Social Scholarship in Wroclaw: How to Calculate Income and Apply

The maximum income threshold entitling a student to apply for a social scholarship is uniform for the whole country and amounts to PLN 1570.50 net per person in the family. This amount results directly from the announcement of the Minister of Science and Higher Education and constitutes 1.6 of the sum of the amounts specified in the Family Benefits Act. No university in Wrocław – regardless of whether you study at the Wrocław University of Technology or the Medical University – can lower or raise this threshold on its own. Any student whose income falls within this limit has a statutory right to receive financial aid.

In addition to the basic version of the social scholarship, Wrocław universities offer the so-called social scholarship in an increased amount (formerly a housing scholarship). It is available to full-time students who are in a difficult financial situation and incur additional costs of accommodation in a dormitory (e.g. in the dormitories of “Teka” in Wittig in Wrocław, or in “Kredka” and “Ołówek” at the Reagan roundabout) or in a dormitory in Wrocław. The condition for receiving the increase is to demonstrate that daily commuting from the place of permanent residence (e.g. from distant cities of Lower Silesia, such as Wałbrzych, Jelenia Góra, Głogów or Kłodzko) to Wrocław would prevent or significantly hinder studying.

Who is part of a student’s household?

Incorrect determination of family composition is the most common reason for rejecting applications by Wrocław scholarship committees. Only the following people are taken into account when calculating income:

• A student applying for the benefit.
• The student’s parents, legal or factual guardians.
• A student’s wife.
• Children of the student, children of the student’s spouse, as well as children under the legal guardianship of the student (up to the age of 26, if they continue their education).
• Student’s siblings (up to 18 years of age, and up to 26 years of age if they study or study at school).

The family does not include grandparents, uncles, aunts or partners of parents (cohabitants), even if you live together in one of the tenement houses in Nadodrze or Przedmieście Oławskie and run a joint household.

Financial independence of the student

You can only apply without showing the income of your parents and siblings if you meet the criteria for financial independence. This happens when:

• You are at least 26 years old.
• You remain married.
• You have dependent children.
• You have reached the age of majority in a foster family.
• You have a steady source of income in the previous calendar year and in the current year, and your monthly income is not less than PLN 930.35 (this amount is the threshold of minimum financial independence).

How to calculate income per person in a family? Step-by-step instruction

The calculation of income is based on data from the previous calendar year (for applications submitted in the academic year 2026/2027, the base year is 2025). The calculation scheme is as follows:

How to calculate monthly income per person in a family?

To find out how much money you spend on average per one member of your family per month, follow these three steps:

• Add up your annual net income: Add all the earnings “on hand” (net) of all household members for the whole year.
• Divide by 12: Divide the result from the first step by 12 to get the average monthly income of your family.
• Divide by the number of people: Divide the amount you receive by the number of all family members.

This is an amount that determines how much money each person in the household has at their disposal on average during one month.

Income subject to personal income tax

These are income from full-time work, mandate contracts, contracts for specific work or business activity. This data is downloaded from the Tax Office. In Wrocław, the competent office is determined by the place of residence (e.g. Tax Office Wrocław-Old Town at Inowrocławska Street, Wrocław-Krzyki at Sztabowa Street or Wrocław-Fabryczna at Ostrowskiego Street).

Formula for net income from the Tax Office for each person in the family:

• Revenue: This is the total amount you earn (e.g., gross salary or invoice for a service before any deductions).
• Tax-deductible costs: Expenses that you had to incur to earn this money (e.g. costs of running a business, purchasing materials or commuting).
• Social security contributions: Part of the salary is transferred to retirement, pension or accident insurance.
• Health insurance contributions: Funds used for medical care.
• Income Tax: The tax is paid to the tax office.

Income from activities subject to lump sum or tax card taxation

If one of the family members runs a company settled with a lump sum, his income is determined on the basis of an announcement of the Minister of Family and Social Policy. The amount of income depends on the tax rate and income indicated on the PIT-28 declaration.

Non-taxable income

This is a category that students often forget about, and which is subject to strict verification. Non-taxable income includes, m.in:

• Child support.
• Social scholarships received by siblings at other universities or schools (note: the Rector’s scholarships are also included in the income of tax-free siblings, unless the regulations of a given Wrocław university state otherwise – always verify this with the Social Welfare Department).
• Farm income (calculated as the product of the farm area in conversion hectares and the amount of average income from work on individual farms per 1 conversion ha, announced annually by the President of the Central Statistical Office in September).
• Funds from the “Personal Assistant of a Person with Disabilities” program.

Important: Benefits from the “Family 800+” program, one-off benefits from MOPS and the social scholarship you apply for are not included in your family income.

