Poland · Pomerania
Study in Gdansk in English: universities, costs and careers for international students
Gdansk is the largest city of the Tricity - Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia - a metropolitan area of about a million people on the Baltic coast. It combines a beautifully rebuilt Hanseatic centre with a serious technical university, an Intel design centre and the construction hub for Poland’s offshore wind programme. Costs are lower than Warsaw, the sea is fifteen minutes away, and the job market is unusually specialised for a city this size. Here is what to weigh.
Why Gdansk
Before the detail, the snapshot - what you actually get by studying on the Polish Baltic coast.
- Gdansk University of Technology: one of Poland’s leading technical universities, with English-taught engineering across electronics, IT, civil and mechanical engineering
- The University of Gdansk: a large comprehensive university, strong in economics, management, law and oceanography
- The Medical University of Gdansk: a well-established English Division for medicine, in one of Poland’s better teaching hospitals
- A distinctive employer mix - Intel, Amazon, offshore wind, shipbuilding, port logistics - plus a beach and a historic centre on the doorstep
Universities & English-taught programmes
Look past the overall ranking to subject strength and the language of instruction - that is what decides your fit.
- Gdansk University of Technology runs English-taught bachelor’s and master’s in computer science, data engineering, electronics and telecommunications, civil engineering and green technologies
- The University of Gdansk offers English-language degrees in international business, economics, management and marine sciences
- The Medical University of Gdansk runs a six-year English-language medicine programme and English-taught nursing and pharmacy tracks
- Marine and offshore engineering are a genuine local specialism - few European cities teach them next to an active shipyard and a wind-farm construction base
- Curriculum flexibility: Erasmus+ agreements across Scandinavia and Germany, plus joint research links through the Baltic university networks
Career prospects & ROI
A specialised job market: technology, energy and logistics, with English as the working language in most of it.
- Industry connections: Intel’s large Gdansk R&D centre, Amazon, Bayer, Lufthansa Systems, Thyssenkrupp, Energa and the Baltic offshore wind projects recruit engineering interns locally
- The port and the shipyards make Gdansk Poland’s centre for logistics, maritime and offshore engineering careers
- Students on a Polish study visa or residence permit may work without a work permit and with no weekly hour cap
- Post-study work: a temporary residence permit of up to nine months to look for a job or start a business after graduating
- Engineering salaries approach Warsaw levels in IT and offshore energy, while housing costs roughly 20-30% less
Cost of living in Gdansk
Estimates for the 2026 academic yearA student in Gdansk should budget around 682 € a month. The heaviest line by far is rent: a room in a shared flat goes for about 300 €, and most land between 240 € and 400 €.
- Room in a shared flat usually 240 € – 400 €
- 300 €
- Food and groceries
- 200 €
- Student travel pass
- 12 €
- Health insurance
- 25 €
- Phone, internet, electricity
- 60 €
- Books, sport, going out
- 85 €
- Monthly total
- 682 €
Ranked 4 of 8 on cost among the cities we cover in Poland, cheapest first.
Cheapest on our list: Lodz, at about 632 € a month. →What things cost here, against the EU
Across the whole shopping basket Poland sits at 70.2, where the EU average is 100 (2024).
EU average = 100
Consumer prices rose 3.3% over 2025.
Where these numbers come from
The monthly budget is our own estimate, compiled from what student unions, universities and national student services publish. Use it to plan with — it is not a quote.
The price levels, inflation and rent figures are published statistics: Eurostat purchasing power parities and, for German states, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
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What it costs
Coastal quality of life at mid-range Polish prices.
- Tuition for non-EU students: roughly €2,000-€4,500 a year for English-taught bachelor’s and master’s; English-language medicine is far higher, around €12,000-€15,000 a year
- Living costs: budget PLN 3,000-4,000 a month (about €700-€930); dormitory places run roughly PLN 500-850 a month, and summer rents rise with the tourist season
- Proof of funds for the visa: the legal minimum is around PLN 776 a month for each month of stay plus return travel - budget realistically above it
- Health insurance: voluntary NFZ cover for students is about PLN 55-60 a month; travel or private insurance for the visa application
- Scholarships: NAWA programmes for developing-country students, university merit discounts and Erasmus+ grants for exchange semesters
Life, safety & culture
A coastal city with a strong identity, a mild maritime climate and a short commute to the beach.
- Daily language is Polish; the Tricity has a growing English-speaking service sector, and universities run free Polish courses for internationals
- The SKM commuter train links Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia every few minutes with a student discount - the whole Tricity works as one city
- Low crime, good student healthcare through NFZ, and long summer days by the Baltic
- A visible international student community in engineering and medicine, with Erasmus and African student associations across the three cities
How to apply & the bureaucracy
Direct admission through each university’s portal - start the document legalisation before the application opens.
- Apply through the university’s own online system; the October intake usually closes between May and July, and medicine runs an earlier, separate timetable
- English proficiency: IELTS 6.0-6.5 or TOEFL iBT 79-90, or a secondary certificate taught in English
- Your secondary certificate must be legalised or apostilled and translated by a sworn translator; engineering programmes expect mathematics and physics results
- After admission, apply for the national D student visa with proof of funds, insurance and accommodation, then apply for a residence card once you arrive
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