Introduction
A large country with a vibrant culture, rich history and the nature of welcoming people is what makes Poland a land of dreams. In addition to this, Poland, as a country offers top-class education at affordable tuition fees and a reasonable cost of living too. Poland has more than 400 institutions and a good reputation for higher education with some excellent European colleges situated there.
When it comes to intakes, there are two intakes in Poland, Winter intake and the Summer intake. The winter intake starts in September or October and ends in February or March, and the summer intake starts in February and ends in July or August.
Details about the Winter Intake in Poland
If you are planning for Winter, one of the intakes in Poland, here are the details.
- In August, start preparing a list of universities that you wish to take admission as per the availability of the Master's course of your choice. By September, get a brief idea about bank loans and scholarship programs. Research about the accommodations in Poland also so that you can have some idea about living cost in Poland.
- From June, start preparing for the entrance tests like SAT, IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, etc. as per the requirement of the universities. For the GMAT and GREs register in June or July or at least three months from the date of the exam. For TOEFL or IELTS, registration should be done at least one month before the exams. Appear for these tests and keep some buffer time if required, for a retest.
- In between August and October, shortlist the relevant universities that you had made a list of as per your exam score and prepare for your application. Work on the statement of purpose, highlighting your strengths, goals and what makes you a unique student. Get the reference letter from professors or managers. Prepare your SOP and essays, along with arranging and structuring the documents accordingly. Do not wait for the deadlines and apply well before the due date.
- Colleges reply to your applications through emails in between November to April and so make sure that you do not apply late. Many colleges take personal or video interviews between January and March. Once you get your acceptance letter, make sure that you have arranged for the admission financials well in advance so that you may pay within time.
- Arrange for the student visa and scholarships between May and July after you get the Letter of Acceptance. Keep some time as these documents take some time for processing.
- Now, as you will be ready to fly, make sure that you have booked your flight tickets from July to August and also arrange for an international credit or debit card. Arrange all the documents that are necessary along with their photocopies. Do prepare a pre-departure checklist.
Details about the Summer Intake in Poland
If you plan for the February intake here is the timeline.
- Polish universities have a first come first serve basis for admission, so start your application as soon as possible. Make sure that you shortlist few universities that offer MS in Poland as per your choice well within time to avoid any last-minute hassles.
- Prepare for the entrance exams such as IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT and SAT two months prior to the date. For exams like IELTS and TOEFL, make sure you appear for these tests latest by August. For the results to come out, it takes around two weeks, but a buffer time should be in your hand.
- In between September to November, prepare the final and complete application for the universities that you have already shortlisted. An additional filter can be added in terms of your GRE score. Get your reference letters from your professors or managers and prepare your statement of purpose (SOP), which should highlight your uniqueness as a student. Most universities have their deadlines in December but do check the right deadline by checking the official college websites.
- Colleges send mail after your application gets reviewed and if you get an acceptance letter, do not delay in giving a reply. Sometimes, you may have to send a reconsideration letter too so account for that as well. Be prepared for personal or video interviews and make a quick decision as some of the colleges follow first come first serve policy, so do not wait for the deadline.
- Between November to December, after you get the Letter of Acceptance to apply for your student loan and visa in advance as these documents take time for processing.
- Book the airline tickets in January as the classes start in February so arrive before February and look for accommodations. Collect all your necessary documents like transcripts and photocopies. Along with that, arrange for an international credit or debit card as an international student.
Deadlines for Universities in the Master's Program in Poland
The winter intake ends in September or October, and for the summer intake, the window ends in February or March. Both intakes in Poland have varied deadlines.
Though these are the deadlines, they differ from university to university and course to course. Application deadlines for EU or EEA and non-EU/EEA students vary too. The deadlines for EU/EEA students ends in the mid of September latest, and the non-EU/EEA students have their deadline ends in mid-July to the middle of August latest. Make sure you research well and educate yourself about the deadlines for both the intakes in Poland.
Conclusion
Some important points while you consider which intake you should take are described in this section. Consider the universities that you shortlist according to your Master’s program, as some universities do not have admission for both the intakes. So do some research for the Master’s course you are planning to take and if the course is available in that particular intake.
The winter intake size is much larger than the summer intake because most of the MS/ Master’s course is available in the Fall intake. Universities of Poland accept more applications in the Winter intake for the international students.
Campus recruitment starts in the second year, and that means a student has three semesters that are already completed in the winter intake, which gives them an edge. For a student who has opted for summer intake, they would have completed two semesters only. Thus, job opportunities are higher for the fall intake. However, this does not mean that the other intake does not have as many.
Now, even though the winter intake is the preferred intake, still do not drop the idea of going for the summer intake if your Master’s course is available in the latter.
All in all, there are no significant differences which cannot be overcome for the two intakes in Poland. So, start preparing for whichever intake suits you well!
In this blog, we have enlisted the top reasons why you should choose Poland for your higher studies.