List of documents necessary for a social application in Wrocław

Completing the documents requires a visit to several offices or using a trusted profile on the ePUAP platform. At Wrocław universities, the standard set of documents for each adult family member includes:

• Certificate from the Tax Office on income earned in 2025 (containing information on income, tax due, social contributions and tax-deductible costs). This document is also required of the student’s siblings, as long as they are at least 18 years old and not studying, or are studying and have reached the age of 25.
• A certificate from the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) (or a statement) containing information on the amount of health insurance contributions deducted in 2025 (i.e. the actual 9% premium).
• A certificate from a school or university confirming the education of the student’s siblings or children aged 18 to 26 in the 2026/2027 school/academic year.
• An abbreviated copy of the birth certificate of the student’s siblings or children who are under 18 years of age.
• A certificate from the Wrocław MOPS (Municipal Social Welfare Centre at 6 Strzegomska Street) on the income and property situation of the family – absolutely required if the monthly income per person in the student’s family does not exceed the amount specified in the Social Assistance Act (currently it is PLN 600 net per person). Failure to do so results in the scholarship committee automatically rejecting your application unless you demonstrate other, reliable sources of family livelihood.

Where and how to submit an application at Wrocław universities?

The application process at Wrocław universities begins in the USOSweb system (or a system dedicated to a given university), but differs in the form of final delivery of documentation.

Wrocław University of Technology (WUT)

• Where to submit: The Social Assistance Department for Students and PhD students is located in building C-13 (the famous “Serowiec” at Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 23-25) or in building C-5.
• Procedure: You register the application in the USOS system. At WUT, full digitalization is being pursued, but a set of income documents with a signed paper application often needs to be submitted to special drop boxes or directly to the clerk in charge of your department.

University of Wrocław (UWr)

• Where to submit: Cases are handled by the dean’s offices of individual faculties (e.g. the Faculty of Law, Administration and Economics at Uniwersytecka Street, the Faculty of Social Sciences at Koszarowa Street) under the supervision of the Section of Material Assistance for Students (35 Kuźnicza Street).
• Procedure: After filling out the form in USOSweb, you print it, sign it and submit it in person at the dean’s office or send it by traditional mail to the faculty address.

Wrocław University of Life Sciences (UPWr)

• Where to submit: Student Affairs Centre, 25 Norwida Street, building A2 (rooms 045 and 046).
• Procedure: UPWr allows applications to be sent via the e-Delivery system to the official registered address of the university, which eliminates the need for a personal visit to Grunwald. You can also submit documents traditionally at the CSS office.

Wrocław University of Economics and Business (WUEB)

• Where to submit: Scholarship Benefits Department, 118/120 Komandorska Street.
• Procedure: Registration with USOSweb, followed by verification of paper documents at the scholarship office on campus.

Comparison of social and increased scholarship in Wroclaw

The amount of benefits granted varies depending on the funds available to a particular university. The table below presents approximate monthly rates based on the decisions of the rectors of Wrocław universities.

Implementation checklist: How to submit a social application without errors?

Stick to this list to avoid having to make corrections and delay the payment of your scholarship by a few months:

• Download certificates from the Tax Office for 2025 for yourself and all adult family members (remember that zero income also requires the issuance of a certificate).
• Obtain certificates of health contributions from ZUS (9%) for 2025.
• Make copies of the identity documents/birth certificates of the minor siblings.
• Download current certificates from schools/colleges confirming that your siblings are continuing their education in the winter semester 2026/2027.
• Get a rental agreement for a dormitory in Wrocław or a certificate of allocation of a place in a dormitory (if you are applying for an increased scholarship).
• Go to the Wrocław MOPS (6 Strzegomska Street) for a certificate of financial status if your monthly income per person is lower than PLN 600 net.
• Fill in and register the application in your university’s USOSweb system.
• Print out the generated application, sign it manually (or with a trusted signature, if the university allows e-Delivery) and deliver it with attachments to the appropriate student service point in Wrocław before the deadline (usually by 15 October).

The most complicated cases: Loss and gain of income

Many students are faced with a situation in which the data from the base year (2025) do not correspond to the current financial situation of the family in 2026. In such situations, the law provides for procedures for loss of income and obtaining income.

Loss of income

If in 2025 your mother worked and earned PLN 4000 net per month, but in January 2026 she lost her job and is currently unemployed without the right to benefits, this income is considered lost. You must attach a document confirming this fact to the scholarship application (e.g. a certificate of employment and a decision from the District Labour Office in Wrocław at Gliniana Street on granting the status of unemployed). Then the earnings from this job will be completely deleted from the calculations, which will drastically reduce the average income per person and make it easier to receive a scholarship.

Earning income

If in 2025 your father did not work, but in May 2026 he took up employment and his monthly salary is PLN 3500 net, this income is considered obtained. You must provide an employment contract and a certificate from your employer of net earnings for the month following the month in which the income was earned (in this case, June 2026). This income will be added to the family budget.

Emergency procedure MOPS Wrocław – what to do if the office refuses to issue a certificate of income?

Article 88(4) of the Law on Higher Education and Science imposes an obligation on scholarship committees to reject the application of a student whose income per capita is less than PLN 600, if he or she does not attach a certificate from a social welfare centre on the family’s income and property situation.

In Wrocław, students collide with the “bureaucratic wall”. The Municipal Social Welfare Centre at 6 Strzegomska Street often refuses to issue such a certificate if the student’s family comes from another city (in which case the OPS in the place of permanent residence is appropriate) or if the family has never used benefits before. MOPS then issues a letter stating only that “the family is not listed in the registers of beneficiaries”, which for many Wrocław dean’s offices is the basis for rejecting the application.

