NAWA scholarships for international students: what the 2026 calls offered and how to prepare

• Where things stand
• Banach NAWA: for students from developing countries
• Poland My First Choice: for candidates from highly developed countries
• Gen. Anders Programme: for the Polish diaspora
• Learning Polish with NAWA support
• How to prepare for the next calls
• In short

⇑Where things stand

NAWA, the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange, is the main public body offering scholarships to foreigners who want to study in Poland. Its programmes for international students are run as annual calls: applications are submitted online in spring, and the scholarship starts with the following academic year.

At the time of writing (6 November 2026), the 2026 calls for degree studies were closed and NAWA had not yet published calls for scholarships starting in 2027/2028. The details of the 2026 editions below are therefore a guide to what the programmes look like, not open offers. Dates and amounts for the next editions may change and will be confirmed only in the new calls.

⇑Banach NAWA: for students from developing countries

The 2026 Banach call was addressed to citizens of 36 countries covered by Polish development aid in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. In the 2026 edition:

• the scholarship covered full-time second-cycle (master’s) studies, and applicants could not already hold a master’s degree;
• scholarship holders received PLN 2,500 a month;
• studies were offered in English or Polish, with required language levels of at least B2 in English, or B2 or B1 in Polish depending on the path;
• studies in Polish could be preceded by a one-year NAWA preparatory course;
• the deadline was 8 May 2026, 3:00 p.m. (CEST), or earlier if the limit of applications for a group of countries was reached.

The last condition matters: in the 2026 call, applications could close before the official deadline for some groups of countries, so applying early was an advantage.

⇑Poland My First Choice: for candidates from highly developed countries

The Poland My First Choice NAWA Programme targets international candidates from countries and territories with a high level of socio-economic development who plan full-time second-cycle studies in Poland. In the 2026 edition, for studies starting in 2026/2027, it offered:

• a monthly scholarship of PLN 2,000;
• exemption from tuition fees at public universities;
• a one-off travel allowance.

Studies had to take place at Polish institutions that have a framework agreement with NAWA. Applications were accepted through the NAWA ICT system until 29 May 2026, 3:00 p.m. Warsaw time.

⇑Gen. Anders Programme: for the Polish diaspora

The Gen. Władysław Anders Programme is intended for Polish-speaking young people of Polish origin living abroad. In 2026, NAWA ran separate calls for bachelor’s and master’s studies; the announcement for the master’s call is dated 31 March 2026. Candidates who are not of Polish descent should look at Banach or Poland My First Choice instead.

⇑Learning Polish with NAWA support

NAWA also funds Polish language and culture courses run by Polish universities. In 2026 these included on-site summer courses, for example at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin from 4 to 24 July 2026, as well as online courses. Courses are listed by university on NAWA’s summer courses pages, where candidates choose their preferred course.

⇑How to prepare for the next calls

NAWA scholarships do not replace university admission: you still apply to your chosen programme under the university’s own rules. Useful steps now:

• check which programme fits your citizenship and level of study;
• obtain a language certificate at the required level;
• gather your bachelor’s diploma or proof of expected graduation and transcripts;
• shortlist universities and master’s programmes and note their admission rules;
• follow news on nawa.gov.pl, where new calls are announced.

For a wider view of funding, including university scholarships, see the scholarships section of our guide to studying in Poland.

⇑In short

NAWA’s main degree scholarships for foreigners, Banach and Poland My First Choice, supported master’s studies in 2026 with PLN 2,500 and PLN 2,000 a month respectively. Both 2026 calls closed in May 2026, and the 2027/2028 calls had not been announced by 6 November 2026. Prepare your documents and language certificate early and watch NAWA’s website for the new calls.