POLAND
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Safety: There are various ways a student might be unsafe especially when s/he is thousands of miles away from home. Certain countries may have higher rates of certain kinds of crime which may present a danger to unsuspecting outsiders, while in some certain places there may be too many distractions for a healthy study environment. Poland is a country that scores very high on all counts of safety statistics and in terms of a healthy, clean and green environment in which to live as well. Parents can rest assured that their loved ones will be studying peacefully wherever they may be in Poland.
Quality: On average Poland is one of the best countries in the world in quality of education. This is one of the reasons lots of Polish people are able to find well-paying jobs in other European countries or places like USA, Canada and Australia. Poland’s educational institutions score quite high in international rankings which are indicated in results of PISA exams. But this is true for many European countries. The best country in the world in quality of education is consistently Finland and a number of other European countries follow Finland closely. Poland is one of them with 6 of its universities in the QS World Ranking of 2015-2016.
Cost: This is where Poland separates from the pack. There aren’t many destinations in the world where one can study in English and receive a good education at very affordable rates. Poland gives this opportunity to practically anyone. You don’t have to be rich or even a high achievement student to be accepted by a Polish university. Polish universities emphasize creating opportunities for students over academic rigour, so even with a relaxed attitude school work should be manageable.
A typical student will pay an annual tuition in the range of 2500 – 4500 Euro (around 2800 – 5000 USD). The living cost will also be in the same range. Thus, total tuition and living costs for a year will be in the range of 6000 – 9000 euro depending largely on the student’s spending habits.
Jobs: Poland is the only country in Europe whose economy never stopped growing in the past two decades when many European countries actually got smaller in terms of economic growth. This means Poland has jobs for young people where others don’t. More important than that for international students is Polish government attitude towards them. In some countries local work force is favoured above and beyond an international one but Poland gives opportunities to international students to stay and work after receiving a degree if they wish to do so. But it also lets them work part-time during their studies to support themselves financially and gain professional experience.
When a student arrives Poland he needs no work permit to work part-time or even for a full-time job when school is finished. The simple fact of finishing a Polish university entitles them to sign an employment contract without a work permit. This is a huge advantage for anyone who would like to stay and work in EU.
