About

Polish	English	Meaning
Akademik, Dom Studencki	student residence hall	Dormitories. The University of Szczecin owns several student residence halls in which students can apply for semester-long lodgings.
cudzoziemiec	foreigner	A person who doesn’t have Polish citizenship.
Dni adaptacyjne	adaptation days	An event for new students organised by the University right before the academic year starts. Students meet their classmates and tutors there, sign their student oath slip, and receive their student ID.
DOS, dziekanat	Dean’s Office	The place where you submit all student applications and search for help with student matters.
Dziekan	Dean	The head of the faculty.
dzień rektorski	Rector’s day	A day off (with no classes) officially decided by the Rector at the start of the academic year. Rector’s days are marked on the academic year organisation schedule.
ERK	Online Admissions System	An online system through which you apply to study at the University of Szczecin. This is where you upload all the required documents.
godziny dziekańskie	Dean’s hours	Hours free of classes officially decided by the Dean. Dean’s hours are implemented on-the-go during the academic year. You can find out about them via the news (“Aktualności”) section on the university website or from your tutor, professors, and fellow students. Dean’s hours concern only the faculty of that specific Dean.
harmonogram zajęć	class schedule	The official class schedule which you can find on your faculty’s website. Remember to regularly check the schedule as it’s often updated, especially during the first weeks of the start of a new semester.
immatrykulacja	matriculation	The event of officially admitting students into the University of Szczecin. Usually takes place on the last day of September.
indeks	student record book	A booklet (or an online account) in which a student’s courses and grades for those courses are documented.
Juwenalia	Juwenalia festival	A student festival full of music and games that takes place sometime in June. The day is marked on the academic year organisation schedule and is always one of the Rector’s days (a day with no classes).
kolokwium	test	A usually short test that allows the academic teacher to check your knowledge on a topic previously discussed in class.
kryteria kwalifikacji	admission criteria	The criteria according to which you’re admitted or non-admitted to the University of Szczecin.
legitymacja studencka	student ID	The most important student document. Aside from identifying you as a student, it also makes you eligible for many student discounts.
lektorat	foreign language course	A class on—and held in—a foreign language of your choice out of those the University offers.
opiekun roku	tutor	The head academic teacher who’s responsible for helping and guiding a group of students assigned to them. If you have any doubts or questions, feel free to ask your tutor for advice.
opłata rekrutacyjna	admission fee	The fee that you pay for each course you apply for. You can find the information on what the admission fee is here.
organizacja roku akademickiego	academic year schedule	The official document which shows you a calendar of the academic year with all the important days marked on it. You can find the document here.
Prodziekan	Deputy Dean	One of the Dean’s Deputies; usually takes care of specific areas, such as student matters, part-time studies matters, etc.
przerwa semestralna	winter/summer break	The break between two semesters. The exact dates for them change every year, but they always take place right after the exam session. You can check the exact dates in the academic year schedule here.
Regulamin studiów	Rules and Regulations of studies	The most important document in the University of Szczecin; it holds all the rules and regulations of the University as well as the rights and obligations of the students. You can find it here.
Rektor	Rector	The Head of the University of Szczecin.
Rektorat	Rectorate	The building in which the Rector’s Office is.
Samorząd studencki	Student Government	A group of students elected by their peers to represent them in student matters. There is one single Student Government group in the entire University of Szczecin.
sesja (egzaminacyjna)	exam session	A two-week period reserved for exams, right after the end of months of classes (usually at the beginning of February and July; the dates change so make sure to check them in the academic year schedule here).
sesja poprawkowa	re-take session	A period reserved for exam re-takes if you didn’t pass your exam in the exam session. This is also when you make up for the classes you failed during the semester.
starosta	year prefect	One student chosen to represent their entire year group. This is the student that stays in touch with the tutor, the academic teachers, and Dean’s office concerning their student group.
statut	statute	An official legal document that regulates how the University operates.
studia I stopnia, studia licencjackie	first-cycle studies, Bachelor’s studies	The firsty cycle of studies available in the University of Szczecin. Bachelor’s studies last 3 academic years (6 semesters). Successfully completing the studies allows you to apply for the second cycle of studies, aka the Master’s studies.
