Studying in Poland and getting a quality higher education has been very popular for some time now. The universities of this country have become an excellent alternative to Russian and Ukrainian higher education institutions. Ethnic proximity, the similarity of the mentality common to the Slavs and, importantly, financial affordability made studying in Poland very popular among applicants from neighboring countries.
Many educational institutions are located in one of the most beautiful cities in this country - in Krakow. Here is one of the oldest institutions of higher education not only in Poland, but also in Europe - the Jagiellonian University.
Founding History
The charter on its founding was issued on May 12, 1364 by King Casimir III. Then the Jagiellonian University included eleven departments, of which eight were jurisprudence, two were medical, one studied liberal arts. To create a department of theologypapal permission was not obtained.
Headed the Krakow Jagiellonian University Chancellor of the Kingdom. He was appointed to take care not only of its activities, but also of its further development. The then head of the oldest university in Europe actively began to carry out construction and organizational work. But soon after the death of Casimir, by whose order the Jagiellonian University was founded, they were suspended. And the subsequent period of the reign of Louis of Hungary was not the most favorable for the educational institution.
In honor of Grand Duke Jagiello
And only in July 1400 the university resumed its activities. This happened thanks to the help of Queen Jadwiga, at the request of which the King of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Wladyslaw Jagiello reopened this oldest educational institution. It was in his honor that the university was named. The fact that it began to function again was of great importance for Poland then, because neither Vilna nor Koenigsberg universities had yet been founded.
Studium Generale
King Jagiello supported the Lithuanians who came to Krakow to study in every possible way. In 1409, he even commissioned a small house to be allocated to accommodate poor students, especially those who came from Russia. The Jagiellonian University has become the main high school for young people from the GDL. Until the middle of the fifteenth century, about seventy young Lithuanians, immigrants from the bourgeois class, as well as some representatives of the gentry, including the princes Sapieha, Gedroitsy, Svirsky andGolshanskie.
Initially, the university was named Studium Generale, then it was renamed the Krakow Academy. And only in the nineteenth century did it receive its current name - Jagiellonian, which emphasized its connection with the royal dynasty of the same name.
General information
Today, the university has become a combination of innovation and tradition of high-quality education. It includes several institutes - molecular biology and cutting-edge biotechnologies, environmental protection, and zoology. There are three campuses on its territory. The last one was built for the 600th anniversary of the university. It became the building where the Faculty of Mathematics, Science and Informatics moved. The campus was built four kilometers from the city center, near the Technology Park and the economic zone of the city of Krakow.
Speci alties
The Jagiellonian University, whose faculties offer education mainly in Polish, has one hundred and thirty-seven speci alties. More than fifty thousand registered students receive higher education on them. Of these, more than two thousand young people are foreigners.
The Jagiellonian University, whose speci alties are attractive not only for local residents, but also for Europeans, works according to the Bologna system of education with credits. The diplomas issued by this oldest university to its graduates are recognized all over the world.
Today Jagiellonian University,admission to the faculties of which is becoming more and more popular every year, is a member of the association of European higher education institutions - the Utrecht network. The demand for education within the walls of the Krakow alma mater is explained by a wide variety of speci alties and relatively low prices. Today, the Jagiellonian University has fifteen faculties, including political science and international relations, biology, earth sciences, as well as three medical ones, which in the middle of the last century were separated into an independent Collegium Medicum.
Pride of the University
The university provides training in forty-six areas and one hundred and twenty-seven specializations. However, his pride is the library. The Krakow Jagiellonian University owns the largest collection of the oldest manuscripts in Poland. The library of this higher educational institution contains about six million items. The funds contain medieval manuscripts, including the "Code of B althasar Behem" and even "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium", written by Nicolaus Copernicus. There is also a rich collection of literature published by the Polish samizdat back in the days of the communist system. The university library also includes the funds of the so-called "Berlinka", the status of which is still controversial, as well as historical collections from the Prussian Imperial Collection.
The main hall of the Jagiellonian University - assembly - was once the largest in Krakow: under its vaults, more than one scientific debate took place, which later went down in history.
Historicalvalue
The Jagiellonian University, the photo of the old building of which is another proof of its status as the oldest in Europe, is indeed considered a landmark of Poland. The Collegium Magnus building, which today houses a library with a museum, is not in vain protected by the state as a historical value. Its walls, made of bright red brick with a perfectly smooth surface, adorn the rectangular openings of the windows and are crowned with battlements of gables. Chimney-carved roof slopes are surprisingly interesting.
Tourists are brought here
Many travelers visiting Krakow express a desire to see the Jagiellonian University. Walking through the beautiful courtyard surrounded by arched vaults, you can go to the museum halls. A massive door, upholstered with copper, leads from the Common Hall to two rooms united by a single vault. Here is located the "holy of holies" - the treasury of the university. Despite repeated devastation and robberies, her collection, which includes the amazing Jagiellonian globe, is the oldest in existence today in the world. By the way, on the mentioned exhibit the American continent is also called by the name that Amerigo Vespucci bestowed on it. In another museum treasury dedicated to the great Copernicus, the astrolabes used by him are kept. The globe of the firmament is also exhibited here, as well as the torquectum of Mykolaj Bylica, which was bequeathed to the scientist.
Admission rules
Applicants who have a Pole's card to the Jagiellonian University,come free of charge. Since studies are organized according to a single system - the Bologna process, graduates receive one of three qualifications: bachelor's, master's or doctoral.
For applicants from Ukraine entering the university, only an interview is provided, at which they are tested on the level of knowledge of the Polish language, as well as basic subjects in their speci alty and motivation.
Students, regardless of the form of education, are given the opportunity, if they wish, to change their profile of education, adding to the already taken courses new ones that are more in demand in the current conditions. The education system at the University of Krakow is not traditionally tied to national values: this creates conditions for maximum comfort for students who come from other countries.
Programs
This university has an excellent material base: many campuses located throughout the city, research centers. Students have the opportunity to take part in many exchange programs. They can do internships all over the world. The university also provides numerous scholarship programs. The registration fee for studying in Polish-language courses is PLN 275. The list of speci alties taught in English changes every year. The cost for organizing the admission process to the Jagiellonian University is 950 euros.
Benefits
The prestige of studying in this educational institution is known forthroughout Europe. Among the advantages of the Jagiellonian University are its 650 years of experience in the educational field, a high rating among world universities. Developed international connections and a highly qualified faculty mean that graduates of this educational institution will find it easy to find work in the largest organizations.
