Speaking at the European Economic Congress in Katowice, Kulasek told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that expanding international enrollment was key to the financial stability of Polish universities. Poland currently has around 1.2 million students, of whom more than 100,000 are foreign nationals.
The minister pointed to new academic cooperation agreements with Turkey, Vietnam, South Korea and Uzbekistan, following a Polish academic delegation's visit to Tashkent last week for the third Poland-Uzbekistan Rectors' Forum.
He said Polish universities are seen abroad as offering high-quality education at lower cost than Western European institutions — a combination driving strong interest from foreign applicants.
Kulasek said this year's recruitment cycle showed no signs of difficulty, with outstanding issues now resolved. Last year's process was disrupted by a special visa law that took effect mid-2025, mid-recruitment, requiring foreign applicants to hold a secondary school diploma and proof of language proficiency at B2 level.
On student housing, the minister said a subsidy fund program had drawn strong interest in its first edition, with the state development bank selecting 14 universities and allocating more than PLN 460 million (EUR 108 million). Some 3,200 dormitory places will be built or renovated this year, he said.
Asked about the Research University Initiative — which grants 10 top universities a 10% subsidy increase — Kulasek said expanding the program would require amending higher education law, so the rules remain unchanged for now. He called it "a very desirable program," noting intense competition among universities for a place in it.
On a cybersecurity breach at the University of Warsaw, Kulasek said the recently signed national cybersecurity law would help address systemic vulnerabilities across Polish universities and research institutes.
"The diagnosis proved correct — the threat is real, as the Warsaw University incident shows. We will systematically introduce solutions to protect Polish universities and research institutes from data leaks," he said.
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Source: PAP