The best-paid fields of study 2026. Ranking of earnings after graduation

The ranking was created based on data about the median average monthly earnings in the first year of work after obtaining a diploma in a specific field of study at a given university. The median is a value that divides graduates into two parts. Half of them earn more than the median, and half earn less.

Popular studies do not guarantee a high starting salary

In the 2025/26 academic year, almost half a million people decided to start studies in Poland. It has been in first place for years psychology (43,562 candidates applied), but IT is no longer in second place. Data from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education show that it is the second most popular field of study in Poland medicine (30,597), and the third management (27,368). The next most popular destinations are: law (26,377), information technology only five o'clock (26,248), nursing (22,646), physiotherapy (17,934), economy (16,603), finance and accounting (14,398) i construction (14,329).

The numbers in brackets are those applying for admission to the first year of bachelor's or long-cycle studies. It turns out that in most of these fields, after obtaining a master's degree, it is difficult to count on high earnings. Additionally, the salary depends on which university the graduates graduated from.

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We compare the salaries of people at a similar point in their professional lives. This is why we only consider those who had no previous work experience before starting work. Thanks to this, the data show the potential for a professional start after a given university, and not the effect of a long-term career beyond studies. In short: we have eliminated cases of “I have already worked for 10 years and studies were an addition.”

We only analyze the moment of formal completion of full studies entitling to enter the labor market in a given profession, i.e. graduates of second-cycle studies, with the exception of uniform studies, such as psychology, medicine and law.

First, we present the most popular fields of study at universities, after which the median average monthly earnings in the first year after graduation are the lowest.

Below we have listed the universities that guarantee the highest median average monthly earnings in the first year after graduating from the most popular fields of study. The 10,000 barrier PLN was exceeded only by two popular fields: computer science and nursing.

The biggest differences between universities in the same field can be seen in computer science, economics, finance, law and management; the smallest – in regulated professions such as nursing or medicine.

The discrepancy between the lowest and the highest salary after IT is over PLN 14,000. zloty.

Moreover, after many studies, e.g. law, medicine, higher salary comes over time. Which ones and why, we explain later in the article.

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Busy studies. Money doesn't follow fashion

We also checked how much you earn after completing studies, which are the most difficult to get into. These are fields where the largest number of candidates apply for one place, so getting into them is extremely difficult.

Last year, most people wanted to study Oriental studies – Japanese studies (22.2 people per place), many people also want to study Sinology (15.3 people per place), and Korean studies (14.3 people per place). Last year, exceptionally, there was no big fight over logistics, although the year before it was the most difficult field to get into. Mathematics and nanotechnology also dropped out of the ranking of fashionable fields. However, artificial intelligence has become fashionable (12.6 applicants per position).

The analysis included only those fields for which it was possible to match data from both sources: popularity and earnings after graduation. For example, there are many people interested in designing and building yachts (11.9 people per place), but there is no data for this field in ELA. In turn, there is data on engineering management graduates (13.6 applicants for one place), but only on bachelor's degree graduates. After stationary ones, the median is PLN 4,913.

So we first analyzed the most popular fields of study – those that had the largest number of candidates for one place (10 and more). We then compared them with available data on the salaries of graduates of full-time second-cycle or long-cycle master's studies, without professional experience. We present only the highest medians.

It is worth noting here that in the case of directing, data from the ELA system cannot be reliable. Directors can earn money on the basis of contracts for specific work or receive remuneration depending on the success of the film, but ZUS does not have such data.

These free studies guarantee high earnings

In contrast to popular and crowded destinations, we have prepared: list of the 10 most profitable directions. Most guarantee over PLN 10,000. PLN remuneration after obtaining a master's degree, without previous experience.

Computer science-related fields still dominate this list; neither economics, law nor medicine appears on it. Only nurses compete with programmers.

Economics fields appear only in 15th, 16th and 17th place. These are Business and Finance Management at the Jagiellonian University (PLN 9,463), corporate finance management at the Warsaw School of Economics (PLN 9,434) and finance at the Wrocław University of Economics (PLN 9,060).

If the criteria include people who studied and earned money at the same timeis a list of fields that guarantee a salary of over PLN 10,000. PLN extends up to….73. In this ranking, aviation and cosmonautics at the Poznań University of Technology would be included in the TOP 10 with a median salary of PLN 13,219.

The TOP 20 would be: geoengineering and exploitation of raw materials at the Silesian University of Technology (PLN 12,987), chemical and process engineering at the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin (PLN 12,304) and geoinformatics at AGH (PLN 12,091).

In the ranking, we show the TOP 10 fields of study in terms of salaries of graduates who did not earn money during their studies.

Why aren't law and medicine on the list?

As we have already mentioned, you need to remember that some professions guarantee higher remuneration only with time, professional experience or completion of subsequent stages/steps of a professional career. This is the case, for example, in the case of architecture (you still need to obtain qualifications, which means one year in preparing designs and one year in construction) or law (people who, after graduation, take up legal training, which usually takes three years, pass the exam and obtain the qualifications of a lawyer, legal advisor, judge, etc.), can count on higher earnings.

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For these reasons, popular medicine does not qualify for the ranking of the most profitable. Although, as our other reports show, it guarantees good earnings, but only a few years after graduation. A doctor must complete an internship, pass the Medical Final Examination (LEK), and then start residency, i.e. training in a specific specialization, where salaries are determined by the Minister of Health.

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As a result, right after graduation, a nurse earns more (up to PLN 11,000 gross per month) than a doctor (approx. PLN 6,900-7,400 gross per month), but it is worth noting that within the range of PLN 10,000. PLN gross earnings guarantee completion of nursing at many universities. After a few years, however, doctors' salaries are much higher.