Over 250 Candidates Apply for 56 Spots in ZUT's New AI Program

The West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin (ZUT) announced today the lists of admitted candidates for its new artificial intelligence program and released the final tally from the first recruitment round. More than 250 people applied for 56 spots, a ratio of nearly five candidates per place, a result that stands out compared to the university's other programs.

The program was launched from scratch. Previously, artificial intelligence topics existed at ZUT only as individual courses within computer science, without a dedicated degree program. The university Senate approved the new program on March 30, 2026, and applications opened on May 18. From the outset, the university pointed out that this was the first program of its kind in the entire West Pomeranian Voivodeship.

How recruitment unfolded

On the first day of recruitment, interest in the AI program itself was moderate: just over a dozen people applied, while the university as a whole logged nearly 350 applications across all programs that day. The number of AI applicants, however, grew steadily over nearly two months of recruitment, right up until registration closed on July 14. The final tally, announced alongside the admission lists on July 17, showed more than 250 applications for 56 spots.

Admission is determined by written matura (Poland's high school leaving exam) results, converted according to a formula that gives extra weight to mathematics and an additional subject. Candidates have until the end of July to submit their documents, and results of the first recruitment round will be announced on July 31.

What the program covers

The new program consists of first-cycle, full-time engineering studies lasting seven semesters, run by the Faculty of Computer Science within the discipline of technical computer science and telecommunications. The curriculum combines the mathematical and statistical foundations of AI with designing machine learning algorithms, data analysis, building neural networks and generative systems, natural language processing, and integrating AI models with applications and cloud infrastructure.

The program was designed to build, step by step, the competencies needed to create and apply modern AI solutions - West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin

The university emphasizes that the program deliberately combines theoretical knowledge with engineering practice, with students working on projects inspired by real technological problems while developing teamwork skills and the ability to document and communicate results. The curriculum also includes ethical and legal issues related to artificial intelligence.

The program within ZUT's offering

ZUT, the largest technical university in northwestern Poland, has prepared a total of 4,500 places across eleven faculties and nearly fifty degree programs for the 2026/2027 academic year. Alongside artificial intelligence, this year's offering also gained business analytics, automation and robotics, and welding engineering, but it was AI, as a brand-new program, that generated clearly above-average interest.

According to the university, graduates are expected to find employment as artificial intelligence engineers, machine learning specialists, data engineers, AI solutions architects, or natural language processing specialists.

Why it matters

The recruitment results at ZUT fit into a broader trend of growing interest in AI education at Polish technical universities, at a time when market reports point simultaneously to a shortage of qualified specialists and to the risk that artificial intelligence will automate some jobs. For the West Pomeranian region, which until now had no dedicated AI program, the launch at ZUT opens a new path for training talent without having to move to larger academic centers in Warsaw, Poznań, or Wrocław.

The final number of people who actually begin their studies in September will only be known once the qualification procedure and document submission are complete. The application figure alone does not translate directly into enrolled students, since some candidates typically withdraw or end up at other universities.