Diploma nostrification

Nostrification is the procedure for recognizing a university degree obtained from a university in another country.

Diplomas obtained in countries with which Poland has not concluded bilateral agreements on recognizing education obtained abroad as equivalent to education obtained in Poland are subject to nostrification.

NOSTRIFICATION PROCEDURE

Nostrification is carried out by universities authorized to award the title of doctor in a given field. Since 2021the nostrification procedure will be conducted by a university with the A+, A or B+ academic category in the discipline to which the application relates. Information on the scientific categories awarded is available in the RAD-on system

In order to be recognized pursuant to the nostrification procedure, an application should be submitted to the faculty or scientific council. The application must be accompanied by:

• the original and a copy of the diploma obtained abroad, the recognition of which the foreigner is applying for;
• a copy of the school certificate or secondary school-leaving examination certificate on the basis of which a given person was admitted to studies completed with a diploma

documents enabling the assessment of the course of studies, the achieved learning outcomes and the duration of the studies; The certifying university may request the submission of a regular translation of the above documents.

The nostrifying university compares the study program, the obtained learning outcomes and professional qualifications, apprenticeships and the duration of studies and the study program, the achieved learning outcomes and professional rights, apprenticeships and the duration of similar studies conducted at the university. If any differences are found, the nostrifying university may oblige the applicant to pass specific examinations or undergo apprenticeships, specifying the conditions and dates of their conduct.

The nostrification procedure should be completed within 3 months from the date of submission of all necessary documents or one month after the completion of the required classes and passing the exams.

If the council rejects the application, the person applying for recognition of the diploma may submit a complaint to the rector. The deadline for submitting such a complaint is not strictly defined.

If the university decides to recognize the diploma, the applicant receives a certificate confirming the equivalence of the diploma obtained abroad with the diploma of graduation in Poland. This certificate should be presented together with the original of the diploma obtained abroad.

Note: the diploma validation procedure may in practice turn out to be problematic, complicated and costly. For example, the university may ask you to translate your master's thesis (or doctoral dissertation) into Polish. In practice, the process of recognizing a diploma may take more than a year. There may also be problems with completing the required internships, for example in nursing, which are unpaid and last one year.

Moreover, some titles obtained abroad cannot be nostrified. For example, one-year master's programs are not considered to be a fully-fledged because of their short duration.

FEES

The maximum amount of the fee is 50% of a professor's salary. The university determines the conditions and procedure for exemption from the fee.

Here You will find information about the recognition of a foreign diploma.