Founded in 1919, AMU is a leading comprehensive university in Poland, with strong programs in humanities, social sciences, and also significant faculties for exact sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, computer science) and geography/geology.
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, AMU, was founded in 1919 as the Poznań University, shortly after Poland regained independence, and received its present name in 1955 after the Romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz. It has about 35,000 students and 4,000 staff. Its buildings are in the centre of Poznań, around Collegium Minus and the Collegium Maius on Wieniawskiego street, and in the modern campus of Morasko in the north of the city.
The university is best known for the humanities and social sciences, with strong departments of history, Polish studies, law, English philology, sociology and pedagogy. It also has an important faculty of mathematics, and the Faculty of Chemistry and Faculty of Physics work on materials and nanotechnology at the Morasko campus. The NanoBioMedical Centre is a research centre where physicists, chemists and biologists work together.
Poznań holds a place in the history of codebreaking. Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski studied mathematics at the university in the 1920s, and in the 1930s they broke the German Enigma cipher for the Polish Cipher Bureau, passing their methods to the British and French in 1939. A monument in front of the Collegium Minus honours the three mathematicians, and the city holds a memorial of their work.
Public universities in Poland teach full-time studies in Polish without tuition for Polish citizens, while programmes in English and studies for foreign students are normally paid, and fees vary by programme. Check the current tariff. Polish applicants use the national online recruitment system with results from the secondary school exam, and international students apply through the university’s own portal. Scholarships are offered by the university and national agencies.
Poznań is a mid-sized city in western Poland, between Berlin and Warsaw, with an annual international trade fair. Student life is active, with many clubs, festivals and a large Erasmus community, and living costs are moderate. Dormitories are cheap but limited in number.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Fluid Dynamics, Geotechnics, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of SGroup European Universities’ Network, EPICUR Alliance. International research collaborations.
Research:
Nanomaterials & Catalysis, Quantum physics & Optics, AI & Data science, Molecular biology & Biotechnology, Environmental science & GIS.
Famous Alumnis:
Hanna Suchocka
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
4000
Current students***:
35000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Leading comprehensive university with strong science faculties, particularly chemistry and physics, located in Poznań.
Cons
Engineering options are limited compared to Poznań University of Technology.
Best For
Leading comprehensive university with strong programs in chemistry, physics, and computer science.
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń takes a similar route through astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Think of Jagiellonian University when astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies is the priority: it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and is slightly larger, at about 40,000 students against roughly 35,000 here.
University of Warsaw is the closest domestic counterpart for astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Among national alternatives, University of Wrocław stands out for its focus on astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and is slightly smaller, at about 25,000 students against roughly 35,000 here.
A good alternative in the same country is University of Gdańsk, which likewise covers astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies; it covers marine science as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 23,000 students against roughly 35,000 here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
The closest overseas parallel on astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics is Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, located in Germany; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Looking internationally, Freie Universität Berlin in Germany is where astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics get a comparable treatment; it has almost the same size, at about 33,000 students, and is also a public institution.
Beyond national borders, Peking University stands out as a comparable school for astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics; it covers electrical and electronics and engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 45,000 students against roughly 35,000 here.
Universität Zürich in Switzerland shares the astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics orientation of this university, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Nankai University (China) works on the same fields as this university, chiefly astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies; it is slightly smaller, at about 30,000 students against roughly 35,000 here, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is AMU?
The Collegium Maius is at ul. Wieniawskiego 1 in Poznań, Poland. A modern campus is at Morasko in the north of the city.
When was it founded?
In 1919, as the Poznań University. It took its present name in 1955.
Who is the university named after?
The Romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz.
How large is it?
About 35,000 students and 4,000 staff.
What is it known for?
The humanities, social sciences, law, mathematics, chemistry, physics and nanotechnology.
What is the link with Enigma?
Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski studied mathematics at the university and broke the German Enigma cipher in the 1930s.
What is the NanoBioMedical Centre?
A research centre at Morasko where physicists, chemists and biologists work together.
What does it cost?
Full-time studies in Polish are free for Polish citizens, while programmes in English and studies for foreign students are normally paid. Check the current tariff.
How do you apply?
Polish applicants use the national online recruitment system. International students apply through the university's own portal.
Is Poznań affordable?
Living costs are moderate, and the city has a large Erasmus community.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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