studia II stopnia, studia magisterskie	second-cycle studies, Master’s studies	The second cycle of studies available in the University of Szczecin. Master's studies last 2 academic years (4 semesters). To apply, you need to have completed Bachelor’s studies. Successfully completing the studies allows you to apply for the third cycle of studies, aka the Doctoral studies. Master’s studies give you the academic title MA (mgr).
studia jednolite magisterskie	long-cycle studies, uniform Master’s studies	The long-cycle studies available in the University of Szczecin. Uniform Master’s studies aren’t separated into Bachelor’s and Master’s; they last 5 academic years (10 semesters).
studia stacjonarne	full-time studies	Studies in which courses take place during the week, usually in the morning and noon/afternoon hours.
studia niestacjonarne	part-time studies	Studies in which courses take place during the weekends (Friday afternoon – Sunday afternoon), perfect for students who have work or other responsibilities during the week.
sylabus	syllabus	A detailed document which informs you of all the information about the course(s) you’re taking.
świadectwo ukończenia szkoły średniej	secondary school-leaving certificate	One of the documents required for your admission to the University of Szczecin. It serves as proof that you have completed your secondary education.
tok studiów	course of studies	The information on what courses you’ll take and when during your cycle of studies.
tryb studiów	mode of studies	The information on the form of studies: full-time, part-time, and extra-mural.
ubezpieczenie	insurance	A signed financial contract between a person and an insurance company (or the University of Szczecin and an insurance company). In case something happens to your health or you’re in an accident, the insurance company will cover the costs of treatment.
urlop dziekański	Dean’s leave	An official break granted to you by the Dean at your plea. It can be as long as one year.
usprawiedliwienie (nieobecności)	(absence) excuse note	A document you use to excuse your absense from classes, exams, and other obligatory events. The most common document is a doctor’s note which you get when you’re sick. After your return to class, you have 14 days to present an excuse note.
warsztat	workshop	A course that takes a more of a hands-on, practical approach.
wydział	faculty	One of departments/units that make up the University. Each holds a number of themed, specific fields of study. Each faculty in the University of Szczecin has its own website.
zaliczenie	credit	The general way of passing a class – you need to receive a signature from your academic teacher in your student record book (indeks) for the credit to count.
zaliczenie bez oceny	non-graded credit	A form of passing a class. You receive no grade here, just a general signature from your academic teacher.
zaliczenie na ocenę	graded credit	A form of passing a class. You pass a class with a grade (5 being the highest grade, 2 – the lowest).
zaliczenie poprawkowe	retake pass	If you fail a class, you can get a retake pass – you make up for the class during the re-take exam session. The form of the retake depends on your academic teacher’s instruction.
zaświadczenie o statusie studenta	student status confirmation	A document issued by the Dean’s Office that informs of you being a student.
zwolnienie lekarskie	sick leave	A document which you receive from your doctor that states you are sick and you can’t attend classes or work. It’s best to e-mail a scan of your sick leave to your tutor or your academic teachers if you’re about to miss a test or an exam.

Name	Meaning
NFZ	National Health Fund. If you’re a citizen of the European Union, you may be entitles to free medical care. In case you’re not an EU citizen, this is the organisation you sign an insurance agreement with.
ZUS	Social Insurance Institution. (In case you’re not an EU citizen) After signing an agreement with NFZ, you may take out insurance in this institution.
EFTA	European Free Trade Association. A trade organisation and a free trade area. It consists of four member states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
EEA	European Economic Area. It unities the EU member states with the EFTA and enables free trade between them by extending the European Union’s Common Market to them.
ERK	Online Admissions System. This is the system you sign into when you want to apply to study at the University of Szczecin. Remember to upload all the required documents there.
NAWA	Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange. This is an institution whose goal it is to internationalise academic and research institutions. It enables a comfortable international student and teacher exchange all across the globe.
EKUZ	European Health Insurance Card. If you have this card, you’re entitled to free medical care in Poland.
WOPR	Volunteer Water Rescue Service (pol. Wodne Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe). This is the organisation that issues a document certifying your swimming ability in case you don’t have a swimming card. A swimming card is required when you want to apply to study Physical Education.