Computer Science & IT Universities in Poland

Below: the strongest IT universities in Poland for computer science, what they really cost in euros and Naira, how you get in from an African school certificate, the English you need, and your right to work during and after study.

Why study IT in Poland?

Poland is one of Europe’s better-value choices for a computer-science degree, and a practical option for African students who can self-fund a modest tuition fee:

• Strong, respected CS at a low price. English-taught computer-science programmes at public technical universities typically run €2,500–6,000/year — a fraction of UK or Irish fees, with a degree that travels across the EU.
• A real programming reputation. Poland is well known for producing strong software engineers and competitive programmers, and its tech sector keeps hiring.
• English at bachelor’s and master’s. Unlike Germany — where English-taught IT is overwhelmingly a master’s offering — Poland has a deep pool of English-taught computer-science bachelor’s as well as master’s.
• Liberal work rights. Full-time students can work without a work permit, and Poland’s official student portal states there is effectively no hour limit — among the most generous regimes in the EU.

Poland hosts a large and growing international-student population, and the number coming from Africa has risen sharply over the past decade — Zimbabwe is among the largest African origins. You won’t be the first from your country.

One honest caveat: Poland tightened student-visa scrutiny in 2024–2026 and introduced a cap on foreign students per university, with Nigeria named among the most-rejected nationalities. Clean, genuine documents matter more than ever — which is exactly where we help. For the bigger picture, see our study in Poland hub.

Top IT and computer-science universities in Poland (English-taught)

These public universities offer English-taught computer science and engineering and appear in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Tuition is per programme and set by each university — treat the ranges as a guide and confirm the exact figure on the course page before you apply.

Read the fee column carefully. Several Polish universities (including PW and AGH) bill per semester — the annual figures above are the per-semester fee multiplied by two. Warsaw University of Technology is the priciest of these for non-medical engineering; AMU Poznań is among the cheapest publics in the country (~€1,850/year for English programmes). Always confirm the current fee on the university’s own admissions page — fees are volatile and set per course.

“English CS/IT = Yes” means the university offers English-taught programmes at that level, but availability is programme-specific. Verify the specific computer-science course before you apply. For the wider list, see universities in Poland.

What it really costs

Poland is not tuition-free for non-EU students — you pay a course fee — but living costs are low. Here is a realistic first-year budget for an English-taught CS programme at a public university:

Naira figures use an indicative rate of €1 ≈ ₦1,575 (~₦368/PLN) as of June 2026 — FX is volatile, so re-check before you quote a student. The proof-of-funds rule is strict: you must show living money plus return travel on top of paying tuition and rent, and consulates in practice often expect closer to 2,000–2,500 PLN/month of living funds. See the full breakdown on our study in Poland guide.

Can you study computer science in Poland in English?

Yes — and at both bachelor’s and master’s level, which is a real advantage over Germany. IT and computer science are among Poland’s strongest English-taught fields, alongside medicine, business and engineering. The exact catalogue size shifts each cycle, but commercial listings count roughly 292 English-taught bachelor’s and 303 English-taught master’s programmes across all subjects (aggregator estimates, not official figures) — pull the live total from Poland’s official StudyFinder before you rely on a number.

Practical rule for CS:

• Bachelor’s in CS → English-taught options exist at the technical universities above.
• Master’s in CS → English-taught options are widely available.

Humanities, law and many professional tracks are Polish-only, but IT is not — you do not need Polish to enrol in an English-taught computer-science degree. Polish still helps for daily life and part-time work.

How Africans get into a Polish CS degree (no APS, no uni-assist)

This is where Poland differs from Germany. Poland does not use APS, and it does not use the uni-assist clearing house. You apply directly to each university through its own online system (usually called IRK), and there is no central UCAS-style portal.

