University of Warsaw

The University of Warsaw is Poland’s largest university, and one of its most prestigious.

It offers courses in humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, as well as a range of interdisciplinary programmes.

While most teaching is in Polish, the university offers more than 20 programmes which are taught in English, including economics, business, and political science.

Students at the institution also have the opportunity to take courses in one of 36 languages which are on offer.

Warsaw is an international university, with thousands of foreign students, researchers and academics, including those participating in the European Union’s Erasmus programmes.

The heart of the university remains its historical main campus, in the centre of Warsaw, which includes buildings dating back to the 17th century. The natural sciences campus is more modern.

The history of the university itself stretches back to 1816, when it was founded by a decree issued by the Russian tsar, Alexander I.

This first iteration of the institution lasted only 15 years before it was closed, amid growing clamour for Polish independence from Russia. Amid temporary liberalisation, the university was reopened in 1862, but was then closed in 1869 and was replaced with the Imperial University of Warsaw, a Russian-language institution.

It was not until 1915 that the Polish university was reopened, this time under German rule and subsequent independence. The university was again closed under Nazi rule in the Second World War, but many academics risked their lives to continue their teaching in secret.

Five Warsaw graduates have won Nobel prizes, including the physicist Joseph Rotblat, and the former Israeli Prime Minister, Menachem Begin.

Other notable alumni include the composer Frédéric Chopin and David Ben-Gurion, the founding Prime Minister of Israel.