The infrastructure is being improved and the people seem to be active and happy. The academic buildings are being repaired and painted and modern computers and communications are being installed. There is an enthusiasm amongst the faculty. University education in Poland follows the European tradition of five years of undergraduate instruction. The Polish government is pushing for more four-year programs.
University education is virtually free in Poland.
There is no tuition and some students receive a small stipend. They still use the academic recognition of D.Sc. or Habitation. This follows the Ph.D. degree by about five to seven years. The candidates prepare a monograph based on their research, along with several of their papers, which have been published in quality journals. This is then defended in an examination similar to the final Ph.D. thesis defense.