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
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
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