Poland · Lesser Poland
Study in Krakow in English: universities, costs and careers for international students
Krakow is Poland’s student capital. The Jagiellonian University was founded in 1364 - the second-oldest university in Central Europe - and the city now packs well over 100,000 students into a compact, walkable centre. It is also the largest business-services and technology hub in Central and Eastern Europe, so the job market and the student life are both unusually strong for a city of 800,000. Living costs sit clearly below Warsaw. Here is what to weigh.
Universities in Krakow
2 universities
Why Krakow
Before the detail, the snapshot - what you actually get by studying in the capital of Lesser Poland.
- The Jagiellonian University: founded in 1364, Poland’s oldest and most prestigious university, strong in medicine, law, international relations and the sciences
- AGH University of Krakow: the country’s leading technical university for computer science, automation, materials and energy engineering
- Cracow University of Technology and Krakow University of Economics add engineering, architecture, finance and management in English
- The biggest concentration of international employers outside Warsaw, and a student population that keeps the city young year-round
Universities & English-taught programmes
Look past the overall ranking to subject strength and the language of instruction - that is what decides your fit.
- The Jagiellonian University teaches English-language bachelor’s and master’s in international relations, business and finance, biotechnology, computational chemistry and cognitive science
- Its Medical College runs a well-established six-year English-language medicine programme aimed at international students
- AGH offers English-taught bachelor’s and master’s in computer science, electronics, automatic control and robotics, and modern materials
- Krakow University of Economics runs English-taught degrees in international business, finance and accounting, and applied informatics
- Curriculum flexibility: strong Erasmus+ networks and joint or double-degree tracks with European partner universities
Career prospects & ROI
Krakow’s employer base runs on English, which makes it the most accessible Polish job market for a graduate who has not yet mastered Polish.
- Industry connections: ABB, Motorola Solutions, Cisco, Google, Shell, HSBC, IBM, Capgemini, Aptiv and Comarch all run large Krakow centres and recruit interns from AGH and the Jagiellonian
- Krakow is repeatedly ranked among the world’s leading outsourcing and shared-services locations - tens of thousands of English-language jobs in finance, IT support, analytics and engineering
- Working while you study needs no work permit for holders of a Polish study visa or residence permit, and there is 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 you graduate
- Graduate salaries run roughly 10-15% below Warsaw, but so do rents - the net position is often better
Cost of living in Krakow
Estimates for the 2026 academic yearA student in Krakow should budget around 712 € a month. The heaviest line by far is rent: a room in a shared flat goes for about 330 €, and most land between 260 € and 440 €.
- Room in a shared flat usually 260 € – 440 €
- 330 €
- Food and groceries
- 200 €
- Student travel pass
- 12 €
- Health insurance
- 25 €
- Phone, internet, electricity
- 60 €
- Books, sport, going out
- 85 €
- Monthly total
- 712 €
Ranked 6 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).
Success stories
Students who crossed the bridge
“I wasted a year trying alone. After the strategy call I knew exactly which documents I was missing - three months later I had my admission.”Read full story →
“They prepared my visa file so well the interview took ten minutes. They even helped my parents understand the blocked account.”Read full story →
“With the VIP pack I arrived in Finland with my room, bank account and even my airport pickup organised. I just had to study.”Read full story →
What it costs
Cheaper than Warsaw across the board, with the same tuition levels and a much shorter commute.
- Tuition for non-EU students: about €2,000-€4,500 a year for most English-taught bachelor’s and master’s; English-language medicine at the Jagiellonian is far higher, around €13,000-€16,000 a year
- Living costs: budget PLN 3,000-4,000 a month (about €700-€930), with dormitory places from roughly PLN 500-800 a month
- 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; you will need travel or private insurance for the visa itself
- Scholarships: NAWA programmes for students from developing countries, Jagiellonian and AGH tuition discounts for strong applicants, and Erasmus+ grants for exchange semesters
Life, safety & culture
A compact, safe, walkable city built around students - and the easiest place in Poland to arrive as a foreigner.
- Daily language is Polish, but the old town, the university district and the service sector are used to English - and free Polish courses are standard for international students
- Trams and buses cover the whole city with a deeply discounted student pass; almost nothing in the centre is more than 20 minutes away
- Very low crime by European standards, with student healthcare through NFZ and university clinics
- Poland’s densest student life - hundreds of societies, an Erasmus community several thousand strong and a well-organised network of international student associations
How to apply & the bureaucracy
Each university admits directly through its own portal - the paperwork is the slow part, so start it first.
- Apply through the university’s own online system; the main October intake usually closes between May and July, and several programmes also start in February
- English proficiency: IELTS 6.0-6.5 or TOEFL iBT 79-90; medicine additionally requires biology and chemistry results and often an entrance exam or interview
- Your secondary certificate must be legalised or apostilled and translated by a sworn translator; some programmes also require a nostrification decision
- After admission, book the national D visa appointment at the Polish consulate with proof of funds, insurance and accommodation, then apply for the residence card once you arrive
Read these guides next
Want UniBridgeEurope to do all of this for you?
We take African students from first choice to arrival in Europe: university shortlist, applications, student visa, flights, bank account and housing. Start with a €99 strategy call, or choose the package that comes with an admission guarantee.