Scholarships for International Students With Families in Poland 2026/2027
Scholarships for International Students With Families in Poland 2026/2027
International students planning to move abroad with a spouse or children need to look beyond tuition fees. Scholarships for international students with families in Poland can reduce study costs, but most Polish student scholarships are awarded to the student rather than providing a separate allowance for every dependent.
Major options in 2026 include the Banach NAWA Scholarship, Poland My First Choice NAWA and funded doctoral schools. However, students bringing family members must separately plan for immigration requirements, accommodation, health insurance and household living costs.
Are There Scholarships in Poland That Cover Your Family?
Most mainstream Polish scholarships do not advertise a separate spouse or child allowance.
Instead, funding commonly covers the scholarship holder through benefits such as:
- Monthly stipend.
- Tuition fee exemption.
- Travel allowance.
- Preparatory language course.
- Doctoral scholarship.
This means married students and parents can still apply, but they should not assume their scholarship automatically doubles when a spouse or child accompanies them.
For families, the most important question is therefore: Is the student’s stipend high enough to support a larger household?
1. Banach NAWA Scholarship
The Stefan Banach NAWA Programme is one of Poland’s leading government scholarships for international Master’s students.
For 2026/2027, it supports full-time second-cycle Master’s studies in Polish or English at eligible Polish universities. The programme is jointly implemented by NAWA and Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of Polish development cooperation.
Banach Scholarship Benefits
The 2026 programme provides:
- PLN 2,500 per month.
- Tuition fee exemption at eligible public universities.
- PLN 2,500 travel allowance.
- Funded preparatory course for students using the Polish-language route.
- Polish language and culture course for students studying in English.
The scholarship can be paid for up to 12 months per academic year during the standard study period.
Does Banach NAWA Pay Extra for a Spouse or Children?
The published 2026 funding package lists the student’s monthly scholarship, tuition exemption and travel allowance. It does not list an additional dependent allowance for a spouse or children.
Therefore, students relocating with family should calculate additional housing, food, insurance and residence expenses independently.
Who Can Apply for Banach NAWA?
For 2026, eligible applicants include citizens of 36 countries across Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, including:
- Albania.
- Armenia.
- Azerbaijan.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Brazil.
- Georgia.
- India.
- Indonesia.
- Iraq.
- Iran.
- Jordan.
- Kazakhstan.
- Kenya.
- Lebanon.
- Nigeria.
- Palestine.
- Serbia.
- Tunisia.
- Ukraine.
- Uzbekistan.
- Vietnam.
The programme is for Master’s-level study, and the 2026 application deadline was May 8, 2026.
Applicants preparing for a future intake should check the new NAWA call because eligible countries and financial conditions can change.
2. Poland My First Choice NAWA Scholarship
The Poland My First Choice NAWA Programme is another government scholarship for international Master’s students.
It targets applicants from selected countries and territories with high levels of socio-economic development.
For 2026/2027, the scholarship provided:
- PLN 2,000 per month.
- Tuition fee exemption at public universities.
- One-time international travel allowance.
The deadline was May 29, 2026.
Students must independently apply for admission to their chosen Polish university because NAWA does not handle the university admission process.
Is There Family Funding?
The 2026 published scholarship package does not list a separate monthly spouse or child allowance.
For a family, PLN 2,000 should therefore be viewed as support for the scholarship holder—not as a complete household budget.
3. Funded PhD Study in Poland
For students with families, doctoral study can sometimes provide a stronger financial route.
Poland’s official Study.gov.pl portal states that students admitted to doctoral schools receive a doctoral scholarship regardless of nationality, and doctoral schools are tuition-free for international students.
This makes Poland attractive for international researchers seeking:
- Tuition-free PhD study.
- Regular doctoral income.
- Research opportunities.
- A longer-term academic pathway.
The exact scholarship amount depends on the applicable doctoral rules and stage of study.
A funded PhD can be more practical for a family than a smaller Master’s scholarship, but applicants should still compare the doctoral income with their expected household costs.
Can International Students Bring Their Family to Poland?
Potentially, but receiving a scholarship does not automatically give a spouse or children residence rights.
Poland has specific family-reunification rules for non-EU citizens.
A spouse may qualify for a family-reunification residence permit when the person living in Poland holds one of the qualifying residence statuses. Among the standard routes, this includes a foreigner who has lived in Poland for at least two years on consecutive temporary residence permits, with the immediately preceding permit generally valid for at least one year. Researchers and certain other categories have separate favorable rules.
This means a newly arrived non-EU Master’s student should not assume that their first student residence permit immediately creates the standard family-reunification route.
What If the Student Does Not Yet Qualify for Family Reunification?
Poland’s official immigration portal explains that where the sponsor does not yet satisfy the standard family-reunification conditions, family members may need another legal basis for their stay.
Possible routes can include:
- Their own study permit.
- Work-related residence.
- National visa for visiting family.
- A temporary residence permit based on other qualifying circumstances.
The correct option depends on the family’s nationality and circumstances.
Students should check this before paying for flights or long-term housing.
Documents Commonly Needed for Family Residence
For family-related residence applications, Polish authorities may require evidence such as:
- Valid passport.
- Marriage certificate for a spouse.
- Birth certificates for children.
- Proof of health insurance.
- Proof of accommodation.
- Evidence of stable and regular income where applicable.
Foreign-language civil-status documents generally need an official Polish translation according to the applicable procedure.
How Much Should a Family Budget?
Scholarship applicants should not judge affordability by tuition alone.
A family budget should consider:
- Private apartment rent.
- Security deposit.
- Electricity and utilities.
- Food for the whole household.
- Health insurance.
- Residence permit costs.
- Public transportation.
- Nursery, childcare or school-related expenses.
- Emergency savings.
Student dormitories may also be unsuitable or unavailable for an entire family, making private housing much more important.
Best Scholarship Strategy for Students With Families
For a married student or parent, the strongest approach is usually:
- Master’s applicants from eligible developing countries: check Banach NAWA.
- Applicants from eligible higher-income countries: check Poland My First Choice.
- Researchers with a Master’s degree: consider funded Polish doctoral schools.
- Apply for university scholarships in addition to national funding.
- Verify your family’s legal residence route before accepting the scholarship.
- Compare the monthly stipend with private family accommodation costs.
A scholarship covering tuition is valuable, but family affordability depends heavily on monthly cash support.
Final Thoughts
There are useful scholarships for international students with families in Poland, but most major student programmes should not be interpreted as family scholarships.
The Banach NAWA Programme provides PLN 2,500 per month, tuition exemption at public universities and travel support, while Poland My First Choice offers PLN 2,000 per month, tuition exemption and a travel allowance. Funded doctoral schools can provide another attractive route because doctoral students receive scholarships and do not pay doctoral-school tuition.
Students moving with spouses or children should treat immigration and family budgeting as separate parts of their study plan and verify the applicable residence rules before relocating.
Official Sources
- NAWA – Banach Scholarship Programme
- NAWA – Banach 2026 Applicant Information
- NAWA – Poland My First Choice
- Study.gov.pl – Admission and Doctoral Study
- Polish Office for Foreigners – Family Residence Information
