recognition & nostrification

Recognition / nostrification of foreign school certificate/diploma for the purpose of the application for the first or second cycle studies in Poland is the first thing the student must obtain after starting his studies at TUL. The deadline for submission of the relevant equivalence certificate is by the end of the first semester of studies and conditions whether the student will be able to continue their studies and receive the diploma.
 

Check if you should do nostrification!

 

Read carefully the information below.

RECOGNITION

Recognition of a foreign school certificate as equal to a Polish one occurs:

1) by law - that is, without certifying by other institutions or bodies in Poland

2) as a result of the administrative procedure by the Polish educational authority (kurator oświaty).

 

1) Types of certificates that are recognized in Poland by law:

• Secondary school certificate obtained in the education systems in Ukraine, Belarus, and China;
• Secondary school certificate obtained in the education systems of a member state of the European Union (EU), the European Free Trade Association - European Economic Area (EEA), and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which gives one right to apply for higher education institutions in the country where it was issued. This applies to the school certificates obtained in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia (from April 28, 2020), Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Canada, Korea, Liechtenstein Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, the USA, Hungary, Great Britain, Italy;
• IB Diploma (International Baccalaureate) issued by the International Baccalaureate Organization in Geneva;
• EB Diploma (European Baccalaureate) issued by the European Schools, in accordance with the Convention on the Statute of the European Schools, signed in Luxembourg on 21 June 1994 .;
• Certificates recognized in Poland by international agreements.

2) Certificates not listed above must be recognized as equivalent to the corresponding Polish school certificate by the Polish educational authorities, in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 27 March 2015 on the procedure for the recognition or acknowledgment of education or permission to continue their education obtained in a foreign education system. To be brief, you need recognition.

 

If you became TUL's Bachelor's degree programme student and you need recognition, go to:

Kuratorium Oświaty in Łódź,

Address: ul. Więckowskiego 33,

90-734 Łódź,

tel.: (+48) tel. 42 637 70 55

and make sure you have all the necessary documents with you!

 

Documents needed for recognition:

1) legalized or provided with apostille high school certificate/Bachelor degree diploma together with the list of subjects and grades (supplement);

Attention: In case of legalization your documents will also need to be signed by the Polish Consul/Ambassador.

2)  a document issued by a regional education authority/Ministry of Education/Polish Consulate (in the country in which education system you completed your school/studies) confirming that:
• the secondary school certificate you have gives you the right to study in higher education institutions in the country where it was issued;
OR
• sworn translation of the secondary school certificate into Polish;

3) sworn translation of the certificate/diploma to Polish language (list of sworn translators available at the website of the Ministry of Justice);

Attention: the sworn translation must be done from the language in which the original document was issued.

4) passport with a visa or with a stamp from the Office for Foreigners confirming that you're waiting to be granted temporary residence in Poland or if you already have - the temporary residence card;

Attention: If your certificate/diploma includes your ID/passport number you must have that ID/passport with you. In case you have a new passport, you must bring the old one with you.

5) student ID card (given to you at TUL).

 

NOSTRIFICATION

Your diploma does not give you the right to continue your studies in the country where it was issued?

Let us advise you what to do! Read the information below.

If a Bachelor’s or Master’s Diplomas give a foreigner the right to continue education on higher levels in the country where they were issued, they give them the same right in Poland. If the Diplomas do not give the right, but a foreigner still wants to continue education in Poland, they can be recognized in the procedure of nostrification.

Nostrification is a procedure whereby a foreign educational qualification is compared to its Polish equivalent and their equivalence determined. The competent authorities to conduct the nostrification procedure are:

- with regard to secondary school and maturity certificates – local educational authorities having jurisdiction over the applicant’s place of residence and, in case the applicant has no such place of residence, the local educational authorities having jurisdiction over the head office of the institution where the applicant applies for admission.

- with regard to higher education diplomas (university degrees) – organizational unit of a higher education institution authorized to confer an academic degree of a doktor (doctor) in a given field of science or in a given field of art providing education in an area corresponding to a field of study completed abroad.

- with regard to academic degrees – Council of the organizational unit authorized to confer an academic degree of doktor habilitowany (doctor habilitatus) in a given academic field or in a given field of art within the scope of a given academic discipline or of a given artistic discipline concerned with the academic degree.