Maria Curie-Skłodowska University

About Maria Curie-Skłodowska University

UMCS was established in 1944 and is named for the Polish scientist Maria Curie-Skłodowska. It remains an operating state university: its official applicant portal opened admissions on 17 April 2026, while Poland’s national Study in Poland portal classifies it as a public university providing undergraduate, graduate and doctoral education. The university is also included in NAWA’s 2026/2027 list of institutions supervised by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The institution’s scope is broad. Its academic structure includes faculties spanning arts, biology and biotechnology, chemistry, economics, languages and literature, philosophy and sociology, history and archaeology, mathematics and computer science, earth sciences, education and psychology, political science and journalism, and law and administration. UMCS also lists a branch campus in Puławy. Applicants should verify the teaching location on the individual program page rather than assuming every course is based on the central Lublin campus. UMCS is a particularly relevant option for students who want access to both Polish- and English-language study within a comprehensive university. The 2026/2027 recruitment catalogue allows candidates to filter by first-cycle, second-cycle and long-cycle study, full-time or part-time format, teaching language and organizational unit. This structure makes comparisons possible, but admission conditions can differ materially by program. Prospective students should therefore use the central catalogue as a starting point and then inspect the program-specific schedule, qualification rules and required documents.

Recruitment for the 2026/2027 academic year is conducted through UMCS’s online IRK system. The university announced that admissions opened on 17 April 2026. Candidates create an account, select a program, complete the application form, upload the required material and pay the applicable application fee. Deadlines and selection methods are program-specific, so the opening date should not be interpreted as a common closing deadline. For bachelor’s applicants presenting international qualifications, the current document list requires a passport page, secondary-school certificate and transcript, legalization or an apostille where applicable, translations when required, evidence of eligibility for further study, and a signed candidate profile. Depending on the country and recognition rules, a NAWA recognition statement may also be necessary. Applicants to English-taught programs must document at least B2 proficiency under the university’s accepted-language rules. Biology applicants additionally face a medical-certificate requirement. Master’s applicants submit their bachelor’s diploma and transcript or diploma supplement, with the corresponding legalization, translation and recognition documentation when applicable. Medical certification is specifically identified for Biology and Chemistry applicants. Rules introduced for holders of certain non-EU, non-EFTA and non-OECD qualifications can also require recognition documentation; some first-cycle candidates in this group must pass a university entrance examination. Because recognition treatment depends on the issuing country and document, international candidates should check both the UMCS instructions and NAWA guidance before applying. Doctoral recruitment is separate and uses school- and discipline-specific procedures.

UMCS offers a multidisciplinary curriculum rather than concentrating on a single professional field. The official 2026/2027 recruitment catalogue includes programs in areas such as administration, archaeology, biology, biotechnology, business, chemistry, economics, finance, geography, languages, law-related fields, mathematics, media, psychology, sociology, tourism and the arts. Candidates can distinguish Polish-taught from English-taught study in the catalogue. Listed English-language options include Biology, Business Analytics and Data Science, Business Management, Chemistry, Graphic Arts, International Relations, IT Cyber Security, and tourism-related programs, although availability and cycle differ by subject. Undergraduate and graduate study are organized through the university’s faculties. Program entries specify the study cycle, mode, language, recruitment timetable and qualification criteria, so applicants should rely on the individual entry rather than treating a subject name as evidence that it is available at every level. Poland’s long-cycle master’s category also appears in the 2026/2027 catalogue and is distinct from the normal bachelor-to-master progression. Doctoral education is delivered through schools covering humanities and art, social sciences, and quantitative and natural sciences. Official UMCS information identifies doctoral disciplines ranging from archaeology, history, linguistics and the arts to economics, law, psychology, international relations, mathematics, computing, biology, chemistry, physics and earth sciences. Some doctoral provision is available in English, but language arrangements vary by school and discipline. Doctoral applicants should consult the separate 2026/2027 doctoral recruitment pages because the general degree catalogue does not supply all research-topic, supervisor and selection details.

Key Highlights

• Public university founded in Lublin in 1944
• Operating and recruiting students for the 2026/2027 academic year
• Comprehensive faculty structure plus a branch campus in Puławy
• Official catalogue covers first-cycle, second-cycle and long-cycle study

Student Life & Environment

Student services cover academic administration, health and wellbeing information, accommodation, orientation, digital systems and practical guidance for living in Poland. International students can use a dedicated International Student Office, while the university’s first-year guidance explains common systems and points of contact. Academic support is decentralized in part through faculty dean’s offices, so students should expect some procedures to be handled by their own faculty. UMCS reports nine university residence halls close to the campus and city centre, with single, double and triple rooms across different standards. Internet access, laundry facilities, common rooms and quiet-study rooms are listed as standard shared provisions, although features vary by building. Single rooms are limited and are generally prioritized for students with disabilities or single parents. Residence allocation is not automatic: the second application round for 2026/2027 ran through USOSweb from 5 to 17 August 2026, with confirmation and a PLN 400 deposit required after allocation. Outside classes, the student portal directs students to sport, culture, recreation and volunteering opportunities. The university also supports student organizations and scientific clubs through its Student Affairs Office. Prospective students should check current organization pages after enrolment, as club activity and event calendars change during the year.

Location & Surroundings

UMCS is based in Lublin in eastern Poland. Its official address is Plac Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej 5, 20-031 Lublin, and the main academic and residence-hall area is positioned near the city centre. This arrangement can make campus facilities and central Lublin accessible without requiring students to live in a remote residential campus. The university’s buildings are distributed across a wider academic area rather than contained in one enclosed site. Residence halls also have separate addresses, and some teaching takes place away from the central campus. In addition, UMCS lists a branch campus in Puławy, a different city in the Lublin region. Applicants should confirm the location attached to their chosen program before selecting housing or estimating a commute. The international student portal provides practical guidance on getting to Lublin, local public transport, shopping, mobile connectivity and residence formalities. Students arriving from abroad should budget time for Polish immigration, address-registration and insurance requirements where applicable; these depend on citizenship and personal circumstances rather than university admission alone.

Costs & Career Outcomes

UMCS does not publish one universal tuition figure applicable to every student. Tuition depends on the program, study cycle, teaching language and the candidate’s fee status. The public English-language fee page available during this research is headed 2025/2026 and lists different euro-denominated charges by program; those amounts should not be treated as confirmed 2026/2027 tuition. The university’s student payment guidance says English-taught tuition is paid to the account stated in the admission decision and may be paid annually, by semester or through an installment plan agreed individually with the faculty dean. Application charges shown on the current admissions fee page are PLN 85 for a standard application, PLN 100 when an entrance examination is required and PLN 150 when artistic skills are evaluated. Applicants should confirm the amount generated in IRK for their chosen program. Housing is an additional cost. For the 2026/2027 residence allocation’s second round, successful applicants had to pay a PLN 400 deposit or booking fee; room charges vary by hall and room standard. Career support is provided through the Competence Development Office. Its services include job and internship placement, workshops, entrepreneurship education, vocational counselling, employer recruitment activities and alumni relations. The university also operates an internship-management system through which students can register placements and submit documentation. These services support career preparation, but the reviewed official sources do not provide verified graduate salary, placement-rate or employer-outcome statistics.