One-off student emergency grant in Warsaw – how to get it?

Assistance is a form of ad hoc material assistance regulated by Article 86(1)(4) of the Act of 20 July 2018 – Law on Higher Education and Science. It is available to full-time and part-time students, regardless of age or academic results.

• Random Event
• Sudden deterioration of life situation
• Application in USOSweb (up to 3 months)
• Payment of the allowance

The basis for granting the allowance is not a permanent low income (which is what a social scholarship is for), but a sudden, unforeseen event that directly affected the budget of the student or his family. A difficult situation may be temporary, but it must be really felt at the time of submitting the application.

How much is the one-off allowance at Warsaw universities?

The amount of the benefit is not uniform and depends on the decision of the scholarship committee, the budget of the university’s scholarship fund and the seriousness of the situation. Each of Warsaw’s leading universities has its own regulations of benefits for students specifying the financial range.

Comparison of allowances at universities in Warsaw

Catalogue of random events – what situations qualify for the benefit?

Many myths have grown around the concept of “difficult life situation”. Warsaw’s university scholarship committees have developed a precise catalogue of events that almost always qualify a student to receive financial aid.

1. Death of a close family member

It concerns the death of a parent, sibling, spouse or child of a student. This is the most common reason for granting the highest financial benefits.

2. Sudden, severe illness of a student or family member

A sudden illness, the need to perform an expensive operation, long-term hospitalization (e.g. in the Central Clinical Hospital of the UCK MUW at Banacha Street) or the purchase of very expensive life-saving drugs are eligible here.

3. Theft of property of significant value

A classic Warsaw scenario: theft of a laptop or tablet necessary for studying at the University Library in Warsaw (BUW on Dobra Street) or on the M1 metro train. In order for the commission to consider such an application, it is necessary to present an official confirmation of the theft report issued by the Police (e.g. from the District Police Headquarters Warsaw I at 21 Wilcza Street).

4. Sudden loss of source of income

It concerns the loss of a job by a student (if he supports himself/herself) or by his/her parents, provided that it occurred through no fault of the employee (e.g. liquidation of a job position, bankruptcy of a company).

Documentation – how to document the application to avoid rejection?

Scholarship committees reject about 30% of grant applications already at the formal verification stage due to the lack of appropriate attachments. Simply describing a difficult situation in the application (‘descriptive justification’) without hard evidence is useless.

Descriptive application in USOS

• No source documents
• Negative decision

Descriptive application in USOS

• Invoices, civil status certificates, certificates
• Payment of the allowance

List of required documents depending on the event:

• Death of a family member: A copy of your death certificate (for inspection or a copy) and a document proving the degree of kinship (e.g. your birth certificate).
• Illness or accident: A medical certificate issued by a specialist, medical history, information cards from hospital treatment and personal invoices/bills for medicines, rehabilitation or medical equipment.
• Theft or fire: A certificate from the Police on the initiation or discontinuation of an investigation detailing the stolen items, a report of the State Fire Service (in the event of a fire or flooding of the apartment).
• Loss of employment: Employment certificate, a document confirming the termination of the contract for reasons attributable to the employer, a certificate from the District Labour Office (e.g. the Labour Office m.st Warsaw at 10/12 Ciołka Street) on the status of an unemployed person.

Step-by-step procedure at Warsaw universities (USOSweb)

Most universities in the capital have digitized the application process. You can handle all the formalities without leaving your dormitory or apartment using the USOSweb platform.

• Login to USOSweb
• Tab: For Everyone / Conclusions
• Selection: Allowance
• Filling out the form
• Attaching PDF files with documentation
• Signing with an authorization code / Trusted signature

What does the step-by-step process look like?

• Filling out the online application: After logging in to USOSweb, go to the social applications section and select the application for a one-time allowance. Fill in the justification in detail, describing the cause-and-effect relationship between the event and the deterioration of your financial situation.
• Generating and attaching documents: Prepare legible scans or photos of documents confirming the event in PDF format. Attach them to the application in the system.
• Formal verification: Employees of the Office of Material Assistance (BPM) or the dean’s office check the completeness of the documentation. If something is missing, you will receive a call to complete the application in the USOS system (you usually have 7 days to do so).
• The committee’s decision: The Faculty or University Scholarship Committee makes a decision on granting the benefit and its amount. You will receive the decision in digital format (signed with a qualified electronic signature) to your profile in USOSweb and to the university’s e-mail box.

Administrative pitfalls – why do students lose the chance to receive aid?

The procedure for granting aid is based on the strict provisions of the Code of Administrative Procedure (KPA). The slightest formal error can close the way to support.

• Exceeding the deadline of 3 months (deadline): This is the most common mistake. If the accident took place on 15 October and you submit your application on 16 January of the following year – the commission has a legal obligation to reject your application for formal reasons, without examining the merits of the case.
• No cause-and-effect relationship: You need to prove that the event directly affected your finances. If you apply for a benefit due to the illness of your grandmother, with whom you do not have a common household and do not bear the costs of her treatment, the commission will reject the application.
• Multiple requests for the same thing: You cannot apply for a winter semester allowance due to the death of a parent, and apply for another allowance for the same reason in the summer semester. One random event entitles you to only one benefit.

Prohibition of cumulation of benefits in multiple fields of study (Article 93 of the Act) – Risk of disciplinary liability

Most students in Warsaw decide to study in parallel in more than one field of study or even at two different universities (e.g. law at the University of Warsaw and finance at the Warsaw School of Economics). There is then a temptation to apply for an allowance for the same random event (e.g. theft of a computer) at both universities at the same time.

In accordance with Article 93(1) and (2) of the Law on Higher Education and Science, a student may receive financial assistance (including an allowance) only in one field of study indicated by him/her.

