For years, the demographic decline in Poland has been forcing universities to look for new ways to attract foreign students. In the face of growing competition in the global education market, Polish universities need to introduce innovative solutions to compete effectively with the best universities in the world. One of the leaders in this field is the Silesian Medical University (SUM).
As of 2023, SUM has introduced the state-of-the-art Q24 system, which significantly improves the university registration process for foreign candidates. In August this year, the university went a step further by implementing the international payment system TransferMate. This is a system used by leading global universities such as Harvard (UK), University College Cork (Ireland), Albert University (USA), as well as global corporations such as PwC and Wells Fargo.
TransferMate enables fast and cheap international transfers, which is crucial for international students. This allows students to avoid high bank fees and long wait times for funds to be credited. For example, an enrolment fee of €20 is credited to the university's account immediately, without additional commissions, which could previously be as much as €50.
Adrian Petruk, customer support manager at Q24, emphasises: -Problems with payments at Polish universities have so far been a major obstacle for foreign students. Thanks to TransferMate, this process has become much simpler and cheaper."
According to data from the Educational Foundation "Perspektywy" or the Central Statistical Office (Główny Urząd Statystyczny - GUS), the number is steadily growing, which underlines the need for further improvements. In 2022, there were around 89,420 foreign students studying in Poland, and in 2023, this number rose to 92,000, with the largest number of students coming from Ukraine (37,000 in 2022), Belarus (9,500), India (4,300) and Spain (2,800). Currently, foreign students account for around 8 per cent of all students in Poland.
- The Medical University of Silesia introduced the changes in view of the increasing number of foreign students who choose Poland as their place of study, says Monika Góral, coordinator of the English-language recruitment section at SUM, and adds: - 'Thanks to the implementation of the payment system by Q24.software, the transfer costs for foreign students have been significantly reduced. I believe this is another step towards simplifying the recruitment process for international students, which is already a major challenge in itself. The introduction of the innovation is proof that the Medical University of Silesia is actively working to increase its competitiveness in the global education market. Thanks to modern solutions such as TransferMate and Q24, the university has the chance to attract even more talented students from all over the world.
