Branch campuses and off-site faculties – where universities teach outside their main seat
A university has its seat in one city, but it may also run degree programmes in others – at branch campuses (filie) and off-site faculties (wydziały zamiejscowe). According to the POL-on register, 86 institutions teach outside their seat, in 198 such locations.
Author: Artur Dubiel
Published 6 November 2026
What a branch campus is
A branch campus and an off-site faculty are units of a university operating outside the city where the university has its seat. The diploma is issued by the university, and teaching follows its programmes. In the POL-on register, each programme shows which unit runs it and in which city.
How many branches there are and where they operate
Branch campuses and off-site faculties run 760 degree programmes. The institutions with the most locations outside their seat are: Społeczna Akademia Nauk z siedzibą w Łodzi (14), Uczelnia Biznesu i Nauk Stosowanych „Varsovia” (12), Akademia Finansów i Biznesu Vistula (9), Wyższa Szkoła Gospodarki w Bydgoszczy (9). The cities with the most branches of universities based elsewhere: Warszawa (7), Wrocław (7), Kraków (7).
Of the 198 locations, 164 belong to private institutions and 32 to public ones. Some institutions also teach abroad – the register lists locations in 9 cities: Brovary, Brussels, Dublin, London, Prague, Uherské Hradiště, Vsetin, Vienna, Vilnius.
How to find a programme in your city
The search and the Universities list include branches: when you type a city name, you will also see institutions that run programmes there even though their seat is elsewhere. The university cities pages have a separate list of branches and of all programmes run in the city, and each university’s profile page has a “Branch campuses and off-site faculties” section.
Sources
Sources are in Polish. Figures from the register as of 6 November 2026; checked: 2026-11-06.