volume. Examiners require detailed knowledge of the constitutional systems of foreign states, feudal structures, and the evolution of nineteenth-century penal codes. Students are lost by the lack of regularity – the material from PHPP cannot be mastered as part of the “question exchange” three days before the session.
• ECTS blockades: Like Rome, the PHPP generates a massive ECTS deficit. In the September campaign, the pass rate for the amendment rarely exceeds 60%.

3. Logic for Lawyers

• Location: Exercise rooms of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk.
• Elimination mechanism: A subject of mathematics and philosophy. Passing is based on half-term colloquia. The student must master the calculus, names, definitions, and logical fallacies. The specificity of elimination is based on the 0/1 system – an error in the logical matrix or incorrect closure of the proof in the assumption system results in the task being reset.
• ECTS blockades: Although he has fewer points than history subjects, failing Logic blocks the possibility of understanding the Theory and Philosophy of Law in his senior years.

4. Civil Law (General and Material Part)

• Location: Novum Auditorium and rooms on the third floor.
• Elimination mechanism: The beginning of the so-called “civilian bloc” in the second year. The exam is based on the Civil Code and a huge number of Supreme Court rulings. The mechanism of elimination is work on cases. The student must be able to classify the facts as a specific article. An error in the limitation periods or an improper determination of the consequences of a legal act ends the exam with a negative result.
• ECTS blockades: This is the so-called blocking object. Without passing the general and material part, USOS will not allow you to enrol in the Law of Obligations and Inheritance Law, which automatically extends the studies by one year.

5. Criminal Law

• Location: Auditorium B and lecture halls.
• Elimination mechanism: A huge number of theories about guilt, punishment and countertypes. A written exam, often in a descriptive form, requires precise legal language. The hosts “cut off” for the lack of distinction between an error in fact and an error in law.
• ECTS blockades: Failure to pass the Criminal Procedure in the second year makes it impossible to carry out the Criminal Process, which is another element of the critical path.

6. Administrative Law

• Location: The Blue Building of the University of Gdańsk.
• Elimination mechanism: The subject is considered one of the most “tedious”. It requires mastering hundreds of specific acts. The exam verifies the knowledge of the procedure (KPA) and the ability to construct administrative decisions. One formal error in the decision on the practical exam may result in not passing the whole exam.
• ECTS blockades: It blocks specialization subjects in the field of economic and local government administration.

Law at the University of Gdańsk – imagination vs. brutal reality

Most students starting their studies at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk at 6 Bażyńskiego Street enter the walls of the university with an image taken from popular culture – a vision of flaming court nightmares and prestige. However, the academic reality in Gdańsk Oliwa is above all a rigorous analysis of source texts, memorization of thousands of definitions and a collision with a system that does not forgive interpretative errors. The biggest problem that first-year students cannot cope with is not a lack of intelligence, but the inability to change the paradigm of learning from “I understand the subject” to “I know the precise legal definition“.

Why are PHPP and Roman Law tipping points?

Students often mistakenly assume that history subjects are just “stuffers”. At the UG Law, they play the role of the main selector.

• Universal History of State and Law (PHPP): Students can’t cope with volume. This is not about the dates of the battles, but about the evolution of complex legal institutions (e.g. ordalia, curial systems, the evolution of British parliamentarism). The exam in Auditorium C requires you to use specific jargon, and the most common mistake is trying to write “in your own words”. At the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk, one’s own words are treated as a lack of precision, which results in an insufficient grade.
• Roman Law: It is here that students are confronted with the need to learn legal logic through the prism of Latin. The greatest difficulty is to master the differences between complaint systems and the cognition process. To students, it seems that “Rome” is a thing of the past, while the chair requires an understanding of how the Roman obligatio influences the modern Civil Code. Failure to pass this subject generates the largest ECTS deficit at the start.

Logic – the mathematical face of the humanities

Another point where students “imagined it differently” is Logic. Many people choose the Law by running away from mathematics. Meanwhile, Logic at the University of Gdańsk (conducted in small exercise rooms of the Blue Building) is de facto mathematics operating on sentences.

• What are students not able to cope with? With formalization. Translating colloquial language into logical functors and building evidence in the assumption system is an insurmountable barrier for many. The 0/1 rating system (good or bad, no points for “efforts”) means that one confused parenthesis in the formula means a failed colloquium. It is after the results of the first colloquium in Logic in November that a wave of resignations from studies occurs.

USOS technical barriers:

At the University of Gdańsk , the USOS system is merciless for people who are late at work. A law student must manage not only the codes, but also his “account” in the system.

1. Connecting items: The most common technical error. The student passes the elective course (i.e. “option”), but will not connect it to USOS for the appropriate stage of studies. The result? ECTS credits are not credited to the annual balance. If the balance sheet shows a lack of at least 2 ECTS, the system will not allow registration for the next year, which forces a visit to the dean’s office and often results in the need for a paid conditional enrolment for purely bureaucratic reasons.
2. ECTS deficit and blocking subjects: Students think that an acceptable deficit (e.g. 15 ECTS) gives them security. This is an illusion. If there is a blocking subject in this deficit (e.g. Civil Law I), the student moves on to the next year, but has a “blank run”. He cannot sign up for Civil II, Civil Process or Family Law. As a result, despite having the status of a student, he or she actually loses a year because he or she does not implement the key program. This is the most common reason for “eternal study” and final deletion from the list of students in the 4th or 5th year.

The most difficult semester – a critical moment for the year

Undoubtedly, the most difficult moment is semester 2 (the end of the first year). It is a time of accumulation of three powerful blocks: PHPP, Roman Law and Logic. Statistically, it is in June and September of the first year that most decisions are made to remove students from the list. Students fall into a psychological trap – after passing the winter session (often lighter, covering e.g. Constitutional Law in part or History of the Polish System), they lower their vigilance.

