Social scholarship

A social scholarship is a form of financial assistance dedicated to people in a difficult financial situation due to low income. It is paid out every month in a fixed amount (except for the compensation for months when the scholarship was not paid, but should, e.g. for the period from submitting the application until its examination). Its amount depends on the income per person in your family.

Regardless of how many fields of study you study, you can only get a scholarship for one of them!

Remember!

Receiving one of the benefits does not mean that you cannot receive other forms of material assistance.

Regulations of benefits for students of the University of Warsaw (only in polish version)

Funds for the social scholarship, such as the aid, the rector’s scholarship and the scholarship for the disabled come from the Scholarship Fund, i.e. funds granted by the Ministry of Education and Science in the form of subsidies. This means that the funds that will not be used (if more than 70% of the subsidy funds are spent) are transferred to the next calendar year.

The legislator imposed a number of restrictions on universities regarding the spending of funds from the Scholarship Fund. They affect the amount of benefits offered at the University, e.g. if few people receive a social scholarship, the university may not increase the amount of the rector’s scholarship.

60/40 – maximum proportions of the Scholarship Fund allocation. At the same time, the funds allocated for the Rector’s scholarship cannot account for more than 60% of the funds disbursed for the Rector’s scholarship, the social scholarship and the assistance grant.

70% of the subsidy – this is the amount the University has to spend from the subsidy so that the remaining funds can be transferred to the next accounting year.

38% of the professor’s remuneration – the maximum amount of the social scholarship and the rector’s scholarship.

You can get a social scholarship if:

• you are a student at the University of Warsaw;

and

• you are in a difficult financial situation, the income per person in your family does not exceed 1570,50 PLN.

and

• you do not study for more than 12 semesters, with the proviso that within this period, benefits are available for:
  • first-cycle studies – not longer than nine semesters;
  • second-cycle studies – not longer than seven semesters.
• The limit also includes studies started at a university other than the University of Warsaw.

Where does the income threshold come from? It results from the Act – Law on Higher Education and Science, which strictly defines the minimum and maximum level of the income threshold. This amount is determined by the Rector in consultation with the Students’ Council of the University of Warsaw and the PhD Students’ Union.

An application for a social scholarship may be submitted throughout the year, however, it is obtained for a semester. What does it mean? If you want to receive a scholarship throughout the academic year, you must apply for both the summer semester and the winter semester.

In order to remain eligible for the scholarship for a given month, it is sufficient to submit an application by the end of that month.
Example: if you apply on 31 October, you will have the opportunity to receive the scholarship with compensation from October, if you apply on 1 November, the scholarship can be charged from November.

The application is done electronically, which means that the application should not be printed, and all procedures are carried out via the USOSweb.

We submit the application via USOSweb. After logging in at www.usosweb.uw.edu.pl to your individual account, go to the COMMON SECTION tab, and then APPLICATIONS. You fill out an Income statement for the academic year 2024/2025 (base year 2023) and an Application for a social scholarship for the winter/summer term of the academic year 2024/2025.

The application is submitted as an electronic document. Electronic submission of applications in USOSweb is done using the action “NEXT: SIGN AND SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY“. After clicking on this button, USOSweb will open another screen where you will need to enter an authorization code, which will be sent to your email address. Only after the authorization code is entered will the electronic submission of the application via USOSweb take place. Do not submit paper applications.

Sometimes the person who submits the application does not have to enter the income of other people from his family (he can settle the matter himself). This option is possible if:

• you are 26 years old,

or

• you are married,

or

• you have dependent children,

or

• you have reached the age of majority while in foster care,

or

• you have a permanent source of income, and your average monthly income in the previous tax year and in the current year in the months preceding the month of submitting the income declaration is higher than or equal to 1396 PLN.

In the academic year 2024/2025:

• social scholarship amounts from 864 PLN to 1728 PLN,
• increased social scholarship amounts from 1404 PLN to 2268 PLN,
• basic amount is 1728 PLN,
• income threshold is 1570,50 PLN.

How is the amount of the social scholarship calculated?

Base amount – income per person in the family = amount of the scholarship

Filled in – the application is in the process of completion, you can freely make changes to the document. Please note that applications and statements with this status will not be verified.

Delivered – at this stage you can no longer make changes to the application/statement. From this point on, the documents are subject to verification. To avoid problems related to the submission of the application/statement, make sure that USOSweb shows your email in the UW domain. Don’t put off submitting your application until the last moment!

Declared incomplete/Declared incorrect – during the verification of the application, the coordinator found errors or missing documents. Most often, you will find detailed information on how to improve your application in a comment visible in USOSweb or in your email inbox.

Ready for consideration – document verification has been completed. The application is ready for processing.

Verified – the status of the application indicates that a decision will be made available soon.

