Jagiellonian University
StateMedicine
Historic university city and cultural capital
The name Krakow first appears in writing in 965, in the account of the Cordoban merchant Ibrahim ibn Yaqub, which describes it as a trading centre then controlled by Moravia. Today the city has a population of 816,614 as of 31 December 2025, according to GUS. The comparable figures were 804,237 in 2023 and 807,644 on 31 December 2024.
The rest of the monthly budget, in euro: rent 162-487 EUR, food 162-231 EUR, transport 11-23 EUR. A typical all in figure is 590 EUR. It is based on a student with their own room in a shared flat, cooking at home most days and using the reduced student transport pass, with bills, phone, study materials and a normal amount of going out included.
If you are weighing Krakow, we can go through which of these universities fits your profile and which housing option fits your budget, along with the application calendar and a realistic monthly plan. We do not promise outcomes. What we do is make sure you have the right numbers in front of you before you decide.
State dormitories run 550-1070 PLN a month for 2026-2027. At AGH's Miasteczko Studenckie, AGH students pay 550 zl for a place in a 2 or 3 person room with bunk beds and 650 zl in a 2 person Komfort room from 1 October 2026, rising to 580-690 zl from 1 January 2027. AGH has no single rooms, and students of other Krakow universities pay 685-765 zl. At the Jagiellonian University in 2026/2027, a place in a multi person room is 670 zl and a single room 870 zl; at Bursa Raclawicka the same places are 850 zl and 1070 zl, with a studio single at 1270 zl. AGH provides internet at no charge and takes a one off check in fee of 25 zl, 30 zl from October 2026. The Jagiellonian also asks for a reservation fee of one month and a refundable deposit equal to one month's multi person rate.
Private student residences run 1790-3500 PLN a month for 2026-2027, and both operators state that rent is all inclusive: utilities, internet and shared facilities such as the gym, laundry and study rooms are covered. The lower end means sharing a twin room; a student who wants a room of their own in a private residence pays from about 2550 zl. On the open market, September 2026 asking rents put a room of your own in a shared flat at 900-1390 zl a month, with a median of 1200 zl. A kawalerka, the self contained one room flat for a single person, runs 2100-2500 zl for 20-32 m2, median 2400 zl. Two room flats are 2675-3000 zl, median 2900 zl, for the whole flat, which works out at roughly 1350-1500 zl each when two students split one. Market rents are normally quoted before the building administrative fee and metered utilities, so add those unless the advert says media w cenie.
Public transport is organised by the Public Transport Authority in Krakow (Zarząd Transportu Publicznego w Krakowie) and operated by MPK Krakow under the KMK brand: 23 tram lines, urban buses, agglomeration buses to surrounding communes, and night services. The tramway opened in 1882 as a 2.8 km horse tramway and was electrified in 1901; route length is now about 90 km, including a 1.4 km tunnel with two underground stops. The published fare table sets the reduced fare at exactly half the full fare: a 60 minute ticket is 4.00 PLN instead of 8.00, a network season ticket for zone I is 96.50 instead of 193.00, and for zones I+II+III 120.50 instead of 241.00. Students of foreign schools qualify up to the age of 26 with a valid ISIC card, and season tickets are carried on the Krakow City Card. The Metropolitan Ticket is also honoured on Koleje Małopolskie, POLREGIO and Koleje Śląskie trains and on municipal transport in Wieliczka, Skawina, Niepołomice, Michałowice, Wielka Wieś, Zielonki, Liszki, Czernichów and Kocmyrzów-Luborzyca.
We list 9 universities in Krakow. The state institutions are Jagiellonian University, AGH University of Krakow, Cracow University of Technology, Krakow University of Economics, the University of the National Education Commission, Krakow, and the University of Agriculture in Krakow. The private ones are Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, the Krakow campus of SWPS University, and the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow.
Krakow was formally incorporated in 1257, when High Duke Boleslaw V the Chaste granted it city rights modelled on Magdeburg law. Its university tradition starts in 1364, when King Casimir III the Great founded the University of Krakow by a charter of foundation dated 12 May. The institution was reformed and refounded in 1400 by Wladyslaw II Jagiello on the model of the Sorbonne, and is known today as the Jagiellonian University. As of December 2023 it enrolled 33,549 students across 13 main faculties plus the 3 faculties of the Collegium Medicum.