In May, the so-called “Oliwa Marathon” begins. Students camp in the Main Library of the University of Gdańsk (53 Wita Stwosza Street), trying to master thousands of pages of text. If a student succumbs to the temptation and “lets go” of one of these three subjects, a deficit of 8 ECTS puts him against the wall. Each subsequent stumble in the September campaign means losing your student status or having to pay a high fee for a condition.

Survival Procedures

When the results in USOS light up red after the second term, the student enters the area of administrative procedures of the University of Gdańsk.

Costs of the “condition”

Conditional enrolment (a popular condition) consists in receiving permission to enrol in the next semester despite failing the course. The cost of repetition depends on the number of ECTS credits. For example, if the course has 7 ECTS and the rate is PLN 120 per point, the student must pay PLN 840. For two such subjects, the amount exceeds PLN 1600, which is a significant burden for the student budget. Fees are paid to an individual sub-account in USOS under pain of not being allowed to take another session.

ECTS deficit

At the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk, the allowable deficit is variable, but usually after the 1st year it cannot exceed 15 ECTS credits. However, you should remember about blocking items. You can have a condition from PHPP and move on to the second year, but having a condition from Civil Law in the third year will block the possibility of enrolling in a diploma seminar.

Board Exam (Commission)

This is the final procedure. The application for the board exam is submitted to the Dean within 7 days of the announcement of the results of the correction. The student must argue that the examiner violated the principles of impartiality or the form of the exam was inconsistent with the syllabus. Composition of the committee: Dean (as chairman), conducting examiner and other specialist in a given field. The chances of passing the commission to the Law of the University of Gdańsk are estimated at less than 10%. Usually, the committee only confirms the student’s substantive deficiencies.

Tri-City logistics

Kampas Oliwa is perfectly connected, but the logistics of the Tri-City can be treacherous. The SKM Gdańsk University stop is about a 7-10 minute walk from the Blue Building.

1. Access: Students commuting from Gdynia, Chylonia or Wejherowo lose from 1.5 to 2.5 hours a day on SKM trains. This time is often “wasted” because the noise and crowding during rush hour make it impossible to learn complex cases of Roman law.
2. Cost of living vs Work: Renting a room in Oliwa or Przymorze costs about 1500-2000 PLN. The need to earn these fees collides with seminars, which are often held in the afternoon and evening hours under the UG Law. Failure to attend the exercises results in the lack of admission to the exam, which is recorded in USOS as a failure to pass.
3. Libraries: The Faculty Library has a limited number of textbooks from the “stock exchange”, which is why the fight for access to the latest editions of commentaries to the Civil Code begins in the middle of the semester.

Questions from UG Law students

Does the Dean of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk revoke the decision to remove them from the list of students?

Revocation of the decision on deletion is possible only in the form of an appeal to the Rector through the Dean within 14 days of the delivery of the letter. The effectiveness of the appeal depends on documenting “extraordinary fortuitous circumstances”. Arguments such as “I had a difficult time” or “the exam was too hard” are systematically rejected. If the reason for the deletion was an exceeded ECTS deficit, the student must demonstrate, for example, a long-term illness (a certificate from a specialist doctor, not a family doctor) or tragic family events. In 90% of cases, if the credit debt is large, the Dean will keep the decision in force by suggesting re-enrollment or resumption of study after a year off.

How to write an effective appeal against an assessment from Roman Law?

The procedure of complaining about the assessment at the UG requires demonstrating formal deficiencies. First, you need to go to see the work (dates announced in the USOS or on the door of the cathedral). During the inspection, it is worth comparing your answer with the official key or manual indicated in the syllabus. If the examiner did not accept the substantively correct answer, a written application should be submitted to the Head of the Department. The appeal must be technical: “In task no. 3 I indicated the institution of mancipatio according to manual X, page Y, which the examiner omitted.” Avoid emotional language. If the Head of the Department does not agree to the request, the only thing left is to apply for a board exam.

What is the procedure for resuming studies after being struck off for a deficit?

A student who has been removed may apply for the resumption of studies no earlier than after the semester has elapsed since the deletion. The procedure of resumption at UG requires the Dean’s consent and often involves the need to complete program differences. If the curriculum has changed during your absence (e.g. a new compulsory subject has been introduced), you will need to pass it additionally. Renewal is paid. The cost is usually the fee for ECTS credits of failed courses plus a reactivation fee. Note: at UG you can only resume a certain number of times (usually two), then only re-recruitment through the IRK system remains.

Does the grade from the exercises affect the grade from the exam at the University of Gdańsk?

It depends on the specific cathedral. In Roman Law or PHPP, the grade from the exercises is only a condition for admission to the exam (you must have passed it for USOS to allow you to enter the grade from the exam). However, in the Department of Criminal or Civil Law, a high grade in exercises (e.g. 5.0) may give additional points on the exam or exempt you from some questions. Always check the “Passing Rules” in the course syllabus in USOSweb. Remember: failure to pass the exercises means automatic failure to take the exam on the first date, which results in losing the chance and having to write a correction as the first attempt.

What happens if I don’t submit my master’s thesis on time (by the end of September)?

If you do not submit your master’s thesis in the APD system and do not obtain the approval of your supervisor by the end of September of the fifth year, you are removed from the list of students due to failure to submit your thesis on time. To defend yourself, you must go through the procedure of resuming your studies on the day of the defense. This involves a fee (often in the order of PLN 500-1000) and the need to obtain a new supervisor’s consent. Remember that at UG the thesis must go through the anti-plagiarism system (JSA) – if the similarity coefficient is too high, the supervisor will not allow you to defend yourself, which will generate the same administrative consequences as not submitting the thesis.