Doctoral schools – how do you earn a doctorate today?
Since 2019 the main route to a doctoral degree has been a doctoral school (szkoła doktorska) run by a university or an institute. According to the POL-on register, 166 of them are currently operating.
Author: Artur Dubiel
Published 6 November 2026
Doctoral schools instead of doctoral studies
The Law on Higher Education and Science introduced doctoral schools as an organised form of training for doctoral candidates. A doctoral degree can also be obtained externally, without training in a school.
The degree is conferred by an entity authorised to do so in a given discipline. Further degrees and titles are described in the Degrees and titles section.
How many schools and where
According to the POL-on register (as of 6 November 2026), there are 166 operating doctoral schools. They are run by 125 universities and institutes. Most schools are run by entities in the following voivodeships: Masovian (39), Pomeranian (20), Lesser Poland (17).
A list of schools with links to the universities and institutes that run them is in the Degrees and titles section; a university’s schools are also shown on its page.
Sources
- Ustawa z dnia 20 lipca 2018 r. – Prawo o szkolnictwie wyższym i nauce (Dz.U. 2018 poz. 1668)
- RAD-on – Raporty, analizy, dane o nauce i szkolnictwie wyższym (OPI PIB)
Sources are in Polish. Figures from the register as of 6 November 2026; checked: 2026-11-06.