Collaborating with people from different cultures at work went from being an exception to being the new norm. The work environment is becoming increasingly diversified due to global trends including migration, new technologies and the proliferation of remote work. Well-managed diversity can positively affect a company’s financial performance, innovativeness or increased resilience. Concurrently organizations that do not have inclusive practices in place are wasting the potential of a cross-cultural environment. Employers are realizing the value of cultural intelligence (CQ), which allows employees to successfully coop-erate in a culturally diversified team. CQ can increase over time, therefore students can develop their CQ already during their years at university. The focus of the study is to determine how the perception of CQ changes over time among management students at the Cracow University of Economics. The results of self-reported CQS suggest that students’ assessment of their CQ has declined over time. The results also indicate that students possess the lowest levels of cognitive CQ out of all CQ facets. The last section covers recommendations for employers, on initiatives that can help current students and their future potential employees have a high CQ.