University of Warsaw in Poland

The University of Warsaw was founded by a decree issued on 19th November 1816 by Tsar Alexander I. It included five faculties: of Law and Administration, Medicine, Philosophy, Theology, and Arts and Humanities. Several years later it had about 800 students and 40-50 professors.

From the beginning, the history of the University of Warsaw has been inextricably linked to the history of Warsaw itself and in some measure – the history of the entire Republic of Poland, which, partitioned by the neighboring countries (Prussia, Austria-Hungary and Russia) towards the end of the eighteenth century disappeared from the European map for more than a hundred years. The hopes for the rebirth of the country emerged as early as in the first decades of the nineteenth century. These were brought first by the Napoleonic times and subsequently by the Congress of Vienna. So, first the Duchy of Warsaw (1807–1813) and the Kingdom of Poland, which being a part of the Russian empire in 1815 became a poor substitute for the Polish state.

Why University of Warsaw?

International position
Taking into account the total number of research universities that reaches 20 thousand, the University of Warsaw is among the top 3% of the world’s best universities. According to international rankings, it also is the best university in Poland and one of the leading ones in this region of Europe. In addition, the University of Warsaw holds very good positions in comparative evaluations of the quality of education, in particular study programmes, such as the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking and Eduniversal Best Masters and MBA Worldwide. 27 programmes provided by the UW have been listed in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023. 10 subjects run by the UW were ranked in the Shanghai Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022 (Physics was ranked 51-75 worldwide).

The quality of education
The quality of education at the University of Warsaw is confirmed by the annual appraisals conducted by the university itself which show that the majority of students are satisfied with their selection of the university and the education programme. The University’s strongest points are: its prestige, development opportunities, the study environment. The quality of education is also confirmed by research conducted with the University’s graduates. The University of Warsaw conducts the largest research enterprise of its kind in Europe by monitoring the careers of former students. Results demonstrate that having a diploma from the University of Warsaw is a definite asset in the job market; 94% of respondents have found employment after graduation.

The broad offer
Approximately 40,000 people study at the University of Warsaw (1st, 2nd and long cycle studies, doctoral programmes and post-diploma courses). The candidates are offered a very broad range of courses in the fields of humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, as well as many interdisciplinary courses combining knowledge and skills of many disciplines:

a wide choice of programmes of 1st, 2nd cycle studies, and long cycle (uniform) Master’s studies, 44 English-language programmes, programmes of doctoral studies in 4 Doctoral Schools (each doctoral candidate has an opportunity to follow a complete learning pathway in English) over 100 post-diploma programmes, courses in 36 languages. University of research The leading concepts of the University’s activity are the unity of teaching and research, and the harmonious development of all branches of knowledge represented in its curriculum. The University employs nearly 4,000 scholars. Their scientific enquiry extends over 1,400 research topics; students who they concurrently teach have the opportunity of joining in their research projects. The University’s research teams have won worldwide recognition in many areas of knowledge and have joined international research programmes.

In the heart of Europe
The University of Warsaw community includes 4,800 foreigners: students, doctoral students, employees and grantees of, among others, the Erasmus+ programme. With respect to academic exchanges, the University of Warsaw stands out not only in Poland, but also internationally, being one of the leaders of the European Commission ranking issued as part its assessment of student exchange at over 3,000 institutions of higher education in the entire Europe. The University of Warsaw is most popular among students from Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine.

founded in 1816
the largest university in Poland and the best research centre in the country
occupies 1st/2nd place in the national rankings of universities belongs to the top 3% of universities in the world according to global rankings such as Times Higher Education World University Ranking (THE), Quaquarelli Symmonds World University Ranking (QS), Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)
holds very good positions in international comparative evaluations of the quality of education: 27 programmes provided by the UW have been listed in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023; 10 subjects run by the UW were ranked in the Shanghai Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022 (Physics was ranked 51-75 worldwide)
belongs to the 4EU+ European University Alliance selected by the European Commission for funding in the ‘European Universities’ call for proposals, launched as part of the 2019 Erasmus+ programme awarded the “HR Excellence in Research” title by the European Commission for adopting the principles of the European Charter for Researchers, which means that UW offers a friendly working environment and transparent recruitment procedure distinguished by the European Commission for its participation in the Erasmus+ programme