Study in Moldova

Moldova has an established higher-education system overseen by the Ministry of Education and Research (Ministerul Educației și Cercetării, MEC). Universities, academies and institutes provide programmes only when the institution and the specific programme hold accreditation or provisional authorisation. The National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and Research (ANACEC) conducts external evaluation, so the programme's status should be checked separately from the institution's name. In the 2025/26 academic year, 16 higher-education institutions enrolled about 62,900 students. In 2024/25, 12 were public and 4 private, and public institutions accounted for 84.3% of enrolment. The first cycle, Licență, normally lasts three or four years and requires 180 to 240 ECTS credits. ECTS means the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, which measures study workload; a full academic year normally carries 60 credits. Entry generally requires a Baccalaureate or an equivalent recognised document. Completion involves a university examination or bachelor's thesis and leads to a diploma with a Diploma Supplement in Romanian and English. The second cycle, masterat, normally lasts about one or two years and requires 90 to 120 ECTS credits. Admission generally requires a Licență or equivalent qualification. Changing field may require up to 30 additional prerequisite credits, and the first and second cycles together must total at least 300 ECTS credits. Integrated studies combine the first and second cycles and require at least 300 ECTS credits. They are used mainly for medicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine and architecture, and the resulting diploma is equivalent to a master's qualification. Doctorat is the third cycle and requires 180 ECTS credits through a doctoral school. It focuses on research and innovation and can lead to a doctorate in science, arts or sport. Doctoral study may be full-time or part-time. Postdoctoral study can last up to three years after the doctorate. Admission is competitive. Each institution sets its detailed method within the national framework and the approved nomenclature of fields and specialities. The state establishes an admission plan and budget-funded places, while institutions announce programme conditions, documents, deadlines and any admission fee. In 2026, applications could be submitted online through eAdmitere using an electronic signature or with support from the institution. During the first admission round, 18,259 applicants were enrolled, including 14,195 in first-cycle or integrated programmes and 4,064 in master's programmes; 6,444 received budget-funded places. For 2026, the national plan contained 9,013 places across Licență, integrated studies, masterat, rezidențiat, clinical secondary education and doctorat. This included 5,380 first-cycle or integrated places, 2,771 master's places and 504 places in residency, clinical secondary education and doctoral study. The 2026 competition for budget-funded master's places required a minimum admission average of 7.00. Study may be financed from the state budget, through tuition fees or through a mixed arrangement. A citizen generally receives state-funded higher study once in each cycle, although exceptions can apply for disability, occupational disease, loss of working capacity or government labour programmes. There is no single national tuition fee: the amount depends on the institution, programme and study contract. The contract sets financial obligations as well as rights and duties for the full cycle. Scholarships and other state support are available under the applicable rules; the 2025 scholarship index was 4.6%. The academic year normally has two semesters and about 42 weeks, with approximately 15 weeks of direct contact in each semester and two examination sessions. Programmes can include practice and internships under a contract. Dual higher study is a formal pathway combining institutional learning with practical training. A distance-learning pilot operated in 2025/26, and budget-funded distance places were available in 2026 for people with severe or significant disabilities who could not attend full-time. A higher-education institution may recognise up to 30 ECTS credits from post-secondary technical education where the applicable rules allow it. Grades use a 1-to-10 scale together with the ECTS scale A, B, C, D, E, FX and F. Students may choose an institution, receive information, apply for scholarships where eligible, seek accommodation and use medical, food or transport support where available. They may participate in academic mobility and student governance, and students hold 25% of the seats in a Senate or Faculty Council. Academic leave and tuition exemption may be available under institutional rules. Students must follow internal regulations, behave appropriately within the academic community and protect institutional property. Violations can lead to disciplinary measures or expulsion under the institution's rules. Romanian is the normal language of instruction. Other languages depend on the institution's capacity and the programme. Foreign applicants generally follow the same admission conditions after preliminary recognition or equivalence of their documents, and they pay tuition unless they receive a state scholarship. Foreign qualifications are recognised or assessed for equivalence by the Ministry of Education and Research through the National Centre for Information and Recognition of Qualifications (CTICE). The assessment considers the programme type, credits, content and qualification. A complete qualification dossier usually takes about 30 working days, and apostille or legalisation and translation may be required. A foreign study period used to continue studies is submitted to the receiving institution, which may grant automatic recognition or require compensatory measures. After Licență, a graduate may enter employment or continue to masterat. A master's qualification can support advanced professional work, research or admission to doctorat. Doctoral graduates may pursue research, teaching or careers in higher-education institutions. In regulated health professions, rezidențiat is a post-degree transition rather than a separate higher-education cycle. School, lyceum and the Baccalaureate are access prerequisites, while a colegiu is post-secondary technical education and not itself a higher-education institution. Continuing education belongs outside this scope unless it directly leads to a higher qualification.