On August 25, 2021, the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, signed an amendment to the Act on Higher Education and Science and the Act Introducing the Act – Law on Higher Education and Science prepared by the Ministry of Education and Science. The changes allow higher schools that have the status of vocational higher schools and meet certain conditions to use the name “academy of applied sciences”.

Higher schools that meet certain criteria could conduct studies preparing for the teaching profession without the need to have an agreement on cooperation in conducting these studies, concluded with a higher school with scientific achievements in the assigned area.

A vocational school will obtain a permit to conduct studies without the need to conclude an agreement if in the two academic years preceding the academic year before the application was submitted, the number of students was at least 250 people, of which over 50% were educated in full-time studies. The university must also be the primary workplace for at least 50 percent academic teachers and conduct BA or MA studies or regular master’s studies in at least five majors.