SPECIAL EDITION OF THE KIRKLAND RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR CANDIDATES FROM BELARUS!!!
The Program's offer
The following benefits are offered under the Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program:

Moreover, the Program Administrator provides the following services (the total amount of which is about PLN 4,200 a month):
Under the Kirkland Research Program, the following benefits are offered:

Moreover, the Program Administrator provides the following services (the total amount of which is about PLN 4,500 a month):
Affiliated universities
Warsaw
Uniwersytet Warszawski
uw.edu.plSzkoła Główna Handlowa w Warszawie
sgh.waw.plSzkoła Główna Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego
sggw.plKrajowa Szkoła Administracji Publicznej (KSAP)
ksap.gov.plAkademia Pedagogiki Specjalnej
aps.edu.plUniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego
https://uksw.edu.pl/Szkoła Główna Służby Pożarniczej
sgsp.edu.plPoznań
Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
amu.edu.plUniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Poznaniu
ue.poznan.plPolitechnika Poznańska
put.poznan.plUniwersytet Przyrodniczy
skylark.up.poznan.plCracow
Uniwersytet Jagielloński
uj.edu.plUniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Krakowie
uek.krakow.plAkademia Górniczo-Hutnicza w Krakowie
agh.edu.plKrakowska Szkoła Biznesu
ksb.biz.plTerms and conditions of recruitment
Scholarships under the Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program and the Kirkland Research Program are awarded in the course of a competition announced every year in December. Applications are to be submitted until March 1st. The programs are addressed at young leaders with higher education interested in fostering democracy, economy and civic society in their home countries and in the region. The competition is addressed at applicants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Ideal candidates are persons who have decided that following the completion of the scholarship, they want to return to their home country in order to implement the knowledge gained during the scholarship or a project prepared as part of it.
More info about current recruitment: SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION 2021/2022
Fields of study available to the grantees of the Kirkland Program and the Kirkland Research Program:
- Economics and management
- Business management, NGOs, culture, education, environmental protection, healthcare
- Public administration (government and local government)
- Law
- Social Sciences (Social Psychology, Sociology)
- Political science and international relations
- Development policy and humanitarian aid
- Environmental protection
- Security issues
- Crisis management
The final project prepared during the scholarship may be of either scientific or practical nature.
The Kirkland scholarships are addressed to individuals who represent the following professional groups:
- civil servants, employees of central and local government institutions
- lawyers
- entrepreneurs
- managers in business, NGOs, culture, education, environmental protection, healthcare
- leaders of non-governmental organizations, animators in culture and civic activity
- academic teachers
- journalists
Formal criteria under the Kirkland Program:
Studies under the Kirkland Program may be carried out either in Polish or in English. Courses in English are not available for candidates coming from Belarus and Ukraine. Command of Polish facilitates maximum utilization of the educational offer at Polish universities and during internships. For this reason, candidates from Belarus and Ukraine, as well as the remaining candidates planning to study in Polish must have a level of Polish (B2) allowing for taking part in academic courses and preparing a final project upon the commencement of the scholarship. During the interview candidates are expected to represent at least a level of Polish equivalent to B1. Candidates without sufficient command of Polish but who received a high technical rating, may improve their score in Polish by taking a text in mid-June. Depending on the outcome of the examination, they may be awarded with the scholarship.
Candidates from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan planning to carry out studies in English are obliged to indicate in their application form specific courses offered in this language at one of five academic centers enumerated above. Those persons are obliged to represent at least B2 level of English and basic command of Polish (A1) at the interview. Candidates who are found to represent proper technical level at the interview but whose command of Polish will be insufficient will have the opportunity to continue their language learning (Program Operator ensures learning aids) and take a language test in mid-June. Depending on the outcome of the examination, they may be awarded with the scholarship.

Rewarded characteristics and achievements:
The Kirkland Research Program is directed to experienced academic employees holding a Ph.D. and with documented scientific publications.
Formal criteria under the Kirkland Research Program:
- citizenship and permanent residence in one of the countries included in the Program, (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirghistan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan);
- up to 45 years of age;
- a Ph. D. degree (Candidate of Sciences);
- at least 4 years of experience in scientific work;
- at least 2 years must have elapsed from their previous foreign scholarship whose duration was longer than 6 months;
- scientific achievements, including publications;
- command of Polish equivalent to at least B2.
