Universities in Romania

Romanian universities offer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees within the European Higher Education Area. According to Study in Romania, the official portal on the sector, the system is coordinated by the Ministry of Education and has 84 public and private higher education institutions: 52 public and 32 private universities. About 490,000 students were enrolled in all cycles in the 2024/2025 academic year.

Romanian is the main language of teaching, but programmes are also available in English, Hungarian, French and German. The oldest universities date from the 19th century: the University of Iasi was founded in 1860 and the University of Bucharest in 1864.

How it works

Romania has been part of the Bologna Process since 1999, so degrees follow the three European cycles and use ECTS credits:

• Bachelor's degree (licență): 3 years and 180 to 240 ECTS; Engineering, Law and Theology take 4 years
• Regulated professions: Pharmacy takes 5 years (300 ECTS); Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine take 6 years (360 ECTS)
• Master's degree: 1 to 2 years and 90 to 120 ECTS
• Doctorate: usually 4 years, as a scientific or a professional doctorate

The academic year starts in the first week of October and has two semesters of 14 weeks each, with exams at the end of each semester. Universities are autonomous and set their own calendar. Quality is evaluated by the national agency ARACIS, and every graduate receives a bilingual Romanian and English Diploma Supplement free of charge.

Examples in our directory show the range. The University of Bucharest was founded by decree in 1864. The University of Craiova, a public university in the south-west, was established by Law 138 published on 25 April 1947. The Romanian-American University in Bucharest is a private university founded in 1991 and accredited by law in 2002; it lists programmes taught in English.

Admission

Each university sets its own admission rules. Students from EU countries apply under the same conditions as Romanian citizens and pay the same fees. Students from outside the EU follow a national procedure:

• choose a programme and send an online file to the university (passport, birth certificate, school-leaving or bachelor's diploma, transcript, medical certificate, language certificate where required)
• translate academic documents into Romanian, English or French, with a Hague Apostille where the country is a party to the convention
• take an admission exam if the programme requires one; most are online
• wait for the Letter of Acceptance: the university forwards the file to the Ministry, which typically takes 30 working days

The Letter of Acceptance is needed for the long-stay study visa, which is requested through the e-Visa portal and is valid for up to 90 days; students then apply for a residence permit at the General Inspectorate for Immigration. For a programme taught in Romanian, foreign applicants must show a Romanian language certificate. Prior studies are recognised by the National Centre for Recognition and Equivalency of Diplomas (CNRED).

Costs and funding

EU citizens can win a state-subsidised place, which covers the full cost of study, if their application ranks above the funding threshold. Students without a funded place pay tuition that, according to Study in Romania, normally ranges from 2,000 to 10,000 euros per academic year. Fee-paying students can still be awarded state funding for merit or social reasons, depending on university policy.

Non-EU students can apply for Romanian state scholarships, including those of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Scholarship holders at bachelor's and master's level study only in Romanian, and those who do not speak it first take a preparatory year of Romanian. Erasmus+ supports short exchanges of 3 to 12 months.

How to choose

• Language: check whether the programme is accredited in English or another language, or only in Romanian
• Public or private: compare the funded places at public universities with the fees at private ones
• Length: regulated professions such as Medicine or Pharmacy take 5 or 6 years
• City: Bucharest is the capital, with more than 2 million inhabitants; universities are also found in regional centres such as Craiova
• Paperwork: allow time for the Letter of Acceptance, visa and residence permit

Frequently asked questions

Can I study at a Romanian university in English?

Yes. Programmes are offered in Romanian, English, Hungarian, French and German, depending on the language in which each programme is accredited. Check the language of the specific programme before applying.

How much does a degree in Romania cost?

Students without a state-funded place normally pay between 2,000 and 10,000 euros per academic year, according to Study in Romania. EU citizens pay the same fees as Romanian students.

How long does a bachelor's degree take in Romania?

Usually 3 years, or 4 years for Engineering, Law and Theology. Pharmacy takes 5 years and Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine 6 years.

Do non-EU students need a visa to study in Romania?

Yes. They need a Letter of Acceptance from the Ministry of Education to apply for a long-stay study visa, and then a residence permit for studies. Romania joined the Schengen Area on 1 January 2025, but a Romanian long-stay visa allows entry to Romania only.