How to solve this problem legally?

In the light of uniform judgments of the Supreme Administrative Court (e.g. I OSK 1950/20), the refusal to issue a certificate by MOPS or the issuance of a certificate with the content “not listed” cannot be a reason for refusing to grant a social scholarship.

If the Wrocław Dean’s Office rejects your application for this reason, file an appeal, indicating that:

• You presented the only document that the Wrocław MOPS (or local OPS) was able to issue in the absence of prior receipt of benefits.
• The university is obliged to conduct the so-called supplementary evidence proceedings. You can prove your family’s livelihood with other reliable documents.
• Attach a detailed, written statement of your livelihoods to your appeal (e.g., financial assistance from extended family, savings from previous years, sale of private property, free products from your grandparents’ farm). The university must evaluate this statement in terms of substance – it cannot ignore it.

Business Suspension (JDG) as a legal way to “lose income”

If one of your parents runs a sole proprietorship and in the base year (2025) showed a high income that prevents you from exceeding the scholarship threshold (PLN 1570.50), there is a fully legal mechanism to remove this income from the calculation. It is the suspension of business activity.

According to the Family Benefits Act, the suspension of business activity (entered in the CEIDG) is treated as a loss of income.

How to apply it in practice?

• If a parent suspends their business activity (even at the end of September or the beginning of October 2026), their entire income earned from this activity in the base year 2025 is treated as non-existent. When calculating income per person in the family, the income from this source is PLN 0.
• The application in USOSweb should be accompanied by a printout from the CEIDG database confirming the company’s status: “suspended” and a statement of loss of income.
• Important: The company must remain suspended at the time of application and for the verification period. If a parent resumes activity during the academic year, you are required to report this to the university as “earning income”, which may result in the loss of the scholarship from the following month. However, this is an excellent solution for seasonal industries.

Post-secondary schools (Żak, Cosinus in Wrocław) – how siblings in fictitious majors reduce your income

The formula for income per person in a family drastically depends on the denominator – i.e. the number of family members. The more people in a household, the lower the income per person.

The law allows siblings studying up to the age of 26 to be included in the family. It often happens that older siblings (e.g. aged 22-25) do not work, but also do not study anywhere. In this case, he cannot be counted as part of the family, which causes the income for the remaining members to increase drastically and exceed the threshold of PLN 1570.50.

A way to increase the denominator

Wrocław is a region of free post-secondary schools (e.g. Żak at Krupnicza Street, Cosinus at St. Nicholas Street).

• If a non-student sibling enrolls in one of these schools in August or September for a free course (e.g. floristry, health and safety or administration), they obtain the official status of a post-secondary school student.
• The school issues an official certificate of commencement of education in the school year 2026/2027.
• You attach this certificate to your application in USOSweb at WUT, UWr or WEEE. Siblings are included in the family composition and income per person drops sharply, which opens the way for you to receive a scholarship. From the perspective of the law, it does not matter whether the siblings actually attend classes – the status of the student and a valid certificate from the school are crucial.

FAQ – Social Scholarship in Wroclaw

Can I receive a social scholarship as a part-time (part-time) student in Wrocław?

Yes. Part-time students have the same rights to apply for a social scholarship as full-time students. They are subject to the same income threshold (PLN 1570.50 net per person). The only difference is that it is not possible to apply for an increase in the social scholarship for living in a dormitory or in a boarding school.

Is a social scholarship awarded for the entire academic year?

As a rule, a social scholarship in Wrocław is awarded for a period of up to 9 months (from October to June). At some universities, where the summer semester is associated with the reorganization of groups or new recruitment (e.g. in master’s engineering studies at WUT), the application must be submitted again before the summer semester (in March).

Do I have to report income from casual work under a contract for specific work that I performed during the holidays?

Yes, all income reported in the PIT tax return for the base year (2025) must be disclosed in the scholarship application. However, if this work was completed before the scholarship application was submitted, you can request to show it as lost income by presenting a certificate of employment or receipts for the mandate/work contract along with a document confirming the termination of cooperation.

What should I do if my parents work abroad?

In such a situation, you must provide documents analogous to Polish certificates from the Tax Office, issued by the competent tax authority in the country where the parents work. These documents must be translated into Polish by a sworn translator.

Does receiving a social scholarship prevent you from receiving a Rector’s scholarship?

No. The social scholarship and the rector’s scholarship (for outstanding academic results or sports achievements) are two independent benefits. You can collect them at the same time, as long as the sum of all material assistance benefits received does not exceed the statutory limit (i.e. 38% of the professor’s salary).

Last verification of documents before visiting the dean’s office

Gathering a set of documents for a social application can be a logistical challenge, requiring visits to tax offices, the Social Insurance Institution or the Wrocław MOPS at Strzegomska Street. A thorough analysis of the income of the whole family for the base year and careful completion of the application in the USOSweb system is the only way to obtain stable financial support during studies in Wrocław. The amount of the social scholarship, especially in the increased version, allows you to fully cover the costs of accommodation in Wrocław’s academic housing estates and facilitates everyday functioning without having to give up full involvement in the education process.