Studying in Romania

Universities in Romania

Romanian universities are highly appreciated all over Europe and beyond. Along with the simplified university admission and the low tuition fees, Romania is a multicultural social environment, which makes the thousand and thousand of international students feel welcome. 

By far, statistics show a number of over 500,000 students who are studying in Romanian universities, from which more than 27,000 are international scholars. The high education system in Romania is flexible, rich in cultural history, and very affordable, compared with other countries, such as Denmark. Moreover, the cost of living for students is low, which is a big plus for those who don't want to take a job while studying. 

 Good to know:

Romania is using the Bologna system, meaning that there will be three academic cycles. In most cases, the bachelor's degree lasts three years, the master's degree is two years, while the doctorate one is three. Of course, there are some variations, depending on the domain you are preparing for. For instance, medicine, engineering or architecture will require a longer period of time to obtain a bachelor's degree. 

University programs in Romania

Romanian universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs. When it comes to international students, they can apply for programs in English, French, and German. The most popular specialties are Medicine (Dentistry, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine), Computer Science, Civil Engineer, Communication, Artificial Intelligence, Chemistry, Software Engineering, economic sciences, Mathematics, Public Administration and others. 

 Good to know:

As previously mentioned, the duration of the bachelor courses varies from university to university. For instance, science, political science, philosophy etc. would take three years to complete. In contrast, the programs which involve law, agriculture, engineering, technological or forestry science need four years for a bachelor's degree. The programs which need the most of time are medicine, pharmacy or architecture. 

Enrollment formalities in Romanian universities

Ready to apply for a Romanian program for studies? The best part is that the admission process is more straightforward than in other countries. The only difference is whether you are from an EU/EEA/CH or not. 

Application for non-EU students

The first thing that non-EU students need to do to attend a Romanian educational program is to contact the university they are interested in. At that point, the university will ask them to complete some forms, in which they will ask some questions about the residence status, language proficiency or the education background. 

Once the university collects this information, the student will get a preliminary decision after around 15 days. Then the university will submit those files to the Ministry of Education, on behalf of the international students. The Ministry will decide within 30-60 days if they will admit you or recommend another university to apply to. 

Once the student gets the acceptance letter, it needs to submit the following:

• Proof of financial means in the bank account (minimum 2,000 euros);
• Health insurance (if the student is younger than 26, the university will cover it);
• Proof of accommodation.

Application for EU/EEA/CH international students in Romania

For those who are EU students, the rules will be the same as in the case of Romanian students, as well as the tuition fees. For those who want to study to universities from Bucharest, Cluj, Timisoara, Iasi and other big academic centres, they must have the following documents:

• files that prove the EU citizenship;
• educational documents and past diplomas.

Also, the EU students will have to take an admission exam, in Romanian, English or another minority exam. 

Registration fees for international students in Romania

Most of the prestigious universities in Romania offer courses in foreign languages. The Romanian course fees are determined by the Ministry of Education. When it comes to the studies that have courses in international languages, the prices will be higher, depending on the university and their fields. All in all, you might need between 500 to 5,000 euros for the tuition fees. 

Student's cost of living in Romania

As a student, the cost of living in Romania is lower than in many European countries, which makes it easy to study abroad with a low budget. 

Some of the average costs of living in Romania would be:

• 1 Meal: around 5 euros;
• Coffee: 1 euro;
• Beer: 2 euros;
• Monthly rent: 250 euros;
• Cinema ticket: 5 euros;
• Monthly public transport: 10 euros. 

Student accommodation in Romania

In terms of accommodation, international students can choose to stay on-campus or in a private dormitory or to rent an apartment. Rent would be around 100-200 euros per room, depending on the city, the area and the conditions. 

The campus is very affordable, and each Romanian university assures a specific number of rooms. 

Student life in Romania

Most of the universities have special student affairs, some of them even international, such as AIESEC. International students can sign in this association and attend lots of intercultural exchanges and programs. 

There is no boredom when it comes to the student's life in Romania. The country is famous for the social life, the great number of coffee shops, social bars and so on. Romanian youngsters are also very open to international students and will help them make comfortable in this country. 

 Useful links:

Ministry of Education (website in Romanian only)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs ' Study in Romania
Study in Romania ' List of Romanian universities