On October 1, 2026, higher education institutions in Szczecin—both public and non-public—jointly inaugurated the new 2026/2027 academic year for the second time in history. The official celebrations opened with the 5th ‘Spacerek na uniwerek’ (Academic Walk), a colorful procession of the academic community that has become a permanent feature of the city’s landscape since 2022.
Students, doctoral candidates, faculty members, and representatives of academic organizations gathered at Paweł Adamowicz Square, from where they set off at noon towards the Helena Majdaniec Summer Theatre, demonstrating the diversity and unity of the local academic community.
Nine higher education institutions participated in the event in Szczecin:
· Academy of Art in Szczecin – host and organizer of this year’s event;
· ANS TWP in Szczecin (Academy of Applied Sciences TWP);
· Collegium Balticum – Academy of Applied Sciences;
· Maritime University of Szczecin;
· Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin;
· University of Szczecin;
· WSB Merito University Szczecin;
· West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin;
· West Pomeranian Business School – Academy of Applied Sciences.
The highlight of the ceremony, held in the Summer Theatre, which was packed to the rafters, was the traditional matriculation ceremony, during which the newly admitted students took their oath and officially joined the academic community.
The solemn atmosphere of the event was complemented by the world premiere of the Szczecin Students’ Anthem, entitled ‘Towards the Stars’, composed especially for the occasion by Piotr Gryska, a lecturer at the Academy of Art in Szczecin.
The event, held under the honorary patronage of Piotr Krzystek, Mayor of Szczecin, and organised in partnership with the West Pomeranian Voivodeship and the ‘Akademicki Szczecin’ brand, has once again demonstrated that bringing together the local research centres yields exceptional results.
This second joint inauguration not only strongly integrated the academic community, but also once again reinforced Szczecin’s image as a modern, dynamic city open to young people.
We encourage you to watch the video coverage prepared by UNIWIZJA – University of Szczecin Television.
