Higher education in Poland is currently undergoing a gradual digital transformation. A central aspect of this change is the adoption of innovative methods of learning and recognising knowledge and skills – particularly in digital forms, with microcredentials being at the forefront. What exactly can microcredentials offer to universities, students, and academic staff?

Microcredentials in higher education

The development of new technologies and the resulting changes in the labour market mean that traditional forms of education and recognition of knowledge are no longer enough. Employers tend to prioritise candidates’ specific and proven skills rather than the general information presented in graduation diplomas.

This is where the role of microcredentials in the academic world begins. Universities, as microcredential issuers, can offer the highest quality courses and other shorter forms of learning, which would conclude with the students earning credentials, also digital ones. According to the European Commission’s 2024 report ‘Micro-credentials in Higher Education,’ this is already happening on a large scale in Western countries. 

Polish universities must keep up with this educational trend, as it may soon become one of the factors determining whether they can attract and retain students and academic staff.

‘In Poland, there is a very rich environment of higher education institutions: public, private, large universities, smaller academies of applied sciences, specialised higher schools, and so on. This natural development of diversity, which we have observed for several decades now, introduces new forms of education, but also demands new credentials and formats,’ says Dr Wojciech Stęchły, expert on the design of digital solutions for skills development in the microcredentials project at the Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute (IBE-PIB).

How can universities benefit from microcredentials?

According to the report ‘Are Polish universities ready for microcredentials?’ published in 2024 by the National Information Processing Institute (OPI PIB), the answer to the question posed in the title was, quite simply, not entirely. According to the report, the general level of knowledge about microcredentials varied, and some academics had never even encountered the term itself.

By the end of 2025, the situation looks somewhat different. For the past two years, the concept of microcredentials has been actively promoted by the IBE-PIB. The project, entirely dedicated to this form of skills documentation, was initially focused on the ICT sector.

Over time, the project has been expanded to include a new target group – the academic community. The group is the focus of the third phase of the pilot project, and other universities are now participating in the programme. In early July 2025, it was announced that Opole University of Technology had become the first university in Poland to issue a microcredential via the Odznaka+ application.

‘It wasn’t the first microcredential issued by a university in Poland, but it was the first to be awarded via the Odznaka+ application and within the framework of the Microcredentials Project at IBE. Thanks to this and subsequent experiences, we can collect and organise examples of microcredentials and, together with the academic community, develop recommendations for the standardisation of microcredentials in Poland,’ explains Dr Wojciech Stęchły.

Why is it so important for Polish universities to embrace new forms of certifying knowledge and skills, including microcredentials? We asked Jolanta Urbanikowa from the University of Warsaw, an expert in the internationalisation of education, to share her perspective.

‘Microcredentials are an opportunity for universities. Firstly, they can enable the rapid updating of teaching content and learning outcomes. Traditional study programmes tend to become overly conservative and misaligned with the needs of, for instance, the labour market. Revising, updating, and adapting these programmes in terms of both content and teaching approach to meet stakeholders’ expectations takes time due to procedural requirements. Short learning formats that result in the granting of a microcredential provide an opportunity to gain the competences that are in demand here and now,’ explains Jolanta Urbanikowa, and continues:

‘Secondly, microcredentials can become a means of enhancing the internationalisation of education at Polish universities, particularly if institutions offer courses leading to microcredentials in different languages, especially in English, and aimed at online learners – including international ones – with the involvement of foreign lecturers. Such initiatives could pave the way for launching entire study programmes in foreign languages, which in turn could attract more international students and doctoral candidates, as well as draw overseas academics to Polish universities. Moreover, these courses should be jointly developed by academic staff from different countries and cultural backgrounds, for example, within European university alliances, as this would greatly enrich the universities’ educational offerings and make them more appealing.’

Drop-outs – can microcredentials help prevent them?

According to the expert from the University of Warsaw, microcredentials may help Polish universities address another crucial challenge. As reported by ‘Polityka’, around 400,000 students are expected to begin their studies in the 2025/2026 academic year, yet one in three will drop out at some stage.

Many decide to do so because they find degree programmes too long and time-consuming, making it difficult to balance study with work. For some, obtaining a traditional diploma is no longer seen as an essential part of their professional development or career progression.

How does this affect universities? Significantly, as it affects them both financially and reputationally. For public universities, the number of students determines the amount of government funding they receive, while private institutions rely primarily on tuition fees. Therefore, a decline in interest in degree studies means lower revenues, as well as a weakening of a university’s standing and prestige.

Universities and higher education institutions are trying to counteract this phenomenon in various ways – for example, through anti-dropout programmes such as “The Anti-dropout Programme – Stay at UW!” and “Anti Drop-out ANS Gniezno”. University authorities are increasingly considering the introduction of microcredentials into the study programmes to address issues such as time constraints and the mismatch between academic programmes and labour market needs. 

‘As for the problem of drop-out itself, it has not yet been fully explored how microcredentials might help reduce it. However, intuitively, students who wish to withdraw before earning a full degree could remain at university and benefit from shorter learning pathways – effectively building their own ‘degree’ from smaller skill-based credentials. In this way, microcredentials can be accumulated towards larger certificates or full qualifications, and may eventually constitute a complete qualification in their own right. It’s an excellent option for learners who cannot, or do not wish to, devote two or three years solely to studying. Instead, they can collect smaller credentials while combining learning with their professional and personal lives in a way that best suits their needs,’ explains Jolanta Urbanikowa.

Sources: 

1. ‘Micro-credentials in Higher Education’, EC report
2. ‘Mikropoświadczenia – czym są i dlaczego warto je zdobywać’, https://bid.uw.edu.pl/mikroposwiadczenia-czym-sa-i-dlaczego-warto-je-zdobywac/
3. https://microcredentials.pl/mikroposwiadczenia-na-polskich-uczelniach-czy-jestesmy-na-to-gotowi/
4. https://microcredentials.pl/pierwsza-polska-uczelnia-z-mikroposwiadczeniami-w-aplikacji-odznaka/

‘Studenci chwilowi’, Polityka 1-10-2025.