Close to 2,500 PLN in Support for Students from Needy Families for the 2026/2027 School Year. How to Obtain a School Scholarship?

Discover who qualifies for school scholarships in the 2026/2027 academic year, what the income thresholds and payout amounts are, and the exact conditions families must meet to receive financial assistance.

Types of Material Aid for Students

A monetary benefit, reimbursement for the costs of purchasing textbooks and educational aids, and participation in additional school or extracurricular activities are just some of the forms of material aid available for students from families facing a difficult financial situation. Check who can receive money in the 2026/2027 school year, in what amount, and what conditions must be met to obtain support.

The Education System Act distinguishes several types of material aid for students, which are divided into social and motivational benefits. The most important type of social support is the school scholarship mentioned in Article 90d of the Education System Act.

Conditions for Receiving a School Scholarship

A school scholarship may be granted to a student who is in a difficult material situation resulting from low income per person in the family. This particularly concerns families affected by unemployment, disability, severe or long-term illness, large families, inability to fulfill care and upbringing functions, alcoholism, drug addiction, random events, or broken families.

The lack of capacity to independently meet the basic living needs in a student’s family due to any of the above circumstances constitutes the fundamental premise for the disbursement of a school scholarship.

Eligible Students and Educational Institutions

Social support in the form of a school scholarship can be received by a student in a specific material situation, but importantly, only at certain institutions. The scholarship is paid to students of public and non-public schools, students of non-public art schools with art school rights, and students of social service worker training colleges.

They may receive scholarship assistance until the completion of their education, but no longer than until the age of 24. Additionally, scholarship support can be applied for by residents of public and non-public revalidation and education centers, which are educational and therapeutic facilities for children and youth with profound intellectual disabilities, up until the completion of their compulsory education.

Income Criteria for the School Scholarship

The granting of a school scholarship depends on the income earned by the family. The monthly income per family member cannot be higher than 823 PLN net. It is worth noting that this income threshold has been in effect since January 1, 2025, whereas it previously stood at 600 PLN net per person in the family.

The income criterion amount is calculated based on the provisions of the Social Assistance Act. Therefore, family income is considered the sum of revenues from the month preceding the application submission or, in the event of income loss, the income from the month in which the application is submitted, regardless of the source or title. The legislator also explicitly specified which benefits, costs, insurance contributions, or allowances are not counted toward the family income forming the basis for granting the scholarship.

Importantly, the family income does not include received social scholarships, school allowances, or motivational assistance benefits provided for students under the Education System Act.

Amount and Disbursement of the School Scholarship

The school scholarship cannot be lower than 99.20 PLN and higher than 248.00 PLN per month. Because it is granted for a period of no less than a month and no more than 10 months in a given school year (for social service worker training college students, a maximum of nine months), this means a student can receive up to 2,480 PLN in a school year, while college students can receive 2,232 PLN.

It is worth noting that the scholarship can be implemented in monthly periods or paid out as a lump sum. In the case of a single lump-sum payout, its value cannot exceed 2,480 PLN for students and 2,232 PLN for social service worker training college students.

Forms of Assistance and Municipal Implementation

Granting social school scholarships belongs to the tasks of the municipality, and it is in the municipal regulations on social material assistance that detailed solutions concerning the implementation of aid obligations to students should be contained. Such a document is adopted by the municipal council.

The regulations specify, among other things, the forms in which school scholarships are granted to students within the municipality. The law stipulates that they may take the form of full or partial coverage of educational activity costs, including remedial and extracurricular classes occurring even outside the school; educational material assistance, particularly the purchase of textbooks; or a monetary benefit.

The regulations also detail the content of the aid application forms—with a designated application deadline from September 1 to 15—as well as attachments to the document and the method of settling the scholarship. Importantly, a school scholarship may be granted in one or several forms simultaneously, meaning a student may receive reimbursement for textbook purchases, partial coverage of extracurricular activity costs, and a partial monetary benefit.

Funding Sources and Legal Basis

Municipalities finance school scholarships using funds from their own local government units, supplemented by subsidies from the state budget. The Ministry of National Education fulfills its statutory task of reducing disparities in educational access by overcoming barriers resulting from students’ difficult financial situations using targeted reserve funds from the state budget.

Ustawa z dnia 7 września 1991 roku o systemie oświaty, Dz. U. 1991 nr 95 poz. 425. Ustawa z dnia 28 listopada 2003 roku o świadczeniach rodzinnych, Dz. U. 2003 poz. 228 nr 2255. Ustawa z dnia 12 marca 2004 roku o pomocy społecznej, Dz. U. 2004 poz. 64 nr 593. gov.pl.