Welcome aboard UniLodz!
Today, at the University of Lodz, we welcome over 11,000 new students who have chosen our university and joined the UniLodz academic community. Courage, curiosity, commitment, cooperation and respect unite us daily. At the University of Lodz, we believe that these very values create an environment in which new students will be able to pursue their passions and skills.
Not only do we want to educate young people from Poland and abroad, but also train and shape new generations. We want to create a diverse, open university, where there is room for everyone, regardless of beliefs, skin colour or nationality, and where there is no room for bullying or discrimination. We want to create a #HumanUniversity.
We believe we'll be able to find common ground with all the new students we've accepted. We're not afraid of Generation Z, who may think a little differently than us. We'll definitely reach an agreement to better understand the world
– assured the Rector of the University of Lodz, Prof. dr hab. Rafał Matera, during the ceremonial inauguration of the academic year 2025/2026 for universities associated with the ŁPA.
As an open and diverse university, we particularly value the importance and role of internationalisation in higher education. Today, in the largest lecture hall at the Faculty of Philology, University of Lodz, a ceremonial welcome for newly admitted international students took place, combined with an information session. The next reception will take place this Saturday, and afterward, everyone will mingle at a barbecue for hundreds of international students, organised by the staff of the University of Lodz International Relations Office.
UniLodz is a young, open and supportive community – we connect people, ideas and passions, not just in the lecture halls. That's why next week, on 11 October, together with the University Students' Government Council, the University Campus Council, and the Administration of student Dormitories, we invite you to attend a unique integration event: “Powitalia na Lumumbowie!” This is an opportunity to get to know each other better, gain practical information about life on the Student Campus, studying at the University of Lodz, and life in Lodz, and spend time in a friendly, inclusive atmosphere. The programme includes a chill-out zone – DJ, music, competitions with prizes, deckchairs and good energy, plus a food court – featuring Lodz zalewajka (a traditional Polish potato soup) and other delicacies as well as many other attractions.
Together We Can Do More
The University of Lodz is a member of important national and international alliances and university partnerships. Thanks to this, we co-create decisions, have a real influence on the shape of higher education and demonstrate that the University of Lodz is an open, cooperative, and courageous university.
We are a member of one of the European University Alliances, UNIC (European University of Cities in Transition). This is an alliance of 10 universities working together to advance education and support socially engaged research, focused on cooperation with post-industrial cities.
We participate in the work of the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities (KRUP) and the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (KRASP), articulating current issues on a national level, such as insufficient funding for education. These issues were mentioned by Rectors of all the universities during a press briefing before the official inauguration of the ŁPA academic year.
We still can't get across the message that every zloty invested in education brings a return of four to even several zlotys. However, the Rector must be an optimist – therefore, I believe that together we will finally convince the government that funding science and higher education, as well as the time we invest in young people, will result in a better society in the future, a society that will better understand what's happening around it, and as a result, will be free of anti-vaccine activists or people prejudiced against other nationalities
– underlined the UniLodz Rector.
The University of Lodz actively co-creates the Lodz Academic Partnership, an increasingly cooperative group of public universities in Lodz. The joint academic year inauguration for all Lodz Academic Partnership universities, held at the Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic in Lodz is one of the results of this cooperation. There are also numerous other cooperative projects, including those in the areas of science and art & science.
This year, Gaudeamus has been performed for the third time at the Philharmonic Hall for the academic staff and students of six public universities from Lodz. The solemn ceremony for the Lodz academic community opened with the national anthem performed by the Choir of the Grazyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music in Lodz. Next, the Rector of the Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts Łódź, dr. hab. Przemysław Wachowski, Associate Professor, summarised the 80th anniversary of the Academic Lodz and recalled the most important events of recent months at Lodz universities being members of the Lodz Academic Partnership. A minute of silence was observed in honour of Prof. Jan Krysiński, the long-time Rector of the Lodz University of Technology, a remarkable scientist and humanist with an engineering degree, who passed away in February of the current year.
During the inauguration, the matriculation of newly admitted students and doctoral candidates to public universities in Lodz took place, and the inaugural lecture entitled "Breast Cancer – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" was delivered by Prof. dra hab. n. med. Radzisław Kordek (Medical University of Lodz).
During this year's inauguration, we were delighted and proud to honour two University of Lodz scientists, Dr Monika Tosik and dr inż. Maciej Ślot, with the Lodz Eureka Awards, presented by the Higher Education and Science Council at the Mayor of Lodz for outstanding scientific, technical, and artistic achievements recognised nationally and internationally. Research is the heart of every University – it allows us to discover, understand and change the world. At the University of Lodz, however, we understand that knowledge only truly matters when we share it.
University of Lodz – a Leader in Popularisation of Science
Our researchers and students engage in hundreds of outreach activities – from producing podcasts and films, through organisation and participation in open lectures and meetings in libraries and museums, to science festivals, exhibitions, competitions and projects aimed at schools.
This October alone, we're offering nearly 20 events organised by various university units and featuring UniLodz academics as guests. Participating in these events is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of knowledge, gain new perspectives, and meet people who inspire creative thinking. Whether you're passionate about the humanities, natural sciences, culture or art, everyone is sure to find something interesting in the UniLodz October programme. In this way, we're building a space at the University of Lodz where everyone – regardless of age or experience – can experience science face-to-face, in person and live.
We should add that popularisation of science at the University of Lodz is not just a form of education. It's an expression of courage in asking questions, curiosity in exploring the complexities of the world, commitment to reliable and responsible action, cooperation that connects scientists, students and the surrounding community as well as respect for the diversity and openness that strengthen our community.
As one of the largest universities in Poland, the University of Lodz not only follows global trends in knowledge popularisation but also contributes to them. We proudly position ourselves as a leader in popularisation efforts – a place where science is not confined within the walls of academia but lives in dialogue with society.
Source and edit: Press Office, University of Lodz