Considered (decision to be delivered) – the decision will be made/has been made available in USOSweb. Please be patient as the decision will be made available after it is signed, so it may take a few days for it to appear in USOSweb. The decision can be found in the “list of administrative letters” tab (log in to USOSWeb -> Common Section, and then on the left in the column find the “list of administrative letters” tab).

Social scholarships will be paid by the Financial Department of the University of Warsaw on the following dates:

• 18 October 2024
• 18 November 2024
• 18 December 2024
• 17 January 2025
• 18 February 2025
• 18 March 2025
• 17 April 2025
• 19 May 2025
• 18 June 2025
• 18 July 2025
• 18 August 2025
• 18 September 2025

Time limits for only processed applications. The social scholarship is awarded for a maximum of 5 months of the winter semester and/or for a maximum of 5 months of the summer semester.

Contact details for coordinators:

Can I submit a personal income tax declaration instead of a certificate from the Tax Office on income for the base year?

NOT. The basic document confirming the amount of income per person in the family is a certificate from the Tax Office. You cannot replace it with any other document, it is one of the obligatory documents.

When applying to the Tax Office, ask for a certificate of the income subject to personal income tax on the principles set out in Art. 27, 30b, 30c, 30e and 30f of the Act of 26 July 1991 on personal income tax (Journal of Laws of 2019, item 1387), containing information about the tax year to which the certificate relates, taxpayer’s data, to which the certificate relates, including: name, surname, PESEL number. Remember to tell the official for what you need the certificate for.

Legal basis: sec. 2 point 1) of Annex 2 to the Regulations of benefits for students of the University of Warsaw

Is the 500+ benefit included in the monthly income per person in the family?

NOT. The child-raising allowance, like family allowance, permanent allowance, periodic allowance, and targeted allowance, are not included in the monthly income per person in the family.

Legal basis: § 10 sec. 3 of Annex 1 to the Regulations of benefits for students of the University of Warsaw

Am I entitled to a social scholarship for the entire academic year?

NOT. The social scholarship is awarded for the winter semester and the summer semester, therefore it is necessary to submit the application twice: in the winter semester and in the summer semester. The deadlines by which the application must be submitted in order to receive compensation for the entire semester are specified in the announcement of the Rector of the University of Warsaw.

Legal basis: § 15 sec. 5 of the Regulations of benefits for students of the University of Warsaw

I graduated from first-cycle studies and obtained a bachelor’s/engineering degree. Can I apply for a social scholarship?

YES, BUT… After obtaining a bachelor’s degree, you are entitled to a social scholarship only when you start higher education.

Legal basis: § 5 sec. 4 of the Regulations of benefits for students of the University of Warsaw

Do I have to pay tax on the awarded social scholarship?

NO, the social scholarship is tax free.

Am I entitled to a social scholarship in an increased amount when I am constantly receiving family allowance?

NO, a social scholarship in an increased amount is granted only if the applicant is dependent on parents, legal guardians or actual guardians who regularly and currently benefit from the support of a social welfare center in the form of permanent benefits referred to in art. 37 of the Act of 12 March 2004 on social assistance or regularly and currently uses them.

Legal basis: § 17 of the Regulations of benefits for students of the University of Warsaw

One of my parents is dead. For this reason, can I apply for a social  in an increased amount?

NOT. A social scholarship in an increased amount due to being an orphan can only be obtained by people who are under 25 years of age and do not have both parents.

Legal basis: § 17 of the Regulations of benefits for students of the University of Warsaw

Do documents drawn up in a foreign language have to be translated into Polish?

YES, BUT… In the case of documents in a foreign language, a certified sworn translation into Polish must be submitted. In particularly justified cases, the competent scholarship authority may refrain from requesting a translation of a document in English.

Legal basis: § 12 sec. 3 of the Regulations of benefits for students of the University of Warsaw

I received a decision to grant a scholarship. When will I get the scholarship?

Scholarship payment deadlines for each month are given above (Social scholarship payment dates).

Who in my Faculty is responsible for examining applications for a social scholarship?

The decision on the social scholarship is issued by the scholarship committees for the social scholarship or by the Rector of the University of Warsaw. There is also a scholarship coordinator at each Faculty who can be contacted regarding the stage of the procedure at which the application is placed.

Documents to download:

• Oświadczenie o dochodach niepodlegających opodatkowaniu
• Oświadczenie o nieprowadzeniu wspólnego gospodarstwa
• Oświadczenie A
• Oświadczenie B

[What is a request for reconsideration?]

An appeal or otherwise a request for reconsideration is a legal remedy against an administrative decision of the authorities of first instance. In the event that the Rector is the authority issuing the administrative decision, a party is entitled to a request for reconsideration. The provisions on appeals against decisions shall apply mutatis mutandis to a request for reconsideration.

