About UTW-UR

About UTW-UR (Uniwersytet Trzeciego Wieku przy Uniwersytecie Rzeszowskim – The University of the Third Age at the University of Rzeszów – hereinafter UTA-UR)

The University of the Third Age in Rzeszów was established in 1983 by a resolution of the Senate of the Pedagogical University of Rzeszów. It is one of the oldest Universities of the Third Age in Poland and the oldest one in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship (Province).

By resolution of the Senate of the University of Rzeszów of 4 April 2019, the University of the Third Age has the form of studies for voluntary students, and as part of the University it enjoys autonomy and independence.

The aim of the University of the Third Age at the University of Rzeszów is support and further stimulation of the intellectual, social, mental and physical activity of older people and promotion of preventive health care, as well as popularization and initiation of various forms of creative activity, appropriate to the age, capabilities and expectations of the students.

Any person with full legal capacity, regardless of education, who is over 55 years of age, living on a retirement or disability pension and not professionally active, can become a UTA-UR student.

In the 2025/2026 academic year, approximately 500 active students of the UTA-UR participated in, among others, weekly open lectures, choir classes, photography, painting, handicraft, film and theatre clubs, and the club of seniors 80+. There were classes of English (13 groups), Italian (3 groups), German (2 groups), Spanish (1 group), and French (1 group). Five groups participated in computer classes. Students also participated in various preventive health activities (including rehabilitation gymnastics, aquatic gymnastics, neurofitness , balance and pelvic floor muscle training, health dancing, and Nordic walking). Trips organized by the tourist club were extremely popular.

An important activity is the annual participation of sports club members in national Olympiads for the Third Age Universities and senior organizations: in winter – organized by the UTA in Rabka, in summer – organized by the UTA in Łazy and in autumn – organized under the name "Nieustanie aktywni" (“Continuously Active”) by the Academic Sports Association in all provincial capitals in Poland.

The UTA-UR is also taking its first steps in international activity. In 2024, 19 UTA-UR students participated in a computer science course in Spain (Alicante) as part of the Erasmus+ programme and in two group mobilities: in the Netherlands (Amsterdam and Lisse ) and Slovakia (Banská Bystrica). In September 2026, a group of 12 UTA-UR students will join the 15th Third Age University Olympiad in Zvolen, Slovakia. Teams from eleven countries will participate in this competition: Latvia, Romania, the Czech Republic, Turkey, France, Poland, Malta, Spain, Croatia, Ireland, and Slovakia.