"Zeruvka" - one-year course at universities.

"Zeruvka" is a one-year preparatory course for further studies at Polish universities. It consists of two semesters of six months each.

In England, where similar programs for foreigners were invented, "zeruvka" is called - Foundation, in other countries - Pre-study or Pathway. Upon completion of this course, you receive a certificate confirming your knowledge of the Polish language at the required level for admission to any university in Poland. To obtain this certificate, you will need to take an exam.

This course will help you not only learn the language, but also adapt to a new environment. It is precisely because of the better adaptation of foreign students to life in a foreign country (and as a result - a smaller number of withdrawals of students who have completed annual preparatory courses) that such programs as "zeruvka" are popular.

As a rule, during the annual preparatory course, the Polish language, culture, customs and history of Poland are studied. There are also more advanced courses where you additionally study professional terminology, for example, legal, medical, mathematical, computer science, physics, or architecture - all depending on where you plan to go in the future.

Annual training cost

The cost of a preparatory course starts from 1200 euros and reaches 4000 euros per year of study. You can pay either for the full year at once or by semesters. In preparatory courses at private universities, you can sometimes get one free month of classes or guaranteed admission to the university when paying for the year at once.

Holders of a Pole card in preparatory courses at state universities often receive a 30% discount on the cost of the preparatory program.

Prospects after graduation

After completing the preparatory course, you will have a certificate in your hands that allows you to enter all universities in Poland. If you passed the state preparatory course (at a state university) or the preparatory course at a private university, you have the right to guaranteed admission to the university where you passed the preparatory course.

It should be noted that other educational institutions may be attached to one state preparatory course. That is, if you want to enter the Jagiellonian University, be prepared for the situation that you will take the exam at another university, despite the fact that the Jagiellonian University also has its own preparatory courses.

The curriculum of preparatory programs

Zeruvka is an intensive Polish language course where you are trained in Polish for the entire academic year from October to June. The program usually includes 600-800 hours of Polish, 300-400 hours of classes each semester, 20-30 hours per week, 5 times a week for 4-6 hours per day.

Students learn all the most important language skills: understanding written and oral texts, reading, speaking, and writing various types of texts. Additional lectures and exercises on the history and culture of Poland can be held in Polish and English.

Students of the zeruvka also participate in additional courses selected according to the future field of study: in mathematics, physics, biology, computer science, chemistry, geography, social studies, etc. Additional subjects are determined depending on the needs of the students.

The main subjects are taught in Polish, and the course ends with a written and oral exam in Polish and exams in all selected subjects.