[Competent authority for considering your request for reconsideration]

The body competent to consider your request is the Rector of the University of Warsaw.

[Time limit for filing a request for reconsideration].

Pursuant to Article 129 §2 of the Code of Administrative Procedure (k.p.a.), an appeal shall be lodged within fourteen days from the date of delivery of the decision to the party. When calculating this deadline, pursuant to Article 57 §1 of the Code of Administrative Procedure (k.p.a.), the day on which the decision was served shall not be taken into account. This means that if the decision was, for example, served on 1 October, the deadline for lodging an appeal expires on 15 October. Just remember to submit your request for reconsideration in accordance with the procedures and within the time limit!

[Obligatory elements of a request for reconsideration]

The request for reconsideration should compulsorily contain the following elements:

• the identification of the person from whom a reconsideration request is made
• the postal address of that person
• the indication from which the reconsideration is requested
• handwritten signature

Pursuant to Article 128 of the Code of Administrative Procedure (k.p.a.), an appeal does not have to be justified in great detail. It is sufficient that it shows that the party does not agree with the decision taken. Therefore, you do not need to provide many details or arguments – it is enough to express your dissatisfaction with the decision taken.

[How to submit a request for reconsideration]

An appeal shall be lodged with the competent appeal authority through the authority that made the decision.
The appeal may be lodged:

• in person to the Student Welfare and Support Office UW, which is located at 55 Dobra Street.
• by regular mail to the address of the BPM (ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28, 00-927 Warsaw) with the note “for BPM” ;
• via the UW Chancellery with the note “for BPM”;
• via ePUAP.

BPM – Biuro ds. Pomocy Materialnej / Student Welfare and Support Office;

Income – the definition of income can be found in §2 of Annex 1 to the Benefits Regulations;

Earned income – information on earned income can be found in §5 of Annex 1 to the Benefits Regulations;

Agricultural holding – area of land classified in the land and building register as agricultural land, with the exception of land used for business activity other than agricultural activity, with a total area exceeding 1 ha or 1 conversion ha, owned or owned by a natural person, legal person or an organizational unit, including a company without legal personality;

KJD – Head of the Teaching Unit;

Scholarship Committee for Social Scholarship – a body appointed by the Rector from among students delegated by the competent body of the student government and employees of the University. The task of the commission is to award a social scholarship to students of all fields of study in which the teaching unit organizes education. The committee is also responsible for verifying whether students meet the conditions taken into account when awarding a place in the student dormitory (income and distance) and the criteria influencing the receipt of a place in the student dormitory (e.g. residence in the dormitory in the previous academic year, orphanhood of the applicant);

Scholarship Coordinator – an employee appointed by KJD to conduct matters related to granting a social scholarship to students of a given field of study or fields of study;

De facto guardian – a de facto guardian of the applicant is in particular a person who is dependent – partially or completely – on him, and who is not his parent or legal guardian. In particular, actual care may be provided by the spouse of the applicant’s parent or the person with whom the applicant or his parent stays
in an informal relationship. (§1 section 10 of Annex No. 1 to the Regulations of benefits);

Legal guardian – the applicant’s legal guardian is a person who can submit a family court judgment to prove this fact (§1 (9) of Annex 1 to the Benefits Regulations);

Statements – statements about income not subject to taxation with personal income tax achieved in the base year and statements about the current income situation, in particular containing information on obtaining or loss of income;

Loss of income – information on loss of income can be found in §4 of Annex 1 to the Benefits Regulations;

Applicant – a student or a doctoral student;

Flat-rate tax certificates – certificates of the head of the tax office on flat-rate income tax on certain revenues earned by natural persons in the base year, containing data of the taxpayer to whom the certificate relates, including: name, surname, PESEL number, and the form of the tax paid, and in the case of tax payment in the form of a tax card – information about the amount of tax due, and in the case of paying tax in the form of a registered lump sum – information about the amount of income and tax rate;

Certificate from the Tax Office – certificates from the tax office about the achieved
in the calendar year preceding the academic year for which the social scholarship is to be awarded, hereinafter referred to as the “base year”, income subject to personal income tax on the principles set out in Art. 27, 30b, 30c, 30e and 30f of the Act of 26 July 1991 on personal income tax (Journal of Laws of 2019, item 1387), containing information about the tax year to which the certificate relates, taxpayer’s data, to which the certificate relates, including: name, surname, PESEL number;

Certificate from the Social Insurance Institution – a certificate of the amount of health insurance premiums paid in each of the months of the base year along with the codes of insurance titles or of no title to insurance in the base year, subject to paragraph 6 point 4 of Annex 2 to the Benefits Regulations.