Universities Fined for Tuition Fee Hikes, Ordered to Refund Students

• The President of UOKiK has issued decisions regarding tuition fee increases during the course of study. Changes to fees for continuing students were prohibited until 2023.
• SWPS University in Warsaw and Lublin University of Technology must refund students any amounts that exceeded the tuition fees agreed upon when the contract was signed.
• The fines for the universities total nearly 3 million zlotys. Prior to the amendment of the Higher Education and Science Act, a provision guaranteed that tuition fees agreed upon at admission would remain unchanged until graduation. To September 2023, universities could not increase tuition fees or introduce new fees for a given cohort. From the 2023/2024 academic year, new regulations allow tuition fees to be increased once a year, by no more than the rate of inflation announced by Statistics Poland (GUS).

The President of UOKiK determined that students at SWPS University in Warsaw (formerly SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities) and Lublin University of Technology had their tuition fees increased in years when the law did not permit this. Some of the contracts concluded with students at that time remain in force. The President ordered the cessation of the practice infringing the collective interests of consumers and the refund of wrongfully collected fees. The universities are to refund students the difference between the tuition fees paid and the amounts applicable at the time the contract was signed.

Tuition Fees

Agreements with higher education institutions are concluded once, before the start of studies, and remain in force until the end of the course – usually several semesters. The amount of tuition fees should be determined before the start of the admissions process, so that applicants know the costs associated with their chosen course and can compare offers from different institutions. For those who began their studies in the 2023/2024 academic year, fees may change in accordance with the rules set out in the regulations – once a year, by no more than the rate of inflation. However, students from previous cohorts should not be subject to these increases. The amounts applicable to them are those agreed at the time of signing the contract with the university.

Meanwhile, some students at Lublin University of Technology who began their first year of part-time studies in the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic years were charged higher fees for subsequent semesters than those in force when they signed their contract. The differences amount to several hundred zlotys per semester. For example, on the Management course, tuition fees for the third and fourth semesters rose from 1,750 zlotys to 2,300 zlotys one year after admission. Similarly, students at SWPS University who were admitted to the first year between the 2019/2020 and 2022/2023 academic years were taken by surprise by rising costs. The Warsaw-based university, relying on an indexation clause, charged students continuing their studies increasingly higher fees. The differences between successive years of study amount to as much as a thousand zlotys, and when comparing the first and final years of a degree in, for example, law or psychology, the difference reaches several thousand zlotys.

– In fee-paying education, price plays a key role. For those entering into a contract with a university, it is essential to know the terms of payment for the course that will enable them to obtain their intended professional qualification. In previous years, the law did not permit fee increases. Despite this, tuition fees rose for thousands of students at SWPS University and for some part-time students at Lublin University of Technology. Some of them may still be bearing the costs associated with this practice – says Tomasz Chróstny, President of UOKiK.

Penalties imposed on the universities

For infringing the collective interests of consumers, the President of UOKiK imposed a fine of PLN 2,075,000 on SWPS University, based in Warsaw. The university’s practice affected four cohorts across most degree programmes and years of first- and second-cycle studies, in both full-time and part-time modes, as well as long-cycle master’s programmes. At Lublin University of Technology, fee increases affected two cohorts of certain part-time degree programmes, and the penalty imposed was PLN 921,000.

Refunds for students

In accordance with the decisions issued by the President of UOKiK, SWPS University in Warsaw and Lublin University of Technology must refund students the fees wrongly charged. Within three months of the decisions becoming final, the universities will announce this on their websites and social media profiles and will individually notify eligible students of the refund amount, the details required for payment, and the date on which the funds will be transferred.

The decisions are not final. They can be appealed with the court.

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Files to download

Press release (2026.03.27) 0.14 MB
docx universities, consumer protection, penalty, decision, SWPS University, Lublin University of Technology

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