More than 600 students of Polish heritage from around the world have received scholarships within the framework of the General Anders Programme to study first-cycle, second-cycle and full-cycle programmes. The exact number of students that will enrol to the Jagiellonian University will be known soon, but it is already apparent that the oldest Polish university has, as usual, garnered much attention.
The General Anders Programme, funded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), allows young people of Polish origin and the holders of the Pole’s Card to attend Polish higher education institutions and study in Polish. This year’s applications for first-degree and full-cycle Master’s degree studies included holders of Polish and foreign citizenship who completed their entire secondary school education outside of Poland.
The Programme is directed to members of the Polish diaspora around the world. This year’s edition comprises 471 scholarships for first-cycle and full-cycle programmes as well as 131 second-cycle programmes. The applicants will be able to enrol to a higher education institution of their choice or a special preparatory course preceding their chosen study programme. NAWA provides monthly funding throughout the duration of the programme and pays for any fees for related to courses and tuition.
Every year, the Jagiellonian University is one of the most popular higher education institutions amongst the scholarship recipients, with as many as 210 studying currently at the oldest Polish university. Most of those students come from Ukraine and Belarus. The most frequently chosen study programmes are law, international relations, biology, biotechnology, chemistry, physics, journalism, medicine, and dental surgery. As the scholarship holders have full autonomy when selecting the university they want to attend, we will know how the numbers have changed in October.
