How to survive your first week at university in Krakow: A student’s glossary

The most common mistake of first-year students is buying a season ticket without having the status of a resident. In 2026, the difference in the price of a monthly ticket for a student with and without the Krakow Card is nearly PLN 40. To obtain it, you must have a temporary registration (e.g. in the dormitory of the Student Town of AGH University of Science and Technology at Józefa Rostafińskiego Street) or settle PIT at the Krakow tax office. Without it, your transport expenses will increase by almost PLN 500 per academic year.

USOS and Syllabus systems

Krakow’s universities (UJ, AGH, PK, UEK, UKEN) are based on the USOS (University Study Service System) or its industry equivalents. The first week is a critical moment for the so-called “token registration” for language courses and PE classes.

• Language courses: If you are late with logging in, you will be enrolled in a language you do not know at 7:30 a.m. in a building at the other end of the city (e.g. in the Language Center on Ingardena Street).
• PE: The registration disappears within a few minutes. If you aim for climbing the AGH UST wall or the pool at Eisenberga Street, you need to have a stable connection and refresh the page every second at the opening time of the turns.

How not to fall for it at the start?

Krakow is the city of the title. Although in 2026 student-lecturer relations have loosened somewhat, it is a critical mistake to confuse academic degrees.

• To the Master’s Degree: “Mr. Magister” (usually PhD students conducting exercises).
• To the doctor: “Doctor”.
• To the habilitated doctor: “Professor” (the title “Associate Professor” has become a thing of the past and can be taken condescendingly).
• Dean’s Office: It’s a place of power. The ladies in the dean’s office manage your fate. The first rule of survival: always check the opening hours (they are usually very short, e.g. 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) and never enter 5 minutes before closing.

Dictionary of Student Terms (Krakow 2026/2027)

To understand what older generations are talking about in the queue for coffee in “Żaczek” or “Miasteczko”, you need to master the following nomenclature:

• A-0 (or other building number): At AGH, buildings have specific markings. A-0 is the main building at Mickiewicza Avenue, the heart of the university.
• Dean’s Office: Administrative office of the department. Your command center for scholarships, ID cards, and delistings.
• Matriculation: Official admission to the ranks of students. It is often associated with a solemn oath in representative auditoriums (e.g. Collegium Novum UJ).
• Juwenalia: Students’ Day in May. In Krakow, it is the largest event of this type in Poland, with a traditional march from the AGH UST Town to the Main Market Square.
• Colloquium (Circle): The equivalent of a school test, usually in the middle and end of the semester.
• Academic Quarter of an Hour: An unwritten law that allows students (or lecturers) to be 15 minutes late without consequences. Note: Not applicable to exams!
• Card: Student ID. In 2026, it will be mandatory to integrate with the mObywatel application (mLegitymacja).
• Language course: Compulsory foreign language classes.
• Window: Break between classes. In Krakow, windows are usually spent in the library on Rajska Street (Voivodeship Public Library) or in numerous cafes on Dolnych Młynów Street.
• Session: Trial time at the end of the semester. It is divided into a proper and a retake session (September campaign).
• USOSweb: A portal through which you check grades, apply for scholarships and sign up for classes.
• Condition: Paid opportunity to repeat the course in the next year without having to repeat the entire semester. An expensive pleasure that is worth avoiding.
• Kindergarten: Exam in the pre-session period. A golden chance to have free time during the actual session.
• AZS (Academic Sports Association) If you want to pass PE by doing climbing, sailing or skiing, you must enroll in the AZS section in the first week. It is also the cheapest form of accident insurance in the mountains (ISIC-AZS card).
• Declaration (Registration): At many universities (e.g. CUE or PK), in the first week you have to declare the choice of a specific elective subject. If you don’t, the system will assign you to where there are free seats.
• Duty (Consultations): The sacred time of the lecturer. If you have a problem with the material or want to improve your grade, you come for a consultation. In 2026, many of them take place on MS Teams, but the first week is the time to check the physical room numbers of professors.
• ECTS (credits): Academic currency. Each subject has its own weight (e.g. 5 ECTS). To pass the year, you usually need to collect 60 points. If you fail a course for 10 ECTS, your “condition” will be very expensive.
• Scientific Club: Don’t wait until the third year. Recruitment for the best clubs (e.g. AGH Solar Boat or law clubs at the Jagiellonian University) begins in October. This is where a CV is built, which in 2027 will be more important than the diploma itself.
• mLegitymacja: Digital version of ELS in the mObywatel application. In Krakow in 2026, MPK controllers accept it on an equal footing with plastic, but remember: the phone must be charged. Lack of electricity means no ticket.
• Mayor: Your most important person in the group. It is he who negotiates the dates of the colloquia and sends “materials” from older years. Choose someone who is overwhelmed, who is not afraid to go to the professor’s office.

Finance and Administration: Scholarships and Insurance, or How to Stay Penniless

The first week of October is not only the time of integration, but above all the “transfer window” for your budget. In 2026, most applications for social scholarships and the rector’s scholarship (for academic results or achievements) are submitted exclusively electronically via USOS, but the deadline usually passes in the middle of the month.

