According to Countryaah, Romania is one of the poorest countries in Europe, despite experiencing high economic growth in the period 2001-2008. The growth outlook for 2013 is 1.3%.

Higher education in Romania

Higher education in Romania takes place in both private and public places of education. Pay attention to whether the place of education and the training is recognized. You will find a list of recognized educational institutions on the website of the Ministry of Education and Research in Romania.

The language of instruction is usually Romanian, but there is also instruction in English, French or German. The academic year starts around the first of October and includes 2 semesters of 14 weeks plus exams and holidays. The academic year ends in June or July.

Higher education

You can take a 2- to 3-year short higher education at a university college (colegii universitare). The final diploma (Diploma de Absolvire)can give merit into a long higher education in the same subject area. Admission and merit conditions are determined by the individual educational institution.

Degrees at university level

Long higher education takes place at universities, institutes and academies.

The Romanian basic education – Diploma de Licenta -has different lengths depending on the field of study, but a minimum of 3 years and 180 ECTS.

The Romanian superstructure education lasts 1 to 2 years and can be either a specialization or a deepening of the previous basic education. You end up with either a Diploma de Masteror a Diploma de Studii Aprofundate. A Diploma de Studii Aprofundate does not grant access to a PhD. The educations are completed with a thesis.

Studies at PhD level – Diploma de Doctor in Stiinte,lasts 4 to 6 years.

Admission requirements

A Danish upper secondary education should provide access to apply for admission to a higher education in Romania. Access is usually based on an entrance exam or entrance test, possibly combined with a portfolio of studies in art and architecture. In addition, you must document mastery of Romanian, English, German or French depending on the language of instruction.

Application for higher education

Foreign applicants with citizenship of an EU country have access to apply for admission to studies in Romania on equal terms with Romanian nationals. This is stated in Law number 316 of 12 July 2006, which entered into force with Romania’s membership of the EU in 2007. At the same time, the individual university was given some freedom to arrange admission. Therefore, contact the individual educational institution to find out more about application conditions, including whether you must pass an entrance test.

Admission to higher education thus usually takes place on the basis of either:

• Entrance examination for the program in question, which you take on an equal footing with applicants with Romanian entrance exams.
• Admission test for educations in the English-, German- or French-language educations.
• Credit transfer if you have attended one to two years of a higher (university) education in Denmark.

Some universities enroll based on the results of the entrance exam. Therefore, contact the educational institution to find out more about admission conditions and find out more about which documents the university requires in what form: legalization, translation and possible confirmation from the Ministry of Education and Research in Romania that you have an entrance exam.

You do not need a residence permit before coming to Romania, but you must apply for and obtain a temporary residence permit from the Office of Foreign Students within 90 days of arriving in Romania.

Language proficiency

Usually, foreign students start with a 1-year preparatory course in Romanian if they subsequently want to apply for admission to a program where the teaching takes place in Romanian. This preparatory course takes place at a number of universities. You will find information about the current places of education on the website of the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research.

You must have good language skills in English, German or French if you are to follow instruction in one of those languages.

Application deadlines

Ask the individual educational institution about application deadlines. Contact it well in advance during the fall or winter if you want to start in the summer term.

Recognition of foreign educations

If you have completed a publicly recognized education in Romania, you can have it assessed by the Danish Agency for Research and Education.

Practical conditions

Housing

Many Romanian universities have colleges located on campus. Prices typically fluctuate between 100 and 600 DKK per. month. Contact the educational institution for more information.

Other things

At the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs you can find a lot of useful information, for example about visas.

The Danish Embassy in Bucharest can help you with visa matters. If you have questions about the Romanian Embassy in Denmark, you can write to them at: [email protected]

Facts about Romania

Population: Approx. 22, 3 million. The biggest city in Romania is Bucharest with a population of 1,877,266.

Language: Romanian (main language).

Employment: Unemployment is officially at 6.7% (EUROSTAT, February 2013), but there is a lot of hidden unemployment in rural areas.

Currency: RON (new rent) instead of euro. 1 RON corresponds to 2.1 DKK.

Residence permit: Visa-free entry for stays up to 3 months. Passport must be valid min. 3 months in addition to the stay in the country.