The current problems of higher education in Poland are addressed, with focus on its variety, operation, and history. The emphasis is on the development of events during the past decade and particularly since 1980. One in a series of monographs on national systems of higher education in Europe, this report covers the following: (1) introduction; (2) past experience (directions of development, higher education and manpower planning, and growth of education); (3) the organization of higher education institutions (access to higher education and titles and degrees conferred, general organizational patterns, and equivalence of diplomas, degrees, and academic titles); (4) system of enrollment; (5) course and curriculum development; (6) educational functions; (7) postgraduate education and refresher courses; (8) adult education; (9) staff development; (10) the student community (students in institutions of higher education, living conditions of students, and foreign students); (11) research in higher education institutions; (12) academic libraries; (13) physical facilities; (14) research on higher education; (15) higher education in Poland compared to that of other countries (higher education in Poland compared to that in the CMEA countries and higher education in Poland compared to that in the countries of the Europe region); (16) prospects for the future and conclusions; (17) annex; (18) list of institutions of higher education; and (19) bibliography. Contains 47 references. (SM)