Education in Romania
Education in Romania is based on a free-tuition system. Compulsory schooling usually starts at age 6, with the “preparatory school year” which is mandatory in order to enter the first grade. Schooling is compulsory until the tenth grade. The school educational cycle ends in the twelfth grade
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Studying for a bachelor’s degree in Romania
It is possible to get a student visa to study for a bachelor’s degree in Romania. There are a wide range of subject areas and Romanian student visas are issued for different fields of study. International students (foreign students) will pursue their higher education in prestigious and licensed universities, academies and institutions. Romanian language courses or Romanian introductory courses are compulsory and necessary to continue your studies at a university in Romania. Romanian language classes are held at different universities in special departments or specialized universities. Apart from being the official and national language in Romania and Moldova, Romanian is spoken all over the world thanks to thousands of international students who graduate from Romania, and is a Latin language such as French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and etc… and it’s easy to learn it. Students in Romania not only are able to study in Romanian but also can study in English, French or even German. If the field of study which you are interested in is not taught in English, and is in Romanian, you should take a one-year Romanian language course. In Romania, you can study general medicine, dental medicine (dentistry), pharmacy in English or French. Courses such as midwifery, nursing, medical imaging, dental techniques, dental hygiene, and etc… are offered in Romanian only. Medical students (general medicine, dentistry and, pharmacy) in French or in English language: during the first three years, along with medical studies, they learn also Romanian language so once arrived in 4th year, they are able to speak fluently Romanian. From the 4th year, all students have to speak Romanian language for practical reason (communication with patients). The length of undergraduate studies in Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine is 5 to 6 years. Postgraduate in Medical studies (PhD, specialization or Residency in medicine) length vary from 3 to 6 years depending on specialty.
Studying for a master’s degree in Romania
It is possible for international students to get a student visa in Romania to study for a 2-year master’s degree. Students who are applying for postgraduate medical programs (specialization and master’s degree) can only study in Romanian.
List of courses that are offered in English at the postgraduate level:
- Business Management (2 years)
- Information Biotechnology (2 years)
- Software Engineering (2 years)
- Artificial intelligence (2 years)
- Advanced microelectronics (2 years)
- Biomedical Informatics (2 years)
- Civil Engineer (2 years)
- International Trade Management and Communication (Management)
- Entrepreneurship and Business Management (Management)
- International Business Management (Management)
- Business Administration
- International Business and Economics
- Agribusiness (2 years – horticulture)
- Food quality management (2 years)
Students in Romania can stay in student accommodation (dormitory) or private apartments. Renting a private apartment is affordable for most international students. The student housing in student campus or hostel, is cheaper and costs around € 50 a month, which is highly recommended for international students who want to live on a very small budget. Apartments in Romania are generally fully furnished, with TV, stove, refrigerator, bed and sofa. We advise international students to rent a shared apartment at the beginning of their studies, as it will be cheaper for them and they will help each other until they get used to the new environment.
Studying for a PhD degree in Romania
It is also possible to get a student visa in Romania to study for a PhD degree. PhD students can get a Romanian student visa if they have a supervisor or tutor and if are they are accepted by the university. Student who want to pursue a PhD degree should be aware that getting a student visa to study for a PhD degree in Romania depends on the circumstances of the case. Generally, it is more difficult to get admitted into a PhD program than at other bachelor’s and master’s programs, especially if one also needs a supervisor/tutor. Documents such as an IELTS language certificate with a score of 7, a master’s degree from a reputable university and preferably with a high GPA, ISI papers, writing a book, and any sort of resume that helps to strengthen the case, will increase the student’s chances. In some universities it is possible to get admitted to a PhD program without having a supervisor or a tutor. Also, during doctoral studies, the student is usually allowed to work full time and receive a salary, and in addition to that, the probability of receiving a scholarship is very high. Doctoral studies last about 3 years.
Scholarships in Romania
The scholarship program offered by the Romanian state, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to foreign citizens, for the 2020-2021 academic year has begun. These scholarships are offered to foreign nationals from non-EU countries for undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The university year in Romania starts on October 1st. The grant is awarded monthly to students in the 1st (undergraduate) and 2nd (master) cycle throughout the whole academic year, the winter and spring vacation included, but not during the summer vacation. The number of scholarship years does not exceed the duration of the academic cycle. The scholarship consists of:
- Free of charge tuition
- Free accommodation
- Financial support – a monthly amount of:
€ 65 per month, for undergraduate students
€ 75 per month, for postgraduate students (Master’s degree)
€ 85 per month, for postgraduate students (PhD / doctorate degree)
These scholarships do not cover food, international and local transport. Here you can see a list of universities that offer scholarships:
- Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest – www.utcb.ro
- Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism of Bucharest – www.uauim.ro
- University of Bucharest – www.unibuc.ro
- Bucharest University of Economic Studies – www.ase.ro.
- National University of Music Bucharest – www.unmb.ro
- Bucharest National University of Arts – www.unarte.org
- National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” in Bucharest – www.unatc.ro
- National University of Physical Education and Sport – www.uneoffs.ro
- University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca – www.uad.ro
Top Romanian Universities
Student must get their admission letter (acceptance letter) prior to getting a Romanian student visa. In order to get a Romanian student visa, students must get admission in a reputable university. In the following there is a list of the top Romanian universities along with their world rankings. There are 49 public universities and eight private universities in Romania. Undergraduate courses last three years for humanities, social and economic sciences, law, political science, fine arts and sports. And they last four years for technical sciences, engineering, agriculture and forestry; and six years for general medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and architecture. Master’s courses last for two years.
| University | Country rankings | International rankings |
| Babes-Bolyai University | 1 | 996 |
| Alexandru Ioan Cuza University | 2 | 1269 |
| Technical University of Cluj-Napoca | 4 | 2153 |
| Transilvania University | 6 | 2524 |
| Polytechnic University of Timisoara | 7 | 2804 |
| Politehnica University of Bucharest | 8 | 2891 |
| West University of Timisoara | 9 | 2907 |
| Dunarea de Jos University of Galati | 10 | 3330 |
Required documents for a Romanian student visa
Once you get your letter of acceptance from the Ministry of Education, you must apply for a Romanian student visa to the embassy or consulate of Romania. Students arriving from the EU countries, the European Economic Area, as well as Canada, Croatia, Japan, Moldova, South Korea, Switzerland, the United States and Serbia do not need to get a Romanian student visa to continue their studies in this country. All other international students are required to apply for a Romanian student visa prior to arrival. Student visas may take from two days to 2 months to process and one can only apply for a student visa once the Ministry of Education in Romania has issued the letter of acceptance to study. It’s best to apply early for the letter of acceptance.
- Letter of acceptance from the Romanian Ministry of Education.
- Proof of tuition fees payment for one year (payment must be done after getting the acceptance letter, transferring the fee to the bank account of the University).
- Proof of sufficient financial means for the entire period specified in the visa (approximately 2500 Euros).
- Criminal record certificate or another document of the same legal value.
- Medical insurance for the entire period of the visa validity.
- Approval of the parents in connection with the stay on the Romanian territory for study purposes, if the foreign citizen is a minor.
Visa applications should only be submitted to the diplomatic missions and consular posts of Romania abroad.
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