Central Europe (EU)
Study in Poland from Germany
A practical, honest guide for German students — visas, refusal rates, flights, costs and what life is really like. Backed by sources, not marketing.
2022/23 · GUS/NAWA
visa-free entry
€20–70 (one-way est.)
Visas & entry
No visa — EU freedom of movement; register residence if staying >3 months
- Where to apply
- local voivodeship office (EU residence registration)
Key documents
- German ID (Personalausweis) or passport
- EU residence registration certificate
- health insurance (EHIC or private)
Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
Getting there
Berlin (BER) → Warsaw (WAW)
- Typical price
- €20–70 (one-way est.)
- Flight time
- 1.2 h
- Airlines
- Ryanair, Wizz Air, LOT, easyJet
Very cheap (~1h10); train (~6h EIC) or FlixBus also good. From western Germany, fly from Frankfurt/Munich.
Prices vary — estimate from kiwi.com
Cost of living
~€550–900/mo for a student in Poland (Kraków ~€550–800, Warsaw higher) — usually far cheaper than German university cities. Estimate.
What it's really like
Polish-German relations carry the weight of WWII history, but the modern relationship is a close EU partnership and one of the region's biggest trade ties. Younger Poles are generally positive or neutral toward Germans, appreciating reconciliation; older generations can be more reserved. Germans are seen as well-off, organised neighbours, and German students meet no hostility on campus. The border is open, with thousands commuting both ways daily.
Community: No large permanent student diaspora, but Germans are one of the largest nationalities on English-taught medical programmes (Wrocław, Poznań, Szczecin near the border). Erasmus+ Germany↔Poland is among the EU's largest.
Tips from students & forums
-
Many Germans study medicine in Poland in English because Germany's strict Numerus Clausus (near-perfect Abitur required) shuts out even strong applicants; Polish universities admit via exam/application instead.
mygermanuniversity.com ↗ -
English-taught medicine costs ~€12,000–16,000/year in Poland; for many Germans it's the only realistic alternative to an unreachable NC, and the degree is recognised EU-wide (Directive 2005/36/EC).
medlinkstudents.com ↗ -
Living costs are far lower than in Germany — ~€550–800/mo in Kraków, where rent alone would cost more in Berlin/Munich; the close border eases weekend trips home.
study.gov.pl ↗
Good to know
- Germans are one of the largest groups of English-taught medical students in Poland, driven by Germany's Numerus Clausus.
- A Polish medical degree is automatically recognised across the EU under Directive 2005/36/EC.
English-taught programmes for German students
All 963 degrees in the catalogue are open to German applicants — these picks match what students from Germany most often look for. Tuition shown per year where the university publishes it.
No IELTS required
Programmes at universities that state no language certificate is required — always confirm the current rule with the university.
Affordable programmes
Tuition-free and lowest published-tuition degrees in the catalogue.
Universities behind these picks
Each profile has step-by-step application instructions, admissions contacts and every English-taught programme the university offers.
Browse the full catalogue by field of study, city, university or use the programme finder.
Ready to find your programme?
Compare German-friendly, English-taught Bachelor's and Master's across Polish universities.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-13. Visa-refusal figures are Schengen short-stay proxies unless stated; Poland does not publish national (type D) study-visa refusal rates per country. Flight prices and monthly budgets are estimates from aggregators and study.gov.pl and change over time. Entries ranked 31+ are added for search coverage of countries Poland does not publish separate student counts for; their studentsInPoland.count is null by design unless a published figure exists (the Perspektywy/GUS "Studenci zagraniczni w Polsce 2023" report covers some).