One random event

• Application to the University of Warsaw (Faculty of Law) ──► Payment of the allowance (Legal)
• Application to the Warsaw School of Economics (Finance) ───────► Collection of allowance (Illegal)
• Allegation of extortion of benefits, obligation to reimburse with interest (Article 95), proceedings before the University Disciplinary Committee

The USOSweb systems of Warsaw universities are integrated with the nationwide POL-on system (Integrated Information System on Higher Education and Science). Every payment of material assistance is recorded there.

An attempt to extort aid at two universities will be detected during the next ministerial audit. This results not only in the obligation to reimburse the funds with statutory interest for delay (as an unduly collected benefit in accordance with Article 95 of the Act), but also in referring the case to the disciplinary officer of the university, which may result in suspension of the student’s rights or expulsion from the university.

Birth of a child – Exception to the “one benefit” rule for both parents

One of the random events qualifying for the allowance is the birth of a child. This is a situation in which the cost of maintaining a family rises rapidly, which the legislator treats as a temporarily difficult life situation.

This is where a unique legal exception comes in: if both parents of a newborn child are students (even at the same university or different ones, e.g. the mother at the Medical University of Warsaw, the father at the Warsaw University of Technology), each of them has the right to submit an independent application for the benefit on the same basis (the birth of the child).

Why is it legal?

The birth of a child directly affects the financial situation of both parents as separate subjects of law and separate students. Scholarship committees cannot reject a father’s application just because the child’s mother has already received an allowance at her university.

Each of them submits an application attaching the same copy of the child’s birth certificate (issued by the Registry Office m.st Warsaw at 5 Andersa Street or any other registry office).

How to document the costs of treatment? Strict requirements of a personal invoice

Applying for assistance due to a sudden illness or accident (e.g. a broken leg on a slippery pavement at Krakowskie Przedmieście on the way to class) requires the submission of precise financial documents. A common mistake is attaching fiscal receipts from pharmacies in the capital.

A fiscal receipt is not a personal document. The scholarship committee is not sure whether the medicines worth PLN 400 were purchased by you or by a third party.

A correct set of medical and financial documentation:

• Personal invoice (VAT invoice): It must be issued directly to your data (name, surname, address of residence in accordance with the application).
• Copy of the prescription: If you buy prescription drugs, attach a copy of it or a printout of the e-prescription from the Internet Patient Account (IKP).
• Medical certificate: The attending physician (e.g. from the CenterMed academic clinic at 10a Waryńskiego Street) must issue a certificate confirming that the purchased medications or medical devices (e.g. orthosis) are necessary in the process of your treatment and rehabilitation, and that their absence would prevent you from continuing your education.

Cause-and-effect relationship between the loss of equipment and the field of study

When you apply for an allowance for the theft of electronic equipment (e.g. a laptop), the commission examines the so-called impact of the event on the ability to continue learning. This means that the justification for your application must be closely related to your field of study.

Examples of arguments accepted by the committees:

• Architecture student at WUT: Theft of a laptop with high computing power makes it impossible to use software such as CAD, Revit or 3ds Max, which directly prevents the implementation of semester projects and threatens to fail project subjects. It is worth attaching to the application syllabuses of subjects that require work in these programs.
• Student of Philology at the University of Warsaw: Stealing an e-book reader or a basic laptop makes it impossible to read hundreds of pages of source texts made available in digital formats, necessary to prepare for seminar classes.

If you are studying a theoretical field and you apply for an allowance for the purchase of an extremely expensive gaming laptop (worth e.g. PLN 9,000), the committee will most likely reduce the amount of the granted allowance to the average market price of an office computer (e.g. PLN 2,500 – 3,000), considering that equipment with the highest graphic parameters is not required to continue your studies in your field.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Do I have to pay income tax on the allowance granted?

No. In accordance with Article 21(1)(39) of the Personal Income Tax (PIT) Act, allowances received by students under the provisions of the Law on Higher Education and Science are fully exempt from income tax. The amount awarded by the committee will be credited to your account in full (net).

Can I apply for the allowance if I am already receiving a social grant?

Yes. Receiving a social scholarship does not exclude the possibility of applying for a one-off allowance. These are two independent benefits. A social scholarship is awarded on the basis of a fixed income per person in the family, while the allowance is a reaction to a sudden, extraordinary random event.

What should I do if the scholarship committee awarded me too low an amount or rejected my application?

You have the right to appeal against any decision of the Scholarship Committee to the Scholarship Appeal Committee (CCA) of a given university. You have 14 days to do so from the date of delivery of the decision (or its availability in the USOSweb system). You submit an appeal through your dean’s office or the Office of Material Assistance.

Are foreign students (e.g. from Ukraine or Belarus) entitled to the allowance?

Yes. Foreigners studying in Poland at Warsaw’s public universities have the same right to apply for a one-off allowance as Polish citizens. However, they must present documentation translated into Polish by a sworn translator (e.g. foreign death certificates or medical records).

Does repeating a year or dean’s leave block the possibility of applying for the allowance?

Persons on dean’s leave (academic or health) retain the status of a student and at most universities in Warsaw (e.g. at the University of Warsaw and the Warsaw University of Technology) retain the right to apply for material assistance, including allowances. The situation is similar when repeating a year – the student’s active status as of the date of submitting the application is decisive.

One-time random allowance is an effective rescue tool for every student in Warsaw who is in urgent financial need. The key to obtaining a positive decision is to act quickly (with a 3-month deadline) and meticulously document the event with official certificates and invoices.

Remember that officials from the Material Aid Office at the University of Warsaw or WUT are there to help you go through the formal process – if in doubt, consult your application before final approval in the USOSweb system.