Founded in 1970, UG is a major comprehensive university in Northern Poland, with strong programs in oceanography, biotechnology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science, alongside humanities and social sciences.
The University of Gdańsk, UG, was created in 1970 by merging the Higher School of Education in Gdańsk and the Higher School of Economics in Sopot. It has about 23,000 students and 2,500 staff. The main campus is in Oliwa, a green district in the north of the city, on Bażyńskiego street, with a second campus in Sopot for economics and management, and a third at the Gdynia waterfront for the oceanography department. The three cities of Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia form the Tri-City on the Baltic coast.
The university is well known for marine sciences. The Institute of Oceanography and the Faculty of Biology work on the Baltic Sea, fisheries and marine ecology, and the university runs a research vessel and a marine station on the Hel peninsula. It is also the home of the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, a joint faculty with the Medical University of Gdańsk that is one of the leading centres of molecular biology in Poland.
The humanities, law and social sciences have a long tradition in Gdańsk, a city of the Hanseatic League, and a symbol of the Solidarity movement that began at the Gdańsk shipyard in 1980. The university has faculties of languages, history, social sciences, law and administration, economics, management, mathematics, physics and informatics, chemistry, and oceanography and geography. It takes part in the Fahrenheit Universities alliance with the technical and medical universities of the Tri-City.
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.
Living costs are moderate, though higher in the summer holiday season, and students enjoy the beach and the old town of Gdańsk. Dormitories are offered in Oliwa and Sopot.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Fluid Dynamics, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Marine Science, 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:
Leading university for marine sciences in Poland. Part of SEA-EU European University of the Seas.
Research:
Marine ecology & Oceanography, Molecular biology & Biotechnology, Theoretical physics & Materials science, AI & Data science.
Famous Alumnis:
Donald Tusk
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
2500
Current students***:
23000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Strong in oceanography, biotechnology, and chemistry, located in the coastal city of Gdańsk.
Cons
Engineering faculties are less extensive compared to Gdańsk University of Technology.
Best For
Major comprehensive university with strong programs in oceanography, biotechnology, and computer science.
Both schools build their programmes around astroscience, marine science and bioinformatics, and University of Szczecin is the one to compare first within the country, since it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and is smaller, enrolling about 12,000 students against roughly 23,000 here.
University of Wrocław overlaps with this university on astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, so the two are easy to compare, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Among national alternatives, University of Silesia in Katowice stands out for its focus on astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, and it covers geotechnics as well, and has almost the same size, at about 23,000 students.
Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin takes a similar route through astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and is slightly smaller, at about 18,000 students against roughly 23,000 here.
Also strong in astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, Jagiellonian University makes a sensible second look at home; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Freie Universität Berlin in Germany is the nearest foreign match on astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies; it covers geotechnics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 33,000 students against roughly 23,000 here.
Seen from abroad, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Germany) is a close relative on subject matter, since astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies are central to both, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers agriculture as well.
If this institution is on your list for astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, Lanzhou University in China deserves a comparison, because it covers geotechnics and electrical and electronics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 30,000 students against roughly 23,000 here.
Xiamen University offers an international parallel to this institution, with astroscience, marine science and bioinformatics as common ground; it is larger, enrolling about 40,000 students against roughly 23,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Université de Genève in Switzerland pursues a similar profile in astroscience, marine science and bioinformatics, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
*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 the University of Gdańsk?
The main campus is at ul. Bażyńskiego 8 in Gdańsk-Oliwa, Poland. Other campuses are in Sopot and Gdynia.
When was it created?
In 1970, by merging the Higher School of Education in Gdańsk and the Higher School of Economics in Sopot.
How large is it?
About 23,000 students and 2,500 staff.
What is it known for?
Marine sciences, biotechnology, law, humanities, economics and social sciences.
What is the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology?
A joint faculty with the Medical University of Gdańsk and a leading molecular biology centre in Poland.
What is the Tri-City?
The three cities of Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia on the Baltic coast.
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.
Are there courses in English?
Yes, in some programmes, mostly at paid tuition.
Where do students live?
In dormitories in Oliwa and Sopot, or in private rentals.
*: 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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