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Zerówka is a one-year preparatory course for foreigners at a Polish university. The word is Polish: at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (UMK), the page for such courses is titled exactly that, “Kursy roczne (tzw. zerówka)”. In Czechia, the one-year preparation is called přípravný kurz, and the term “zerówka” does not exist there.
The main point for a Kazakhstani graduate in one sentence: the preparatory year does not replace recognition of the school certificate (attestat). The written statement from the director of NAWA is needed when enrolling in the first year of a bachelor’s or long-cycle master’s programme, both the university and the consul require it, and a year on the course does not cancel that step.
All figures below refer to specific universities and were checked on 28 July 2026 against their pages.
Short answer: what it is and who it suits
Zerówka is a year of language and subject preparation at a university, after which the student enters a first-cycle programme under that university’s rules. The course takes an academic year: at Wrocław University of Science and Technology (PWr) it runs from October to June, at the University of Rzeszów it is two semesters.
The course suits a graduate who lacks the language for the chosen programme. It solves no document-related task, and no verified source promises admission after the preparatory year: the admission decision stays with the university.
There is no single national standard for hours or price in Poland: “zerówka” is not one product with a known price but the name of a format.
What zerówka includes and what it costs
| University | What the university publishes | Scope and timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (UMK) | registration fee 200 EUR (900 PLN), classes 2 500 EUR | year-long courses, these are what the university calls zerówka |
| Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS) | 2 600 EUR, tuition only | one-year preparatory course |
| Wrocław University of Science and Technology (PWr) | price was not established in this check | 600 hours of Polish and 240 hours of subject courses, October to June |
| University of Rzeszów | 1 300 EUR | 2 semesters, 600 hours |
Two practical takeaways from the table. First: the registration fee may be charged separately from classes, as at UMK, so courses should be compared by what the payment covers, not by a single figure. Second: 600 hours of Polish per year is the volume at two verified state universities, not a Polish norm, and this figure cannot be transferred to another course.
The subject component also differs: at PWr, 240 hours of subject courses are added to the 600 hours of language, and for engineering and science tracks that is a substantial difference from a purely language programme.
The preparatory course amounts on the Poland page are not repeated here: they have neither an academic year nor a verification date. How the budget for the year works as a whole: how much studying in Poland costs.
Who needs zerówka and who does not
The question “is zerówka needed” cannot be answered in general terms. The language requirement is set by the university for a specific programme, and the consul has the right to assess language skills and invite the applicant to an interview. So the table below names not “yes” or “no” but what settles the question in each situation.
| Graduate’s situation | What settles the question | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| Programme in Polish, no Polish | The programme’s language requirement and how it is tested | Whether the university has its own year-long course and from what level it starts |
| Programme in Polish, intermediate level | The same requirement. In the 2026/2027 intake, the University of Warsaw held Polish language exams and interviews for candidates from abroad | Whether the university accepts a language certificate instead of the course |
| Programme in English | The programme’s English requirement, also set by the university | What document the university accepts as proof of language |
| Certificate not yet recognized | That is a separate procedure, the course does not replace it | Whether the application has been sent to NAWA via SYRENA |
| The course is offered by a non-university language school | Visa logic: EEC does not automatically consider an invitation from a third-party school a sufficient basis | Who legally issues the invitation and in what status |
Zerówka and certificate recognition: how they fit together
Certificate recognition is tied to enrolling in the first year of a bachelor’s or long-cycle master’s programme, not to the preparatory course. That means the written statement from NAWA will still be needed, and needed twice: the university requires it during recruitment, the consul in the visa package.
At the same time, the two processes do not queue behind each other. The application to NAWA is filed based on the certificate itself and an identity document, not on the fact of enrollment, and no apostille is needed for it. The practical takeaway: the preparatory year is not a postponed start for the paperwork but a year in which the paperwork can already be completed. The details: certificate nostrification for Poland, who needs certificate recognition, and apostille and sworn translation.
A visa for the preparatory year: what is known and what is not
Here the honest answer is shorter than we would like. The document list published by the consulates applies to a student visa for study at a university. What exactly the consul requires from an applicant for a preparatory year is not established by any verified primary source, so no document list for this case is given here.
What is established for certain and applies to any student application: the processing time is stated as 2 weeks but can be extended to 60 days, and planning should assume 60. The application can be submitted no earlier than 6 months before the trip and no later than 2 weeks before departure. The full list: student visa to Poland.
EEC’s position matches what is written on the Poland page: non-university language schools should not automatically be considered a sufficient basis for a visa, and a university language course is more reliable for visa logic.
What to ask the course before paying
- Who legally issues the invitation: the university or a separate language school. Visa logic depends on this.
- From what level the course starts and what level is promised at the end. A programme “from zero” and one “from A2” mean different volumes of hours and different prices.
- How many contact hours of language and how many of subjects. For technical tracks, the subject component is decisive.
- What the price includes and what is charged separately. The registration fee, textbooks, the exam, insurance, and housing may be separate lines.
- How the course connects to admission to the first cycle. Foreign applicants often have a separate timeline, and it can open in winter: admission calendar.
- What the course gives at admission to that university and where that is written. No source promises admission, so ask for any such promise in writing.
- Who issues the visa documents and on what timeline. The date the documents are issued is the real start date of the visa stage.
Does EEC work with the preparatory year
Reviewing a specific course and how it lines up with admission deadlines is a job for a consultation, and certificate recognition is covered by a separate service: certificate nostrification.