Poland

• Governmental membership
  Poland has been a Governmental Member of EQAR since February 2008.

  Map: EHEA countries by governmental membership

• General information on higher education

  Higher education is offered by university-type (uczelnia akademicka) and non-university-type (uczelnia zawodowa) institutions.

  University-type higher education institutions can offer third-cycle degrees, while non-university type may only offer first- and second-cycle degrees.

• National external quality assurance requirements

  Institutional evaluation was carried out in Poland between 2012-2016. Following the amendments to the Law on Higher Educatiom, institutional evaluations were suspended and changes were made to the programme evaluation criteria for general academic and practice-oriented profile.

  • Programmes evaluations
    may result in an outstanding assessment (awarded for 8 years), a positive assessment (6 years), a conditional assessment (a date of follow-up assessment will be given) and a negative assessment.

• EHEA key commitment

  Fully aligned with the ESG

  A fully functioning quality assurance system is in operation nationwide, in which all higher education institutions are subject to regular external quality assurance by an agency that has successfully demonstrated compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the EHEA (ESG) through registration on EQAR

  Map: implementation of the EHEA key commitment

• Cross-border quality assurance

  Recognising EQAR-registered agencies as part of the national external QA requirements

  • HEIs are required to be reviewed by an EQAR-registered agency in order to apply for the right to offer doctorate degrees.
  • Foreign higher education institutions (HEIs) that have been accredited by any EQAR-registered agency have the right to establish branch HEIs or departments in Polish.
  • Higher education institutions may have their programme evaluated by EQAR-registered agencies under certain conditions.

  • Eligibility requirements for foreign agencies: EQAR registration

  • Conditions for the agencies’ work (e.g. criteria to be used): own criteria for EQAR registered QA agencies

  • Recognition of reviews carried out by foreign agencies: the Polish Accreditation Commission (PKA, the national QA agency) takes into account the accreditations and certificates obtained through the evaluation by the foreign agency in selected areas of education.

  Map: recognition of cross-border quality assurance

• European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes

  European Approach available to all higher education institutions

  Map: availability of the European Approach for QA of Joint Programmes

• Permalink
  https://data.deqar.eu/country/138/
• Further information

  • Regulation of 20 September 2016 on the general criteria for program evaluation

  • Ministry responsible for higher education

  • Poland - European Higher Education Area

  • ENIC NARIC

Registered agencies operating in Poland