How tempting universities. There is a struggle for candidates for studies

Gone are the days when more than 20 people applied for one place to study, even in economics or law. This was the case at the end of the 90’s. Now it is universities that apply for students. How?

During the time when high school graduates are resting, universities do their best to continue their studies in October. For many Polish universities – both state and private – the result of recruitment is often either not be for many faculties.

To tempt a student

Strategies for “tempting” prospective students vary. Universities promote themselves differently than young, often private universities. High school graduates, choosing to study at private universities and doing it well in advance, can count on considerable discounts in the cost of studying. Universities are not only able to waive the enrollment fee and the qualification fee, but also propose a tuition reduction (e.g. by PLN 100 per month or even PLN 1,000 per semester) in the first year of study. Another financial bonus is the fact that there are no final exam fees.

Unusual directions

Private universities can also quickly adapt to the trends prevailing on the labor market or simply the fashions among high school graduates. From here, they run courses that are hard to find in classical universities. These universities focus on the maximum proximity of the fields of study to the labor market. Therefore, they offer the possibility of attractive apprenticeships, often carried out abroad. Various internships and student exchanges with students from friendly, partner institutions are also to be equally encouraging.

What in the family will not die

A high school graduate can also get discounts when he recommends another candidate for a student, or when someone from his family is already a student at the university. Some universities also offer discounts when choosing another field of study (up to half as much for the second course), or when starting studies at the next stage (e.g. at supplementary or postgraduate studies). Others make it possible to obtain vouchers when recruiting, which can be redeemed later by signing up for selected classes in addition to the compulsory ones – from language conservatories to sports classes.

Scholarship for a student

Universities – especially the top ones – rarely use financial incentives. Often the very name “university” is their biggest advertisement. They also often offer an attractive scholarship program for high school graduates-Olympians (scholarships amount to over PLN 1000 for winners of Olympiads at the foreign level). This can be a decisive factor when a high school graduate is choosing a university.

Good to know: Financial expectations of students and pupils

Universities with achievements aim at the most talented high school graduates, for whom the most important thing will be the possibility of continuing their studies in the best, prestigious institutes and contact with professors enabling their professional development.

Dormitory full of tenants

State universities also have a large amount of accommodation in their dormitories – for students who come from the other end of Poland or from abroad, it is important in what conditions they will live and, above all, how much they will have to spend on it. Some universities even organized lotteries where you could win a free one-year stay in a dormitory, and smaller prizes were tickets to swimming pools or gyms. However, even the best universities do not ignore the demographic decline – hence their presence at educational fairs or cooperation with academic junior high schools and high schools, where they fish for future students.

The crowd will come in September

In the dean’s offices the biggest traffic will start at the beginning of September. Depending on the university, this month accounts for 25 percent to almost half of the applications. However, specialists advise high school graduates to familiarize themselves with the framework curricula at selected universities. Gadgets like a free tablet or laptop, a trip abroad as part of an integration camp for the first year or admission to the gym should not be the decisive criterion for choosing a university. The professional future of the student will depend on what curriculum will be proposed and what skills the student will acquire after its completion, and whether he will not contribute to a number of unemployed with the diploma. And this is a perspective far beyond the three or five years spent in selected studies.