The Ministry of Education launches in public consultation the project on external scholarships. This is a new draft government decision that marks a new step in the direction of internationalization of Romanian education, a more strong support in recent years.
US students. Photo Archive Adevărul
The draft normative act was elaborated in accordance with the Law of Higher Education no. 199/2023 and is meant to provide a clear and updated framework for supporting the international mobility of young Romanian. He is now in public consultation, according to the Ministry of Education.
The full document can be consulted by accessing the link published by the Ministry of Education. The proposals and suggestions can be sent within 10 calendar days from the date of publication, on the e-mail address indicated in the official announcement.
What the new project brings new
The new project comes to clarify and unify the legal framework, bringing in a single document all types of international scholarships offered by the Romanian state, based on:
- Government Decision no. 118/2023, targeting university and research internships;
- Bilateral agreements and unilateral offers received from other states;
- Partnership with the European University Institute in Florence;
- Programs “Vasile Pârvan” (Rome) and “Nicolae Iorga” (Venice) for postgraduate research.
The project is aligned with the provisions of the Law on Higher Education no. 199/2023 and establishes clear rules on eligibility, selection and financing of scholarships.
Details about the scholarships offered
According to the project, the scholarships will cover, totally or in part, the expenses of tuition fees, accommodation, food, maintenance and other necessary expenses during studies or research. Among the types of scholarships found in the proposal of the Ministry of Education are:
- Scholarships for complete and partial university studies license, master and doctorate;
- Post -university and postdoctoral internships, including research and specialization;
- Scholarships for summer courses abroad, through bilateral or unilateral agreements;
- Postgraduate research and training scholarships at the Di Romania Accademia in Roma and Istituto Romeno Di Culture and the Humanistic Ricerca in Venice.
What number of scholarships will be offered?
The project provides for the following conditions for granting scholarships:
- Up to 600 months of scholarship per year for master and doctoral university education, postgraduate and postdoctoral internships, including research and specialization. The duration of these internships can vary between 2 and 10 consecutive months;
- Annual scholarships according to bilateral agreements or unilateral offers of other states, based on collaboration documents between Romania and various countries;
- 6 annual scholarships for doctoral and master’s university studies at the European University Institute in Florence, based on the agreement signed by Romania with this institution, with a duration of the 12 -month internship.
Free accommodation and covered transportation
The Ministry of Education collaborates with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure free accommodation to the scholarships at the Di Romania Accademia in Rome and to Istituto Romeno Di Culture E, the humanity in Venice. In addition, the ministry will cover international transport from Romania to the place of internship and back, once a year.
How are the scholarships obtained?
The scholarships are granted by national competitions organized by the Ministry of Education and Research, and the exact number of scholarships, the types of scholarships and their amount will be established annually by order of the Minister of Education, published in the Official Gazette of Romania.
How did the scholarships work so far
So far, external scholarships have been regulated by a series of bilateral or multilateral decisions and agreements. Annually, the Ministry of Public Education Lists with the partner countries and universities that offered places for:
- License, master and doctoral studies,
- Postgraduate research or specialization internships,
- Summer courses for students.
The selection was often limited by the small number of places and the large differences between offers. Also, the regulations were fragmented, which created difficulties in the application and evaluation of applications.
This initiative comes at a time when the opening of Romanian education to international opportunities is essential to prepare young people to cope with the economic and technological challenges of Viitorulim according to the new draft law, which is in public onion.
