Scholarships & Financial Aid for Students

Academic, artistic or athletic achievement scholarships are awarded by higher education institutions, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and by local governments. The scholarship amounts, paid in Polish Zloty, vary depending on the type of scholarship. Please refer to the list below for details.

Rector’s scholarship for best academic achievement

Who can apply: students who have completed the first year of studies, achieved a high Grade Point Average (GPA) or have other proven academic, artistic or athletic achievements (e.g. high places in national or international competitions).

More information on the Virtual University (i.e. the internal information portal) available to persons registered as SWPS University students.

As specified by the Act on Higher Education, holders of Bachelor’s degrees who are applying for another undergraduate program and holders of Master’s degrees who are applying for another university program are not eligible for the Rector’s Scholarship.

Minister’s scholarship for best academic achievement

Who can apply: students who have excellent academic, research artistic or athletic achievements (such as academic publications, participation in research projects, co-authorship of an invention or a utility model, participation in artistic competitions or projects, or participation in international sports competitions).
More information in Polish

Application Process: application should be submitted to the Dean appropriate for your Faculty. Applications approved by the Faculty Board are submitted to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, where they are assessed further. The assessment is point-based. Taking into consideration the prestigious nature of the scholarship, the Commission assesses the importance and scale of the achievement. In case of research or artistic achievements, the Commission assesses only significant and highly innovative achievements.

As specified by the Act on Higher Education, holders of Bachelor’s degrees who are applying for another undergraduate program and holders of Master’s degrees who are applying for another university program are not eligible for the Minister’s Scholarship.

Scholarships granted by local governments

Who can apply: low-income students with proven academic achievements may apply for scholarships awarded by local authorities at various levels of the local government.

Scholarship Amount: the amount and the number of scholarships are established by the local authorities.

Application Process: candidates should apply at the appropriate office of the local government. Usually, application deadlines are set at the beginning of October. Please check with your local authorities.

Students who represent SWPS University at sports competitions at the national and international level are eligible for athletic achievement scholarships. Depending on the achievement, students may apply for scholarships granted by their university or by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

More information in Polish

Rector’s scholarship for best athletic achievement

Who can apply: students who have completed the first year of studies and have proven athletic achievements (e.g. top places in national or international competitions).

More information on the Virtual University (i.e. the internal information portal) available to persons registered as SWPS University students.

Minister’s Scholarship for exceptional athletic achievements

Who can apply: students with proven athletic achievements (e.g. participation in international sports competitions).

Exceptional athletic achievement is defined as:

• participation in the Olympics or Paralympics
• winning one of the top places (from first to fifth) in the world championships, European championships, Universiades, the World University Championships, the European University Championships or equivalent athletic competitions for people with disabilities
• winning top places (from first to third) in national sports championships or national sports championships for people with disabilities

Application Process: application should be submitted to the Dean appropriate for your Faculty. Applications approved by the Faculty Board are submitted to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, where they are assessed further.

As specified by the Act on Higher Education, holders of Bachelor’s degrees who are applying for another undergraduate program and holders of Master’s degrees who are applying for another university program are not eligible for the Minister’s Scholarship.

Students from families where the monthly income per capita is below PLN 1,294.40, are entitled to scholarships for low-income students.

The amount of the scholarship depends on the amont of the governmental funding earmarked for SWPS University for a given academic year.

Who can apply: International students who are:

• Citizens of countries, which are members of the European Union (EU), Swiss Confederation, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and the European Economic Area (EEA)
• Citizens of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland
• Persons who have been granted permanent or long-term residency in the EU
• Persons with a refugee status granted by the Republic of Poland or who are under temporary protection of the Republic of Poland
• Holders of certificates confirming Polish language proficiency at the CEFR C1 level
• Holders of the so-called Polish Card (Karta Polaka) or who have an official confirmation of their Polish citizenship
• Spouses, children, and direct relatives of Polish citizens, who reside in the territory of Poland
• Academics and researchers who have been granted temporary residency in Poland in lieu of academic mobility
• Other – please contact the Accessibility, Scholarship and Student Events Center.

Financial aid

Students who temporarily find themselves in a difficult financial situation due to unforeseen circumstances, are eligible for financial aid. Unforeseen circumstances are defined as events that cannot be predicted, foreseen or avoided even with due diligence. For example: an accident, a serious illness or death in the family.

Students may apply for financial aid twice during one academic year. The amount of financial aid is decided upon by the Financial Aid Committee.

As specified by the Act on Higher Education, holders of Bachelor’s degrees who are applying for another undergraduate program and holders of Master’s degrees who are applying for another university program are not eligible for the Scholarship for low-income students or for financial aid.

SWPS University offers its students a number of scholarship programs, including special scholarships for persons with disabilities. They are available to undergraduate, graduate, and 5-year integrated graduate programs students who hold a Polish disability certificate (Polish disability card). The amount of scholarships is determined annually and depends on the subsidy awarded to our university for this purpose.

A special scholarship for disabled persons is awarded for a period of 9 months, provided the disability certificate does not expire sooner. A document confirming a disability, issued by an adjudicating body in another country (outside the Republic of Poland) does not constitute the basis for granting a scholarship for persons with disabilities.

Who can apply: students who hold a valid Polish disability certificate (Polish disability card), you are eligible for a scholarship for people with disabilities.

Application Process: to obtain the scholarship you must submit an application and a copy of the current disability certificate to the appropriate authority. The scholarship is awarded for a semester or a whole academic year (or until your disability certificate is valid). More information on how to obtain a Polish disability card is available via the Virtual University (i.e. the internal information portal)