Poland’s scholarship system has a structural quirk that’s genuinely useful to understand before you start applying: one government agency runs four distinctly different programmes, each aimed at a different kind of applicant, and mixing them up wastes time. NAWA — the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange — doesn’t run a single “Poland scholarship.” It runs four, and picking the wrong one is the most common mistake in this whole process.

Sorting Out NAWA’s Four Programmes First

Banach and Ignacy Łukasiewicz are aimed specifically at applicants from a defined list of developing countries — Banach covers any subject at master’s level, while Łukasiewicz is narrower, restricted to exact, natural, technological, agricultural, forestry, and veterinary sciences. Poland My First Choice flips the target audience entirely: it’s for applicants from 44 mostly developed countries — Australia, Canada, the UK, the US, most of the EU, South Korea, Japan — studying at Poland’s top-ranked (A and A+ category) institutions. Ulam is different again: it’s not a student scholarship at all, but funding to bring PhD-holding researchers and scientists to Poland.

That distinction matters directly for the “without IELTS” question, because Poland My First Choice explicitly allows study “in Polish or in another language,” and given its target countries are largely English-speaking or English-medium-education nations to begin with, a genuinely large share of its applicant pool would already clear an English requirement through prior education alone.

The Four NAWA Programmes

1. Banach NAWA Programme
Monthly stipend of PLN 2,500, tuition exemption at public universities, a NAWA-funded preparatory course, and a PLN 2,500 travel allowance, for full-time master’s studies conducted in Polish or English.
🔗 nawa.gov.pl/en/students/foreign-students/the-banach-scholarship-programme
Open to citizens of 36 countries covered by Polish development aid across Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America — if your target program runs in English, this is one to check against the official list of recognized English-language certificates published alongside each year’s call, rather than assuming IELTS is the only accepted proof.

2. Ignacy Łukasiewicz Scholarship Programme
Free-of-charge master’s study at institutions supervised by Poland’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education, restricted to exact, natural, technological, agricultural, forestry, and veterinary sciences.
🔗 nawa.gov.pl/en/nawa-programmes/programy-nawa/the-ignacy-lukasiewicz-scholarship-programme
This one leans more heavily toward Polish-language study, with a preparatory Polish course built in — a genuinely different structure from Banach’s dual-language flexibility, so if you specifically want an English-medium route, Banach or Poland My First Choice usually fit better.

3. Poland My First Choice
A monthly living allowance (around PLN 2,000) plus tuition exemption at public institutions, for master’s study at Poland’s highest-rated (A/A+ category) universities, in any language the program is taught in.
🔗 nawa.gov.pl/en/students/foreign-students/poland-my-first-choice-programme
Recent recipients have come disproportionately from France, Italy, the United States, Spain, South Korea, and Lithuania — with Jagiellonian University, Warsaw University of Technology, and University of Warsaw the most commonly chosen host institutions among past scholars.

4. The Ulam Programme
Funding to bring doctoral-degree-holding scientists and researchers to Poland to contribute to research and teaching at a host institution — not a student scholarship, but worth knowing about if you’re past the master’s stage.
🔗 nawa.gov.pl/en/scientists/the-ulam-programme
Named after Stanisław Ulam, the Polish mathematician who later worked at Princeton — this program is open to scientists of any nationality and age, including Polish researchers currently working abroad (capped at 10% of each call’s fellows).

Where Universities Add Their Own Layer

5. University of Warsaw
Beyond hosting NAWA scholars, UW runs its own scholarship guidance office and English-taught program portfolio.
🔗 welcome.uw.edu.pl
UW’s own international office explicitly walks applicants through which NAWA programme fits their nationality and study level — a genuinely useful first stop if you’re unsure which of the four programmes above actually applies to you.

6. Jagiellonian University
One of Poland’s oldest and most internationally recognized universities, and consistently the most popular destination for Poland My First Choice recipients.
🔗 en.uj.edu.pl
Its strong track record of admitting scholarship-funded international students across humanities, sciences, and social sciences makes it worth checking directly for program-specific English-proficiency policies.

7. Warsaw University of Technology
A leading destination for engineering and technical fields among NAWA scholarship holders.
🔗 www.pw.edu.pl/engpw
Frequently cited among the top host institutions for both Banach and Poland My First Choice recipients specifically in technical and engineering disciplines.

8. AGH University of Krakow
Strong in engineering, IT, and data science, with a substantial English-taught program offering.
🔗 agh.edu.pl
Confirm your specific department’s accepted English-proficiency documentation directly, since Poland’s universities generally set this at the faculty level rather than a single institution-wide rule.

9. Adam Mickiewicz University
Known for humanities and social sciences, with multiple funding routes available to admitted international students.
🔗 amu.edu.pl
As with the other universities here, check whether your specific program accepts an English Proficiency Certificate or MOI letter in place of IELTS before assuming a blanket policy applies.

10. Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees (EMJMD)
€1,400/month stipend, tuition, and travel allowance for joint master’s degrees delivered across 2+ European countries, some including Polish partner universities.
🔗 eacea.ec.europa.eu/scholarships/erasmus-mundus-catalogue_en
Several EMJMD consortia exempt applicants from English-speaking countries or English-medium degree holders from a formal test entirely — check the specific consortium’s page, since this exemption varies program by program.

Making Sense of the English Requirement

Across the board, Polish universities and NAWA calls tend to accept one of three things in place of IELTS: an English Proficiency Certificate or MOI letter from your prior institution, a recognized English-language certificate from the specific list published with each NAWA call, or a university-conducted interview assessing your spoken English directly. Email your target university’s admissions office to confirm which of these applies before assuming any single route is universal — Poland’s flexibility here is real, but it isn’t standardized across all institutions.

Timelines and What Comes Next

Banach’s most recent call closed in early May; Łukasiewicz and Poland My First Choice run on similarly timed spring windows, generally closing by mid-to-late May or June for the following autumn intake — though NAWA opens each year’s call separately, so confirm the current date directly on their site rather than assuming last year’s deadline repeats exactly.

Whichever program you pursue, budget for costs NAWA scholarships often don’t fully absorb: Poland’s residence permit financial-proof requirement, mandatory health insurance, and — if you’re headed into a partly Polish-taught program — the preparatory language course that several NAWA tracks build in before your degree formally starts. A service like Wise is worth using to move remaining funds without a heavy bank markup.

Two Practical Questions

Does Poland’s residence permit process check my English separately?
No. Your university admission or NAWA scholarship agreement has already assessed your language proficiency by that stage — the residence permit process focuses on your acceptance documentation, financial proof, and health insurance instead.

I’m from a country like the US or UK — which NAWA programme is actually for me?
Poland My First Choice, not Banach or Łukasiewicz — those two are specifically restricted to applicants from the designated developing-country lists, while Poland My First Choice’s 44 eligible countries include most Western nations.

Before You Apply

  • Confirm which of NAWA’s four programmes actually matches your nationality and study level — this is the single most common mixup
  • Check your target university’s specific accepted English-proficiency documentation directly, since it isn’t standardized across Poland
  • Note that Łukasiewicz leans more Polish-language than Banach or Poland My First Choice
  • If you’re past the master’s stage and hold a PhD, look at Ulam rather than the three student-focused programmes
  • Budget for Poland’s residence permit funds requirement and health insurance separately from any scholarship
  • Re-verify current deadlines directly on NAWA’s site each year, since call dates shift annually

Scholarships Without IELTS