The Ministry of Health signals that the rapid growth in medical school admission limits has come to an end. The 2026/2027 academic year may be the last in which so many candidates are admitted to medicine.
How Have Limits Changed in Recent Years?
| Academic year | Number of places in medical studies | Increase compared to the previous year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/2021 | 6 300 | – |
| 2021/2022 | 7 200 | +900 |
| 2022/2023 | 8 100 | +900 |
| 2023/2024 | 8 900 | +800 |
| 2024/2025 | 9 700 | +800 |
| 2025/2026 | 10 500 | +800 |
| 2026/2027 | approx. 9 200 – 10 000 (forecast) | stabilization or slight decrease |
Current Situation
In the 2025/2026 academic year, the admission limit for medical studies exceeded 10 500 places. In the coming year (2026/2027), limits are expected to remain at a similarly high level – roughly 9 200 – 10 000 places are projected. However, from the 2027/2028 academic year, the Ministry of Health does not plan to further increase the number of places and is even considering gradually reducing them.
Deputy Minister of Health Katarzyna Kęcka stressed:
„There is no need to further increase the admission limit for medical studies. We are committed to the responsible spending of public funds and to ensuring that graduates have real opportunities for employment and professional development.”
Why Are the Record Limits Ending?
The Ministry of Health believes that Poland is approaching the desired level of staffing security for doctors. According to the ministry’s analyses, the deficit of medical staff is expected to be largely filled within a few years. At the same time, attention is drawn to growing problems:
- uneven distribution of doctors across the country (large regional disparities),
- the quality of education with such a large number of students,
- future employment opportunities for graduates.
What Does This Mean for High School Graduates?
- 2026 recruitment – still a very large number of places (most likely one of the last such comfortable recruitments).
- From 2027 – it will most likely be harder to get into medicine.
This is an important signal for everyone planning medical studies. The window of broad access to medical programs may be closing.
