The 2027 exams and recognition of documents

Eighth-grade exam 2027

• Main dates: Polish 10 May, maths 11 May, foreign language 12 May 2027. Additional dates: 9 to 11 June. Results: 6 July 2027.
• Adjustment for a foreigner: a separate paper in Polish and maths (Polish up to 195 minutes, maths up to 165), a separate room, a bilingual dictionary. The foreign language uses the standard paper, 110 minutes.
• This year the school tells parents about adjustments in writing by 20 November 2026. Parents reply within 3 working days, at the latest by 25 November. If you have received nothing, ask the head now.
• Foreign languages at this exam: English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian. The language in the declaration can be changed until 10 February 2027.

Matura 2027

• Compulsory: Polish (oral and written), maths (written) and a foreign language (oral and written), plus a written exam in one additional subject. To get the matura certificate you need at least 30% in each compulsory subject.
• Ukrainian is on the list of foreign languages at the matura. Written main dates: basic level 6 May, extended and bilingual level 14 May 2027.
• Adjustment for a foreigner: up to 30 minutes more for each written exam except languages, up to 15 minutes more for oral Polish, a separate room, a bilingual dictionary and, where justified, special marking rules in Polish. The paper is the standard one.
• The matura declaration is due by 7 February 2027. That is a Sunday, so hand it in earlier. After that, subjects generally cannot be changed. Results and certificates: 9 July 2027.

Ukrainian certificates: nostrification and recognition

• To enrol in school you do not need recognition by the kurator: documents or an interview are enough (except for second-level vocational and post-secondary schools).
• When you need the level of education confirmed in Poland, the kurator handles the recognition application. The word nostryfikacja relates to documents recognised up to 31 March 2015; the current rules speak of recognition (uznanie).
• With the application: the original or duplicate for inspection, or a notarised copy, with an apostille, plus a Polish translation by a sworn translator. If that translation meets obstacles that are hard to overcome, the kurator may accept another one.
• A person harmed by armed conflict who cannot present the original may apply to have their education confirmed on the basis of other documents or a statement.

Where the adjustment comes from

The Education System Act lets a foreign pupil whose limited Polish makes it hard to understand a written text sit the exam under adjusted conditions. The basis is a positive opinion from the teachers' council. The head records the adjustments the council names and the parents accept.

At the eighth-grade exam a teacher may read aloud once any Polish paper text of 250 words or more, if the council's opinion notes serious reading difficulty. The dictionary cannot be for the language being tested; an electronic one must be on a device with no internet.

Another basis: adaptation difficulties

A pupil receiving psychological and pedagogical support at school because of adaptation difficulties after studying abroad may also get adjustments based on a positive council opinion. Talk to the class teacher and school counsellor about it.

Finishing primary school after coming from abroad

• Final classification counts grades from the last class and from subjects completed in lower classes the pupil did in Poland. Subjects from classes the pupil skipped do not block graduation.
• Grades must be passing and the pupil must sit the exam. A pupil who does not meet these conditions repeats the last class and sits the exam that year.

Ukrainian beyond the foreign-language list

Ukrainian as a national-minority language is a compulsory matura subject only for graduates of schools or classes teaching that language. The eighth-grade maths exam in Ukrainian applies only to pupils in schools or classes taught in the minority language.

Who handles the application and what it costs

• The kurator for the place of residence is competent. One exception: confirmation of education without the original, for people with refugee status or subsidiary protection, goes to the Mazovian kurator.
• A fee applies to the checking interview, if the kurator orders one. People using confirmation without the original are exempt.