If you are counting on financial support, you must complete certificates from the tax office (yours and your parents’) within the first few days. In Krakow, students often forget about the grant scholarship, which can be applied for in random situations. Health insurance is also crucial – if you are over 26 years old or you are not registered for insurance by your parents, you must immediately report this fact to the dean’s office so that the university pays the contribution to the National Health Fund for you.

Scanmed and medical assistance for the student

In Krakow, an informal medical center for student brothers is Scanmed (especially the facility at Armii Krajowej Street and points on campuses, e.g. at AGH University of Science and Technology or PK). It is a novice’s mistake to leave the declaration of choosing a family doctor in his hometown. In case of illness in November, you will have to drive 200 km for a prescription or pay for a private visit. In the first week, it is worth submitting a declaration to the Krakow student clinic, which will provide you with free care on site.

Rental systems and hidden reading rooms

In Krakow, the student ID card (ELS) acts as a library card, but you must first activate it in the system of a given university. The library system in 2026 is integrated, which means that as a student of the Jagiellonian University you can use the resources of the Jagiellonian Library (22 Mickiewicza Street), but also the faculty libraries (e.g. in the famous “Paderevianum” at Mickiewicza Street).

Important concept: Free access. It is a system in which you approach the shelves and choose books yourself (e.g. in the Main Library of the AGH University of Science and Technology or in “Jagiellonka”). Pay attention to the borrowing limits – first-year students usually have a smaller pool of books to take home (e.g. 5-10 items). If you need silence and Rajska Street is under siege, look for smaller faculty reading rooms – they are often empty, and the atmosphere, for example, in the old rooms on Gołębia Street is more conducive to learning than modern co-working spaces.

Where are your classes really?

The name of the faculty in Krakow rarely coincides with its physical location for a “first-year student”. Examples:

• Faculty of Law of the Jagiellonian University: Your classes can take place both at Bracka Street (close to the Market Square) and in the modern Maximum Auditorium at Krupnicza Street.
• Cracow University of Technology: If you have classes in Czyżyny (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering), do not confuse them with the main campus at Warszawska Street. It’s a 25-minute ride by tram No. 52!
• Cracow University of Technology: If you have classes in Czyżyny (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering), do not confuse them with the main campus at Warszawska Street. It’s a 25-minute ride by tram No. 52!

The most important questions and answers

What is the cheapest way to dine in Krakow in the first week?

In Krakow, students have three ways to choose from: milk bars, student canteens and “Too Good To Go” applications. If you study at the center (Jagiellonian University, UEK), your salvation is the Milk Bar Pod Temidą on Grodzka Street and the Górnik Bar on Čista Street. For a full two-course dinner there you will pay about PLN 25-30, which is an unbeatable rate at market prices in 2026. At AGH, it is worth visiting the canteens in the buildings of the social division, where lunches are subsidized. Avoid restaurants directly on the Main Market Square – there the student’s budget is lost in one evening. Also remember about Krakow’s obwarzanki – the cheapest snack that you can buy in booths on every corner (e.g. near the Bagatela Theatre).

What to do if the USOS system crashes during registration for classes?

This is a classic scenario in Krakow. Servers often can’t handle the load when 20 thousand people try to sign up for PE at once. First of all: don’t panic and don’t refresh the page every half second, because it only makes things worse. If you lose your place in your dream group, your next step should be to write an email to the teacher or the course of study coordinator. Often (but not always) it is possible to add “over the limit” if you justify it, for example, with a collision in the plan. At AGH UST or PK, it is also worth checking whether registration does not take place in stages – sometimes pool of places are released at different times.

Do I need a Krakow Card to travel cheaply on trams?

Yes, if you plan to buy season tickets (monthly or semester). From 2024, the municipality of Krakow has introduced restrictive rules – a resident’s ticket (Krakow Card) is about 45% cheaper than a ticket for non-registered people. If you are a “jar” (visiting student), you must obtain the status of a resident on the basis of a temporary registration in a dormitory or dormitory. If you don’t, a semester ticket will ruin your budget. A regular student ID card is enough for single tickets (51% discount), but in Krakow it is financially unprofitable to ride on single tickets on daily commutes on the route, e.g. Bronowice-Czyżyny.

Where is the best place to study between classes in Krakow?

Krakow has a phenomenal library infrastructure. If you need peace and concentration, go to the Jagiellonian Library (the so-called Jagiellonka) on Mickiewicza Avenue – this place has a specific, academic climate that is conducive to learning. The second choice is the Voivodeship Public Library on Rajska Street – there are plenty of co-working zones and free Wi-Fi. If you prefer to learn in the café dialect, look for places in Krowodrzy (near Lea or Mazowiecka Streets) or in the vicinity of Inwalidów Square. Many cafes in Krakow are friendly to students with laptops, as long as you don’t occupy a table for 5 hours ordering only one espresso.

How to avoid queues in the Dean’s Office in the first week of October?

The only way is to appear there… before the official opening or in the last week of September. The first week of October is the time when everyone collects ID cards and holograms. If you need to arrange something, prepare all documents in advance (printouts from USOS, photos, proof of payment). Remember that in Krakow many matters can already be done electronically. Before you go to stand in line at the door of the Dean’s Office on Gołębia or Warszawska Streets, check whether your university has introduced an e-application system. This will save you hours of standing in stuffy corridors.