The offer is targeted at candidates who have not participated in the Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program yet, have not completed Ph.D. studies in Poland and do not lecture at a Polish university.

Recruitment calendar
Recruitment stages
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Results
Required documents
A completed online application form:
- personal data information sheet,
- reasons why the candidate wants to participate in the Program; a project of stay containing an outline of the paper to be prepared as a result of the scholarship as well as plans to use the knowledge gained in Poland (4000-6000 chars with spaces).
Two letters of reference (in Polish, English or Russian), describing the achievements and qualifications of the candidate as well as the expectations connected with the candidate’s further development and work in her/his professional or social field – to be submitted by e-mail. The letters of reference must not be written by family members, spouses or partners of candidates.
Copy of Master’s degree diploma (or PhD diploma) – to be submitted by e-mail.
to learn
Polish
language
on-line?
FAQ
Is it possible for college seniors or those with a BA degree only to apply for the Kirkland Program?
NO. A formal requirement for participation at the Kirkland Program is a five year university diploma at the time of filing an application.
Is it obligatory for the candidate to have an MA degree?
It is obligatory to complete five years of study, for which the MA degree or the specialist degree is awarded.
Will I meet the formal criteria if I am awarded an MA degree by the end of the current academic year?
NO. The candidate should hold the diploma evidencing the relevant degree at the time of applying for the scholarship.
Do the candidates applying for the study program in English should know the Polish language as well?
YES. The candidates applying for the study programs in English should find a specific program in this language at one of the Polish universities and should know Polish at a basic level, i.e. be able to understand spoken and written Polish as well as be able to communicate in everyday life situations during their stay.
Where can I find information about universities and educational programs which they offer?
The information about the educational programs (also in English) can be found on websites of the Polish universities. Below are the names of the universities with which the Kirkland Program most often collaborates:
- University of Warsaw – www.uw.edu.pl
- Warsaw School of Economics – www.sgh.waw.pl
- Warsaw University of Life Sciences – www.sggw.pl
- Jagiellonian University – www.uj.edu.pl
- Cracow University of Economics – www.nowa.uek.krakow.pl
- AGH University of Science and Technology – www.agh.edu.pl
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań – www.amu.edu.pl
- Poznań University of Economics – www.ue.poznan.pl
- University of Wroclaw – www.uni.wroc.pl
- Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin – www.umcs.lublin.pl
What should the "Program of Study" contain?
The program of study is a very important part of the application form and should include, among other things, the following information:
- Main purpose of the scholarship program and its relevance to the candidate’s previous experience
- Proposed program and city of affiliation in Poland
- Proposed type of professional internship and educational institution, where the candidate would like to pursue his/her internship
- Significance of the scholarship project to the candidate’s professional field, alma mater, country and professional (academic) career
- Plans related to the completion of the proposed project. Required number of characters “program of study”- minimum 4 000, maximum – 6 000.
SAMPLE APPLICATION FORM
Is it necessary for the candidate to contact the chosen university when filling out the application form?
At this stage direct communication between the candidate and the university is not required. In the application form, the candidate should indicate the institute, faculty and university, where it is possible to study the subjects chosen thereby. The final decision about the city of affiliation of the selected candidate is taken by the Selection Committee at the end of June (the Committee may direct the selected candidate to another city of affiliation than the one indicated in the application form if it decides that it would be more beneficial for such candidate).
Are the documents confirming professional internship, e.g. a copy of the "employee handbook", required?
No certificates from the workplace are required. It is crucial to write the previous employments in an appropriate field of the application form. The authenticity of the information included in the form is confirmed by the candidate’s signature.
Is student training considered professional experience?
YES, provided that it was full-time training, i.e. 40 hours per week. In such case, the Program may request for the attachment of documents confirming such student training in the required number of hours.
Is it necessary to fill out the form on-line? Is it possible to send the scanned documents via electronic mail?
It is absolutely necessary to fill out the form on-line in order to make the application valid. In case of any technical problems with the form, please contact us at: kirkland@kirkland.edu.pl
Is it necessary to send the documents by regular mail or is it enough to send them by e-mail only?
