Krakow expands offers for foreign students

 
More and more international students are coming to Krakow to study. Jagiellonian University spokesman Katarzyna Pilitowska says that Krakow has become a cosmopolitan city due to the increasing number of foreign students enrolling at local universities. A total of 1,700 students studied at Jagiellonian University alone this year. Jagiellonian University is one of the oldest universities in Europe. Other higher educational institutions in Krakow such as the University of Science and Technology and Economics Academy have also seen an increase in the number of foreign students enrolling in their institutions over past years. This number is expected to increase next year, as many universities have begun offering more English-language majors.”We have 100 places for the English-language International Relations program. These spots are open to both Polish and foreign students,” said Dorota Wydymus, administrator of the International Admissions Office at Tischner European University. Majors taught in English have a different curriculum from its Polish counterpart, with a specific emphasis on business.”Market research shows that most students interested in studying in English want to have a career with a major international corporation,” Wydymus said.After their third year of study, students choose one of three specializations: International Business, International Tourism, or European Integration. A year at the university costs 3,500 euro. Information and application forms for prospective students are available at the Tischner web site: www.wse.krakow.pl.Although foreigners frequently choose management, marketing, law and psychology as specializations at Jagiellonian University, the university’s Medical College holds the record for international enrollment with nearly 400 students, most of them from Norway, Canada and the U.S.Jagiellonian University offers many degree, as well as non-degree programs and courses: European Studies, English and American Literature, Biotechnology, Natural Science and Interdisciplinary Programs in the Humanities and Social Sciences. An English-language version of the university’s web site is being set up to allow students to register online (www.uj.edu.pl). Foreign students pay from 2,400 to 9,000 euro depending on their specialization. This is less expensive than in most European countries. Intent on raising interest among foreign students to study in Krakow, universities have begun developing programs to promote themselves abroad.   Pilitowska stated that the international student program directors plan to visit partner cities and universities. This year, they have already traveled to Canada, Japan and the U.S.Not only Europeans are interested in Poland?s universities. When Poland joined the EU, its educational market opened not only to Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and our other eastern neighbors, but also to students from more remote countries like China, India and Africa. Pawel Swierk from Krakow’s AGH University of Science and Technology confirms this trend and assures that all foreign students will be taken. AGH is opening new majors in some of its departments: Control and Measurement Microsystems, Functional Materials and Coatings, Mathematics of Finance and Insurance, General Geology and Environmental Protection. The university is also offering additional Ph.D programs. Enrollment fees are determined annually, but are unlikely to drop below 2,000 euro per year. Apart from documents confirming that a student successfully completed prerequisite levels of schooling, a letter to the rector asking for admission is needed. Noriko Nagashige from Japan just loves Polish theater. Even though she has 6 years of study behind her in Tokyo, she came to Krakow a few years ago to continue her education in theatrical studies. “This city is the best for studying, especially with my specialization,” Noriko says. “Where else can I find so many great theaters?”When Noriko first came to Poland, she knew very little Polish. She credits her course studies and life in the dormitory with improving her command of the language. “Living together in the same room with other students, I had to speak Polish all the time,” she says. “I was in contact with some very lively language.” She says she likes Poland and the people she has met here. “Polish students are amazing, because they are so active. They are always working somewhere,” she observes.Every university in Krakow prepares special courses and events to help foreign students like Noriko get used to their new surroundings, which are sometimes considered quite exotic by the newcomers. “Obviously, a young person who starts to study in a remote country can feel lost,” says Wydymus. “That’s why Tischner European University has a special orientation program, which helps these students during the first months of their stay in Poland by introducing them to different people.”Foreigners at Jagiellonian University have no problem finding a place in the dormitory. In practice, every application for a room in one of our dormitories is accepted,” Pilitowska says. “We are pleased that the number of foreign students is increasing every year.”