Introduction. One of the social processes currently taking place in European countries is a growing number of the elderly and chronically ill. The problem of increasing life expectancy is a new biological and social phenomenon. Despite advances in medical sciences and development of technology in the 21st century, death is a necessity inscribed in the future of every man since birth. Aim. Assessment of knowledge and attitudes as regards individuals in terminal condition. Material and methods. The research was conducted at State Higher Vocational School in Tarnow among the group of 284 students. The research tool was an original survey questionnaire. Results. The studied group was composed of 26.4 % males and 73.6% females. The average age of the respondents was 26.79 years (SD=7.60). The men were significantly more frequently (p=0.008) than women prone to giving up employment abroad in order to look after a close person, also more frequently (p=0.027) claimed that in contacts with the terminally ill, a spiritual support is important. The attitude of the surveyed towards faith influenced the indication of vital factors in contacts with a terminally ill person. For believers the spiritual support was remarkably more important in a contact with a terminally ill person (p=0.016) whereas the non-believers significantly more often mentioned dealing with all formalities (p=0.049). The research demonstrated that the nonbelievers were significantly more often (p<0.000) in favour of euthanasia of individuals in a terminal condition. Conclusion. Students in a vast majority demonstrated the attitudes towards the individuals in a terminal condition that are socially acceptable. They demonstrated great sensitivity to the needs of a sick person. The surveyed hold the opinion that helping another person can become a source of one’s own spiritual growth.