A more than 13-fold increase in 10 years!
In 2019 at the University of Lodz there were 1801 students from abroad. A more numerous group of international students at that time could be found only at the Jagiellonian University (2980 students) and at the University of Warsaw (2885). In comparison with 2018 UniLodz overtook Warsaw University of Technology (1747) and Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin (1714). Additionally, apart from the number of 1801 students at UL mentioned above, during 2019 we had about 1500 participants of short-term exchanges and students of the Polish Language Centre for Foreigners. As you can easily count, simultaneously the number of students from abroad exceeded 3000 during an academic year. This is a record that we had announced earlier.
In the recent years the number of students from abroad (including exchange students) at the University of Lodz has been increasing really dynamically. Better and better results in the reports were therefore consistent - exactly 10 years ago we took 22nd place with 134 students; in 2013, we took 15th place among public universities (480 students) and in 2017 we were already 8th (1219 students).
– This effect is a result of, among others, an increase in recognition of the University of Lodz brand among students from all over the world. It is a simple mechanism – students who come to us are satisfied with the University and thus, they recommend studies at the University of Lodz to their colleagues abroad, simultaneously becoming our best ambassadors – says Justyna Izydorczyk, a specialist in charge of recruitment for studies in English. - Additionally, since October 2019 at the International Students Office, UL we have been performing “Linked to UL” project funded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange as part of the International Alumni programme. The project’s objective is to examine and promote the history of UL graduates from abroad, who have achieved outstanding professional successes. This way, new ambassadors of the University of Lodz will appear.
Studying - more and more often in English
Ambassadors are one thing, but the success in the Statistics Poland ranking is to a large extent a result of work of the team for recruitment from the International Students Office, which for years has been promoting the University offer and taking care of the recruitment process of all citizens from abroad. In 2020, despite an unfavourable world’s situation, restrictions in travelling and institutions functioning we managed to maintain the number of recruited students at a similar level. During recruitment for the 2020/2021 studies 690 students from abroad were admitted and, in addition, 110 students arrived as part of annual student exchanges. Such a result allows us to estimate that the number of students from abroad who study at the University of Lodz in the report of the Statistics Poland for 2020 will be still growing and will amount to 2080 students.
- Such a high position is a result of joint efforts of UL administration (particularly of International Students Office and Research Centre responsible for the cooperation with the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange) as well as the former authorities of the University. It is also evidence of the growing position of Lodz as an academic centre; it seems that the three largest Polish cities are the most frequently chosen ones by students from abroad. Despite unfavourable circumstances affecting universities all over the world, we do not give up and we make our offer even more interesting by adjusting it to the current situation and the changing needs of international students. Internationalisation is one of the priorities of the current UL authorities. We feel convinced that the lowest step on the podium is not the peak of our capabilities – says prof. Łukasz Bogucki, The UL Vice-Rector for International Relations.
International students come to the University of Lodz not only to take part in traditional studies in Polish, where the most popular fields of study are: management, philology and logistics. As many as 743 students study in English. The most popular offer of UL for this group of students is computer science in English. In terms of geography, the most numerous group of international students come from Ukraine. The next most numerous groups are students from Belarus, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Russia. Bigger groups come also from Ethiopia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Rwanda, China and Angola. As part of academic exchange the most numerous are students from Italy and Spain. International students at UL represent 95 different nationalities.
– It’s really worth emphasizing the fact that more than half of our international students pay for their studies. It is a result of, among others, our promotional actions undertaken throughout the last years. We promote the University of Lodz during international fairs, we advertise ourselves, among others, in social media or deliver presentations at schools, e.g. in Ukraine as part of UAktywni and UAktywni 2.0 projects, funded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange within Foreign Promotion programme. We also cooperate with recruitment agencies – says Mieczysław Pakosz from the International Student Office, specialist for recruitment.
- The success of our Office stems from the fact that we deal with internationalisation tasks with respect to strategic, priority fields of study at UL, promotion of the University and its offer abroad as well as recruitment process or exchange programmes in a comprehensive manner. Most importantly – this success would not be possible if it was not for a great work of teaching staff and everyday excellent service of Ul students from abroad at the faculties of UL. We are all extremely happy about the place on the podium together with the best universities in Poland – says Liliana Lato, Head of the International Students Office, UL.
Statistics Poland about Polish universities
The Report of Statistics Poland entitled „Szkolnictwo wyższe i jego finanse w 2019 roku” [Higher education and its finances in 2019] presents data on higher education institutions, students and graduates by a number of criteria, among others: types of institutions, fields of study, awarded scientific degrees. Financial data, including university income and costs, use of funds, and investments are also listed.
A full version of the report is available at: https://stat.gov.pl/obszary-tematyczne/edukacja/edukacja/szkolnictwo-wyzsze-i-jego-finanse-w-2019-roku,2,16.html
More information at: https://go-poland.pl/news/ever-more-foreign-students-polish-universities
University of Lodz is one of the biggest universities in Poland. Its mission is to educate top-class scientists and specialists in numerous fields of humanities, social sciences, natural and exact sciences as well as health sciences. UniLodz cooperates with business, both at the staff level by providing qualified employees as well as at the scientific level, by offering its know-how to enterprises from various areas of economy. University of Lodz is an academic institution open to the world – the number of its international students is constantly growing, while its Polish students, thanks to Exchange programmes, get to know Europe, Asia and travel overseas. The University is a part of Lodz, it operates for and with the community of Lodz by getting involved in many socio-cultural projects.
Source: Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange; International Students Office, UL