Szczecin.

Szczecin has no citywide ESN section, so integration runs through each university's own international office instead. At the University of Szczecin, the International Relations Department shares a mini guide to studying, and living, in the city and runs the Foreigners at USz app on Android and iOS to help newcomers find their way around campus and beyond. Expect a smaller, closer knit international crowd than in Poland's biggest exchange hubs, built more around your own faculty and dormitory than a single citywide club. Facebook pages run by each international office carry most event announcements.

• Get the Foreigners at USz app for campus and city navigation.
• Follow your university's International Relations Department for event updates.
• Expect a smaller, faculty centred social scene rather than one big club.

A one bedroom flat in Szczecin's city centre averages around 2,412 PLN a month, ranging from about 2,000 to 2,910 PLN, while the same size flat outside the centre averages closer to 1,915 PLN, from about 1,600 to 2,000 PLN. Public transport helps keep the budget under control: a single 15 minute ZDiTM ticket costs 3 PLN, and a monthly pass 100 PLN for regular lines or 140 PLN with express lines; half price fares need a Polish student ID, not a foreign one. Multi day passes suit a short stay too.

• Expect roughly 1,900 to 2,400 PLN for a one bedroom flat.
• Living outside the centre saves several hundred PLN a month on rent.
• Budget 100 PLN for a monthly pass, student discounts need a Polish student ID.

University of Szczecin's International Relations Department places exchange students in university accommodation when it can, but recent notices have warned that a dormitory spot is not guaranteed for every incoming student, with allocations confirmed only in July or August. Apply as early as your acceptance allows and stay in contact with the department while you wait for a decision. If you end up searching for a private room instead, treat the city centre and areas further out differently in your budget, since rents vary by several hundred PLN depending on distance from downtown, and never send money before viewing a room and meeting the landlord in person.

• Apply for a dormitory as early as possible, spots are not guaranteed.
• Expect a placement decision only in July or August before arrival.
• Never pay for a private room before viewing it and meeting the landlord.

ZDiTM runs 12 tram lines, more than 60 daytime bus routes and 16 night lines, operating from around 4am to 11pm. Fares are time based rather than distance based: the cheapest ticket, valid 15 minutes, costs 3 PLN full price, and reduced fares require a Polish student ID, so exchange students usually pay full price. From Szczecin-Goleniów Airport, 40 kilometres out, a shuttle bus costs about 25 PLN, or take a direct Regio train to Szczecin Główny for 17.50 PLN. From 1 July 2026, tickets bought on board are validated by scanning the QR code above the vehicle doors.

• Buy time based tickets, from 3 PLN full price for 15 minutes.
• Take the direct Regio train from the airport for 17.50 PLN.
• Scan the QR code above the doors to validate a ticket bought on board.

Exchange students apply through their chosen university's own international office rather than a single citywide portal. At the University of Szczecin, the International Relations Department, based on Aleja Papieża Jana Pawła II, coordinates Erasmus+, bilateral and freemover applications and hands out a mini guide plus the Foreigners at USz app once you are accepted. West Pomeranian University of Technology runs its own International Cooperation Department and takes part in the EUNICoast European University alliance alongside partner institutions abroad. With five higher education institutions across the city, from technology to maritime and medical studies, check which one hosts your subject before assuming they share one office or calendar.

• Apply through your specific university's international office, not a shared portal.
• Contact the International Relations Department early for University of Szczecin applications.
• Check whether your subject sits at USz, ZUT or another institution.

Kommt auf deine Staatsangehörigkeit an. EU-, EWR- und Schweizer Studierende brauchen kein Visum und müssen ihren Aufenthalt nur anmelden, wenn er länger als drei Monate dauert. Nicht-EU-Studierende, die länger als 90 Tage bleiben, brauchen in der Regel ein nationales Studentenvisum (Typ D) von einem polnischen Konsulat vor der Einreise, und melden sich dann für eine befristete Aufenthaltskarte an, wenn sie ein ganzes Jahr bleiben.

Fang früh an: Die konsularische Bearbeitung kann langsam sein, und du brauchst Nachweise über Immatrikulation, Finanzmittel, Unterkunft und Krankenversicherung. Einmal in Polen musst du eventuell deine Adresse (meldunek) vor Ort anmelden. Bewahr Kopien von allem auf, polnische Ämter sind papierkramlastig und Termine können in den großen Städten knapp sein.

• EU/EWR/Schweiz, kein Visum, Anmeldung bei über 3 Monaten
• Nicht-EU über 90 Tage, Typ-D-Studentenvisum vor der Einreise
• Du musst deine Adresse (meldunek) eventuell vor Ort anmelden
• Bring Nachweise über Finanzmittel, Versicherung und Immatrikulation mit

Szczecin's Taste Szczecin programme tracks a handful of dishes worth knowing. Pasztecik, a savoury yeast dough pastry, is traditionally paired with clear beetroot barszcz at retro style bars on Wojska Polskiego street. Herring sandwiches nod to the city's fishing trade, paprykarz szczeciński, a spiced fish spread, counts as the most emblematic local product, and fryburger, fries stuffed into a kebab flatbread, is a late night favourite. Korona, Poland's oldest roasting house dating to 1912, still supplies coffee shops across the city, an easy everyday way to taste some local history between lectures.

• Try pasztecik with beetroot barszcz on Wojska Polskiego street.
• Taste paprykarz szczeciński, the city's most emblematic local dish.
• Look for Korona coffee, roasted locally since 1912.

Łasztownia, the island district across the Oder from downtown, centres on the Maritime Science Centre and keeps a quieter, more industrial waterfront character. Podzamcze, rebuilt after wartime destruction and nicknamed the new old town, gathers around the Hay Market Square and works well if you want history and evening life close together. Both University of Szczecin's main campus and its International Relations Department sit along Aleja Papieża Jana Pawła II in the central district, putting many exchange students within walking distance of lectures and the riverside boulevards. Compare rents between downtown and the outer districts before committing to either.

• Consider Łasztownia for a quieter island setting near the Maritime Science Centre.
• Pick Podzamcze for the rebuilt old town feel and Hay Market Square.
• Look near Aleja Papieża Jana Pawła II for easy access to campus.

Świnoujście makes an easy day trip: hourly Polregio trains reach it from Szczecin Główny in about 1 hour 43 minutes, and the town holds the widest beach in Poland along with a busy international ferry terminal. Berlin sits close enough for a weekend too, reachable on a direct German regional train, the RE66 or RB66 line, that runs straight through to Szczecin Główny without needing a change. Both destinations turn a free weekend into something worthwhile without eating into a student budget with flights or long journeys.

• Take the hourly train to Świnoujście, about 1 hour 43 minutes away.
• Ride the direct RE66 or RB66 regional train to Berlin for a weekend.
• Plan around trains, both destinations skip the need for flights.

Sort your dormitory application the moment you are accepted, since the University of Szczecin cannot guarantee every exchange student a room and only confirms placements in July or August. Install the Foreigners at USz app early if that is your university, since it carries practical information you would otherwise chase by email. Keep small change or a transport app handy for ZDiTM tickets, and remember that validation moves to QR codes on board from July 2026. Since there is no single citywide ESN club, lean on your own international office's Facebook updates to find the first welcome events.

• Apply for a dormitory room the moment you are accepted.
• Install the Foreigners at USz app early for practical local information.
• Follow your international office's Facebook page for the first welcome events.