Middle East / West Asia
Study in Poland from Iran
A practical, honest guide for Iranian students — visas, refusal rates, flights, costs and what life is really like. Backed by sources, not marketing.
2022/23 · GUS/NAWA
type D long-stay
2024 · proxy, see note
€220–600 (one-way est.)
Visas & entry
National long-stay (type D) study visa
- Processing time
- 2–4 (15 days from fee payment; interview possible) weeks
- Where to apply
- Embassy of Poland in Tehran (the only Polish mission in Iran)
- Proof of funds
- ≈ €2,500+ liquid for a 365-day visa plus tuition/rent; visa fee €135
Key documents
- acceptance letter
- proof of funds (bank statements)
- health insurance (≥ €30,000)
- accommodation
Source: gov.pl
Visa refusal — the honest picture
26% Visa refusal rate (2024)
Iran's overall Schengen short-stay refusal rate ~26% in 2024 (down from ~30.3% in 2023) — PROXY, not Poland-specific
Important: Iranian applicants face above-average scrutiny EU-wide; sanctions/banking issues complicate proof of funds and fee payment.
Source: home-affairs.ec.europa.eu
Getting there
Tehran (THR/IKA) → Warsaw (WAW)
- Typical price
- €220–600 (one-way est.)
- Flight time
- 8.5 (1 stop) h
- Airlines
- Turkish, Qatar, Pegasus, Air Arabia
No reliable nonstop; via Istanbul/Doha. Sanctions and banking restrictions can complicate booking/payment.
Prices vary — estimate from kiwi.com
Cost of living
≈ €450–1,000/mo: dorm 60–150, shared room 80–300, food 100–150; ~€860 all-in average. Estimate.
What it's really like
The Iranian community is small and poorly documented — no large established diaspora, presence largely individual (students, professionals). Experience is shaped by Poland's broader coolness toward Middle-Eastern migrants, with research documenting a sharp gap between the welcome for Ukrainians and the treatment of Middle-Eastern/Muslim arrivals. Individual Iranians describe building visibility through activism and culture while navigating othering, bureaucracy and sanctions-related friction.
Community: ~392 Iranian students; no sizeable legacy diaspora — presence is dispersed and individual, mostly in major university cities.
Tips from students & forums
-
Plan proof-of-funds and the €135 fee around banking/sanctions constraints early — moving and showing money is the practical bottleneck for Iranian applicants.
gov.pl ↗ -
Be ready for a consular interview — for Iran the Tehran consul may invite applicants, unlike many other posts.
gov.pl ↗ -
Connect with Iranian-in-Poland social channels before arrival; the community is small and dispersed, so online networks substitute for a physical hub.
salamlab.pl ↗
Good to know
- Tehran hosts the only Polish diplomatic mission in Iran; type-D decisions issue within 15 days of fee payment.
- Iran's Schengen-wide short-stay refusal rate fell to ~26% in 2024 from ~30.3% in 2023.
English-taught programmes for Iranian students
All 963 degrees in the catalogue are open to Iranian applicants — these picks match what students from Iran most often look for. Tuition shown per year where the university publishes it.
Medicine & health programmes
Medical degrees taught fully in English — a popular route for Iranian students.
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 Iranian-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).