Your credentials are handled like this:

1. Academic certificates. For a bachelor’s, you need your upper-secondary certificate (WASSCE/NECO, KCSE, ZIMSEC, NSC, the Zambian certificate, etc.) entitling you to higher education. For a master’s, you need a recognised bachelor’s degree.
2. Recognition via NAWA. Where a qualification is not automatically recognised — which is the case for most African countries — you obtain a NAWA Director recognition statement (free, via the SYRENA system) for a school certificate, or, for some degrees, nostrification by a Polish university. If your foreign diploma gives access to the next study level in your home country, it generally gives the same right in Poland.
3. Apostille or legalization. Hague-member countries (including Nigeria, which joined in 2025, plus South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia) use an apostille. Kenya and Ghana have historically needed legalization instead — confirm each applicant’s current status before lodging documents.
4. Translations. Certified translations are usually required for documents not in English.

We check every document before you submit — that matters even more given Poland’s recent visa clampdown. See how our study-abroad consultants vet your file.

Do you need IELTS or Polish for an IT degree?

For an English-taught CS programme, you need to prove English, not Polish. Polish universities set their own thresholds; representative public universities (Warsaw, Jagiellonian) ask for a B2 baseline, typically:

• IELTS ≥ 5.5
• TOEFL iBT ≥ 72
• PTE Academic ≥ 59

Some programmes (and medicine) set a higher bar, so verify per course. A Medium of Instruction (MOI) waiver is often accepted if your secondary certificate or prior degree states English was the language of instruction — useful for students from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa. But under Poland’s 2025 visa-integrity law, some universities have narrowed the MOI-waiver list, and a waiver does not apply automatically just because English is an official language of your country. The safer route is to sit a test (IELTS 5.5+).

For Polish-taught programmes you would need Polish (often C1) — but you won’t need that for an English-taught computer-science degree.

Working while you study — and after

Poland’s work rules are a genuine selling point for self-funding African students:

• During study: full-time students may work without a work permit, and Poland’s official student portal states there is effectively no hour limit for enrolled full-time students — unusually liberal compared with Germany or Ireland. The 2026 minimum wage is 4,806 PLN gross/month (about 31.40 PLN/hour).
• After you graduate: you can apply once for a temporary residence permit for graduates to seek work or start a business, valid for 9 months. Full-time Polish-university graduates do not need a work permit. From there you can move to an employment permit or EU Blue Card (which needs a salary of at least 150% of the national average).

One honest note for long-term planners: time spent on a student visa or permit counts only at 50% toward the five years needed for EU long-term residence. The 9-month graduate permit and later work years count in full. For the visa itself — including the €200 national visa and the strict proof-of-funds rule — see our study in Poland guide.

Scholarships for IT students in Poland

A modest tuition fee can be reduced or removed with the right scholarship:

• NAWA Banach Scholarship (master’s): pays a monthly stipend (recent calls: around 2,500 PLN/month) plus a tuition waiver at public universities and a one-year Polish preparatory course. African eligibility is narrow and the eligible-country list changes by call — past calls have included countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Tunisia and Angola. Check the current official list before you rely on it.
• NAWA Ignacy Łukasiewicz Scholarship (master’s, STEM): tuition-free study plus a monthly stipend, aimed at STEM and natural-science fields — relevant for computer science. The eligible-country list changes by call and has included African countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia, Senegal, Tanzania and Angola — confirm the current list, stipend and deadline on the official page.

Two warnings: “Poland My First Choice” excludes African countries, and the Banach 2026 call has already closed — plan around the 2027/28 cycle and re-check the official page for the next deadline. See our NAWA / Banach scholarship guide for eligibility and how to apply.

How we help

World Study helps African students choose the right Polish IT programme, apply directly to each university (with NAWA recognition handled correctly), and prepare a clean visa file — honestly, with real costs and no inflated promises. Given Poland’s recent clampdown, document quality is everything, and that’s the part we get right. Our core guidance is free; you only pay if you choose our optional premium visa-and-relocation support.

Talk to a World Study advisor on WhatsApp or take the free 2-minute eligibility check → to see which Polish IT universities you qualify for.

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