Nothing should be sent by regular post.
Confirmation of the on-line registration containing the candidate’s photograph and signature, the letters of recommendation as well as a copy of the diploma should be scanned and sent via e-mail to the following address: kirkland@kirkland.edu.pl
It is important to send the documents in advance so that they reach the Program office by March 1, 2017. The Selection Committee shall examine only those applications that contain the full set of documents.
Is it possible to study librarianship within the framework of the Kirkland Program?
Yes, but the librarianship is understood as management of library resources and use of the integrated library automation systems.
Some of the universities offering such study programs are as follows:
- Institute of Information and Library Science of the Jagiellonian University in Cracow
- Institute of Information and Library Science Pedagogical University of Cracow
- Institute of Information and Library Science UMCS in Lublin
- Institute of Information and Book Studies of the University of Warsaw
- Institute of Information and Library Science of the Wrocław University
Is it possible to study subjects other than those provided in the announcement within the framework of the Kirkland Program?
The main purpose of the Kirkland Program is to share Polish experiences in transformation, therefore, it is possible to study only these subjects that are related to system, political and economic transformation which were mentioned in the announcement.
Is it possible to send a letter of recommendation by e-mail?
The two required letters of recommendation should be scanned and sent with a copy of the diploma in the attachment to the following address: kirkland@kirkland.edu.pl. In case of any problems with the scanning of the documents, it is possible to send them by regular mail along with the required page confirming registration on-line.
Is the Kirkland Program a degree program?
The Kirkland Program offers a two-semester non-degree study program at universities aimed at expanding the candidate’s knowledge with new experiences. None of the two-semester study programs provided by the Polish public universities offers a possibility of earning an academic degree. The Kirkland Program ends with a diploma of participation and it is of prestigious nature only.
Is it possible for the persons currently studying in Poland to apply for the participation in the Kirkland Program?
The persons who are studying in Poland during the Program selection process are not eligible to apply for the Kirkland scholarships. Candidates must have at least 2 years break after previous foreign scholarship (longer than 6 months).
In what language should the term papers and diploma projects be written?
The first term paper may be written in the language other than Polish, upon consent of the advisor, but the diploma project must be in Polish. The persons pursuing study programs in English, who write all their papers in English, are the exception.
What are the financial conditions of the Program?
The Program organizers offer the scholarships of approx. PLN 1,800 x 9 months. Additionally, the following costs are covered: educational fees, accommodation in Poland, insurance, travel to and from Poland.
How does the selection process look like?
The selection process consists of three stages:
Stage 1 – formal assessment of applications (checking if all candidates meet the eligibility criteria)
Stage 2 – substantive assessment of application (experts from such fields as: economics, law, political science, social science, etc. assess the documents sent by a given candidate; what is especially important is the program of study. The candidates that have been positively evaluated are invited for the interviews. The persons who qualified to the 3rd stage are informed thereof via e-mail in the second half of March.
Stage 3 – interviews (organized in the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in the majority of countries listed in the announcement). The interviews are set usually in April.
The information on the final results of the selection process is sent via e-mail in June.
How should I fill out the application form on-line?
The application form does not need to be filled out in whole at one time. It is possible to do it in several phases by saving and supplementing the draft version:
- enter your details in the form
- save the draft (you should write down a special code that will allow you to re-open the draft version later)
- in order to supplement your data, open the draft version and edit the form
- after careful verification of your details, register the form and send the application to the Commission (option “Register Form” at the bottom of the document); after this procedure, the data may not be changed). If the program of study does not have at least 4,000 characters, including spaces, it will not be possible to register the form; if all the required fields are not completed, it also will not be possible to register the form. If a question is not applicable to the candidate, please write “Not Applicable”.
- after registering the form, a PDF file will open, ready for print; print the form, sign it and send it by electronic mail aling with other documentation.SAMPLE APPLICATION FORM
How can I contact the Program Officer in case of any queries?
The Program Officer may be contacted by
– e-mail: kirkland@kirkland.edu.pl
– Facebook: www.facebook.com/LKscholarships.in.Poland