The challenges of internationalisation of Polish HEIs and the characteristics of visa and border traffic were discussed by the participants of the annual consultation meeting of the 'Study in Poland' programme.

The consultative meeting of the 'Study in Poland' programme was held on 10 July 2024 at the Warsaw School of Economics. It was attended, among others, by the Deputy Minister of Science prof. Andrzej Szeptycki, the President of CRASP prof. Arkadiusz Mężyk and the Rector of UG prof. Piotr Stepnowski. The meeting was also attended by representatives of OPI, the Office for Foreigners, NAWA and numerous representatives of university agencies coordinating cooperation with foreign countries.

This year, the event was particularly important in the context of the 'White Paper on Actions Required to Eliminate Irregularities in the Visa System of the Republic of Poland' published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which aroused a lot of emotion in the academic community.

During the meeting, reports prepared especially for the occasion by OPI and the Office for Foreigners were discussed, presenting the current state of internationalisation of HEIs in Poland and the characteristics of visa and border traffic. Challenges related to the internationalisation of Polish higher education and directions for its development were also discussed.

During his speech, prof. Piotr Stepnowski emphasised the enormous contribution of Polish universities to the internationalisation of academic education and scientific activity.

‘Over the years, we have developed many effective practices for recruiting foreign students, creating attractive educational offers and building international scientific consortia. However, now more than ever, the role of the state and the government is crucial and strategic in significantly accelerating and strengthening these processes,’ said UG Rector prof. Piotr Stepnowski. He also drew attention to the demographic challenges facing Poland and Europe and the need to prepare for future changes.

Director of the UG International Cooperation Office Magdalena Sawicz invited all the guests present to the International Conference 'Foreign Students in Poland', which will be held at the University of Gdańsk in January 2025.