The army enters universities. 22 thousand students became soldiers of the Academic Legion

Over 22 thousand students became soldiers as part of the Academic Legion program – said the Deputy Prime Minister and the head of the Ministry of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, after signing a new agreement on this initiative with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

On Friday, the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Science and Higher Education, Marcin Kulasek, signed an agreement on the implementation of voluntary military training for university students and graduates at the Academic Legion Schools.

It is intended to enable the Ministry of National Defense to effectively support theoretical training conducted at universities, secure places for candidates willing to undergo practical training as part of the non-commissioned officer module, as well as designate Patron Military Units.

– Academic Legion is a project addressed to students who, on the one hand, want to deepen their knowledge, learning and skills, study, and on the other hand, want to serve their homeland, want to be soldiers of the Polish Army as non-commissioned officers or officers. They can at the same time combine learning, education and acquiring a profession with service for the homeland – service in the Polish Army – said Kosiniak-Kamysz.

As part of the Academic Legion – said the head of the Ministry of National Defense – students undergo basic training lasting 28 days, and then specialized non-commissioned officer training; for a maximum of three years, they complete various types of courses, both theoretical and practical, in military units that are intended to educate cadets at universities. – You should not and do not have to interrupt your professional or educational path, you can combine them – he emphasized.

#Warsaw / Deputy Prime Minister W. @KosiniakKamysz and Minister of Science and Higher Education @MarcinKulasek signed a joint Agreement on the implementation of voluntary military training for university students and graduates at the Academic Legion Schools. #LegiaAcademic pic.twitter.com/zz5wNk0954

— Ministry of National Defense 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) January 9, 2026

Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that under the program, over 22,000 students became soldiers.

The Minister of Science stated that the agreement means in practice greater predictability, stability and improvement in the quality of military education in the academic environment, and military universities are one of the pillars of the state security system.

The agreement signed on Friday implements the provisions of the Homeland Defense Act and continues the defense training carried out so far as part of the Academic Legion.

Legia Academica is a program addressed to students who want to undergo military training, obtain a military rank and are thinking about future professional service. The program has been implemented since 2017. It is organized in two modules: officer and non-commissioned officer modules. (PAP)

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