The Romanian Higher Education System

Romania higher education comprises of both public and private institutions. Higher education institutions in Romania are managed by the Ministry of Education, Research and Innovation. Universities in Romania are given a high level of autonomy by the provisions of Romania’s Constitution and the Education Law. The curriculum, content and methods of teaching are set by the individual departments of the universities.

The first higher education institution in the Romania was established in the 17th century. The basis for higher education in Romanian language was incorporated in the 19th century. The Mihaileana Academy was established in Iasi in 1835, and the School of Agriculture was set up in Bucharest in 1852, the predecessor of today's University of Agronomical Science and Veterinary Medicine. In 1857, the National School for Medicine and Surgery was established in Bucharest. In 1818, higher education in civil engineering in Romania came into existence with a School for Land Surveyors, which in 1864 was named as The School of Bridges and Roads, Mines and Architecture, the centre of the Polytechnic University in Bucharest. 

In Romania higher education is offered by universities, university colleges, academies, conservatories, institutes and polytechnics. Following are the higher education institutions in Romania:

Universities are the largest higher education institutions in Romania, which comprises of several departments and programmes that award academic diplomas and scientific titles. 

Academies are higher education institutions that provide study programmes that focus on a particular domain: arts, economics and business administration, music etc.

Polytechnic Universities train pupils for technical disciplines. 

Institutes in Romania award vocational diplomas and qualifications, based on the program of studies and professional experience in specific specialisation domains. 

University College: These higher education institutions provide 2-3 years diplomas which cannot be used to obtain admission into tertiary level education. 

Postgraduate Schools: These schools offer postgraduate programmes.

The Romanian higher education system comprises of three levels: Undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate education. The education programmes in Romania organizes teaching activities, examinations and practical applications as per the European System of credit transfer (ECTS). Following are the Romanian qualifications:

Undergraduate-Bachelor’s degree: Requires at least 180 to 240 credits

Graduate- Master’s degree: Requires between 90 and 120 credits.

Postgraduate doctoral studies (PhD): The PhD is the highest academic qualification awarded in all areas after 4-6 years in some fields, and original research. Medical Education PhD corresponds to a total of 60 per year for duration of over 3 years of study.

The postgraduate programmes offered by the education system of Romania are:

Romania signed the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications related to Higher Education in the European Region (Lisbon 1997), and also it is part of the Bologna system relating to the implementation of the common European Higher Education area. The convention signed emphasized on quality assurance and transparency of educational programmes and qualifications received in the Romanian Higher Education guaranteed the academic and professional mobility of the graduates all over the world.

The minimum admission requirement for short- and long-term university programmes is the Diploma de Bacalaureat. Romanian pupils must have passed the school-leaving examination, the examenul de bacalaureat, which is given by the several secondary schools. The higher education institutions in Romania may set additional admission requirements, mainly in the form of entrance exams that are institution-specific. 

EU, EEA and Swiss pupils must possess their secondary-school qualifications recognized by the National Centre for Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas in Romania (CREDR). 

To know more about admission requirements and procedure, click here. 

The tuition fee for both Romanian and an international student whose nationality is Romanian is determined by the university council.  Fees for international pupils are determined by the law, as per the level of education and study programme they attend.

International students who want to study in Romania must possess a Baccalaureate or an equivalent qualification. 

Pupils who want to study Fine arts, Architecture, or Physical Education must appear for competitive exams. 

International students must have a visa in order to enter Romania. Visa is given on presentation of the acceptance letter from the concerned higher education institution. 

University Acceptance/Admission Letter : International pupils in Romania can get the university acceptance/admission letter for studies in Romania by directly applying to the institution of higher education of their choice, or to the Ministry of Education or passing by Study in Romania admission center.

International students taking courses taught in Romanian are required to submit the evidence of language proficiency. Pupils taking up study programmes in English or French must demonstrate proficiency in the language unless it is the language of their home country.

If you do not know the language of study, in that case, you’re required to go for the programmes of the preparatory year to learn Romanian. 

For more details see official website of Study in Romania (https://studyinromania.gov.ro/)