Formal recognition of diplomas - Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences

Formal recognition of education is a procedure in which the Superintendent of Schools is going to assess your high school diploma to decide if it can be recognized as proof of secondary education that entitles you to pursue higher education in Poland.

When the procedure does not apply:

If you are applying to a postgraduate degree (MA, MSc) and your undergraduate degree (BA, BSc etc.) gives you access to that stage of higher education in its country of issue, it automatically gives you the same right in Poland, as long as the degree was fully accredited and awarded lawfully by an accredited institution functioning within any country's higher education system. You can apply without any additional procedures.

If you are applying to an undergraduate degree (BSc, BA) or uniform master’s degree (Veterinary Medicine), the main document you need to submit is your high school diploma. High school diplomas issued in many countries are automatically recognized by law and they do not need to undergo any additional procedures. Those countries include:

Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK, and the USA.

When the procedure does apply:

If you are applying to an undergraduate or uniform master’s degree (Veterinary Medicine) and your high school diploma was issued in a country not listed above, this guide is for you. Your education will need to be formally recognized. You have time until the end of your first semester to complete the procedure in order to be able to continue your studies at UPWr.

Checklist of additional documents for the formal recognition of your diploma:

the application form
your original secondary school diploma – legalized/apostilled, OR a notarized copy of your diploma, apostilled (you will still need to submit your original diploma for inspection);
official translation into Polish of the above (more details on translation below);
the original transcript of grades from school, including the list of subjects taken, grades awarded, and the grading scale, if it is not part of the final diploma;
official translation into Polish of the above (more details below);
eligibility statement certifying that your diploma gives you the right to pursue higher education in its country of issue, signed by the body that issued your diploma – template available in the link below
official translation into Polish of the above if it was issued in a foreign language (more details below)
copy of the first page of your passport with your photo and personal data

In case of doubt, the description of the whole procedure, a full list of required documents, and document templates are available for reference on the website of the Ministry of Education HERE and on the website of the Authority on education in Wrocław HERE.

Formal recognition of diplomas step by step: