The Hungarian Accreditation Committee (MAB) has received numerous inquiries concerning the quality assurance status of the Hungarian-language psychology programme offered at the Bratislava branch campus of Varsovia University of Business and Applied Sciences (Uczelnia Biznesu i Nauk Stosowanych “Varsovia”).
In response to these inquiries, MAB wishes to draw attention attention to the following publicly available information.
MAB is not the designated external quality assurance agency responsible for conducting the external quality assurance procedure for the above-mentioned study programme. As the programme is delivered by a higher education institution established in Poland, the designated body within the Polish higher education system, the Polish Accreditation Committee (Polska Komisja Akredytacyjna, PKA), is responsible for the related external quality assurance activities. PKA is a member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and is registered in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).
Information Published by Varsovia College
On the institution’s Hungarian-language website and social media platforms, the psychology programme offered by the Bratislava branch campus is currently described as enabling students to obtain an “EU-accredited degree.” The same website further states that the psychology programme is a “five-year integrated master’s programme accredited by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland and by PKA.” These statements were available on the Varsovia website as of 6 September 2026.
In this regard, we would like to emphasize that the European Union does not accredit study programmes or academic degrees. Within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), external quality assurance is carried out by quality assurance agencies that are authorized to undertake specific quality assurance activities.
Outcome of the PKA Programme Evaluation Procedure
The following programme evaluation outcome is recorded in PKA’s official database concerning the psychology master’s programme offered by Varsovia at its Bratislava branch campus.
The programme was evaluated by PKA in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Act of 20 July 2018 on Higher Education and Science, currently in force in Poland. As a result of the evaluation, PKA adopted a negative decision.
“Uczelnia Biznesu i Nauk Stosowanych ‘Varsovia’ w Warszawie w filii w Bratysławie – psychologia – profil praktyczny – jednolite studia magisterskie”
(Psychology, practical profile, long-cycle master’s programme)
Programme evaluation with a negative outcome.
Both the decision and the evaluation report are publicly available in the agency’s official database and in the Database of External Quality Assurance Results (DEQAR).
Under the Polish Act on Higher Education and Science, where a programme has been established on the basis of an authorization granted by the minister responsible for higher education (Article 54, and in the case of studies conducted outside the institution’s main seat or abroad, Article 57), a negative programme evaluation issued by PKA entitles the minister to revoke that authorization by administrative decision (Article 56(1)(1)). According to PKA’s official records, the resolution of the PKA Board concerning the programme evaluation was adopted on 26 February 2026 as Resolution No. 134/2026.
- The report and decision in Polish are publicly available in the PKA database:
https://pka.edu.pl/en/database-of-the-assessed-higher-education-institutions-units-and-programmes/ - Report in DEQAR:
https://backend.deqar.eu/reports/PKA/2025/138289/20260417_1418_11._psychologia_Varsovia_Bratyslawa.pdf - Complete documentation in DEQAR:
https://www.eqar.eu/qa-results/search/by-report/report/?id=138289
The publication of this outcome illustrates the operation of external quality assurance within the Polish higher education system: the evaluation was conducted by the competent quality assurance agency; it resulted in a negative evaluation; and this outcome was made publicly available both in the national database and in DEQAR, in accordance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).
The purpose of this statement is not to comment on the Polish higher education system, Polish higher education institutions in general, or the value of Polish qualifications. Rather, it seeks solely to draw attention to a discrepancy between the information published by the institution concerned and the information published by the competent external quality assurance agency in relation to a specific study programme.
A negative evaluation of a study programme concerns the quality of education provided within that particular programme. It does not invalidate degrees already awarded, nor does it determine whether a specific qualification is eligible for recognition in Hungary. Questions concerning the recognition of individual qualifications and the requirements for practising the profession of psychologist in Hungary should be addressed to the Hungarian ENIC-NARIC Centre (Hungarian Equivalence and Information Centre).
Contact Information
Official Sources (as of 20 September 2026):
- PKA’s Decision No. 134/2026, adopted on 26 February 2026, in the organisation’s database of institutional and programme evaluations:
https://pka.edu.pl/en/database-of-the-assessed-higher-education-institutions-units-and-programmes/
https://www.pka.edu.pl/wp-content/epka/ocena_i/2025/11/20/11._psychologia_Varsovia_Bratyslawa.pdf - DEQAR – External Evaluation Report
https://backend.deqar.eu/reports/PKA/2025/138289/20260417_1418_11._psychologia_Varsovia_Bratyslawa.pdf - DEQAR – Complete Documentation
https://www.eqar.eu/qa-results/search/by-report/report/?id=138289 - Varsovia University of Business and Applied Sciences – Psychology Programme
https://varsovia.hu/pszichologia/