An overview

Tricky terminology

Concentration areas

Assessment

International high schools

An overview

In Romania, high school starts in the ninth grade and generally takes four years to complete; vocational high schools take 5 years.

Most high schools are public and do not charge tuition fees. Some offer scholarships to students with excellent academic performance or/and need.

Secondary education is highly centralized and admission to high schools is determined by the students’ performance in the nation-wide tests organized by the Ministry of Romanian Education and Research. In recent years the national exam for admission to high school was administered at the end of the eighth grade.

The Romanian high school curriculum usually consists of 12 to 14 subjects which are taught each semester: Romanian Literature, History, two foreign languages (generally English, French, German, Italian, Spanish), Religion, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography and Physical Education. On top of these, students choose a subject from the elective courses, which also counts for their GPA. The choice is made by all the students in the same grade, which means that all students will take one extra course in Geography, say, instead of History.

Romanian students go through high school in the same grade (clasa) of about 25-35 students. During the school day, students normally stay in the same classroom, while teachers switch places. Each grade has its own individual curriculum, different from others in terms of both subject matter and level. Transfer is possible between sections, but it often proves a tedious process.

Inside a grade, all subjects are mandatory and the teaching content and pace is the same for all students. Classes are block-scheduled: in most Romanian high schools students study either in the morning or the afternoon shift: during which they can have between 5 and 7 back-to-back classes of 50 minutes each. Unlike in American secondary schools, high-achieving Romanian students have no option of skipping a grade, as the Romanian system puts them in lock-step with all their classmates. Also, because students in different grades have different curricula and different teachers (with different grading policies), class rank is oftentimes a lopsided content.

There are no Advanced Placement or Honors courses. Romanian students have limited access to the IB program which is currently available at only two schools in Bucharest, according to the information at www.ibo.org.

Each grade is assigned a mentor (diriginte) in the person of one of the class teachers. This mentor meets with the students for general guidance once a week. Class teachers act remotely as the school counselor, although they are not able to devote a lot of personal attention to students. Following a set curriculum, during the "general guidance" class, mentors only seldom discuss the students' academic future; most class-time is dedicated to administrative issues, such as discussion of grades and absences, as well as general ethical or political issues.

The information above is due to Bogdan State, Amherst College, MA, class 2009.

Tricky terminology

• “Liceu” vs “colegiu national”. Any institution which offers upper secondary education is called “liceu” (high school) or “colegiu national” (national college). Some of the high schools have been promoted national colleges in recognition of their educational excellence, documented, among others, through their students’ achievements in national and international competitions and olympiads.
  A complete list of Romanian high schools is posted on the official website of the Romanian Ministry of Education www.edu.ro (currently available in Romanian only.)

• Romanian "clasa" vs English "class": Clasa refers to a group of about 25-35 high school students of similar age. The English term for clasa is "grade". Because the term clasa is very similar to the English "class", both Romanian students and teachers oftentimes confuse the terms. The Romanian term for "class" is promotie!

Concentration areas

Some high schools choose to emphasize certain curricular areas. For example, some focus on foreign languages and teach a number of the subjects in a foreign language; others have a concentration on computer science, music, or sports.

Assessment

Grades range from 1 to 10, where 10 is the highest, and 5 is the lowest pass.

At the end of high school, students take the national examination called Bacalaureat, which includes oral and written tests in 6 subjects. A student needs to have a minimum grade of 6 in order to pass the Bacalaureat. This exam is mandatory for admission to Romanian universities.

International high schools

There are several international high schools in Romania which follow American, British, French or other international curricula. They were set up after the collapse of the communist regime, are all private and charge tuition fee. Some of them offer scholarships to students with excellent academic performance.

• Schools that follow the American curriculum:

American International School of Bucharest (AISB) www.aisb.ro.
AISB is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the Council of International Schools for grades K-12, and is authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization to offer the IB Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programs.

Mark Twain International School http://marktwainschool.ro/ offers the IB Primary Years Program and candidates for the IB Middle Years Program.

Bucharest Christian Academy www.bcaromania.org serves primarily missionary and expatriate families. It is the test center for the ACT exam.

• Schools that follow the British curriculum:

International Computer High School of Bucharest www.ichb.ro

International Computer High School of Constanta www.ichc.ro

International British School of Bucharest www.ibsb.ro.

British School of Bucharest www.britishschool.ro.

Cambridge School of Bucharest www.cambridgeschool.ro.

• School that follows the French curriculum:

The French High School “Anna de Noailles” www.lyfrabuc.ro. Website available in French.

An overview

Accreditation

University profiles

Assessment

An overview

As of fall 2005, the Romanian higher education system has been in line with the Bologna Agreement. As a result, most Bachelor’s programs take 3 years to complete. However, some programs last longer – for example, some technical fields, medicine and architecture.
Master’s programs take 2 years beyond the Bachelor’s degree. Master’s programs are a prerequisite for admission to Ph.D. programs.

Ph.D. programs usually take 3 years to complete. Under special circumstances, the duration of study may be extended by 1 or 2 years.

Note: As of fall 2005, the 3-year (short-term) university education and the Advanced Study programs were discontinued.

Accreditation

Since October 2006 university accreditation issues are dealt with by the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. The official website www.aracis.ro includes sections on:

• accreditation procedures,

• legislation, and

• a list of accredited universities.

These sections are also available in English.

University profiles

According to the information posted on the website of the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education www.aracis.ro, there are 56 accredited public universities, 32 accredited private universities, and 23 institutions enjoying temporary accreditation.

With prestigious public universities, applicants must sit for an entrance exam that includes oral and/or written tests. Private universities generally select students based on their average grade in the “Bacalaureat” exam; they may also require an interview. For fields like foreign languages, architecture, music or physical education, students may sit for an aptitude test.
Education is free for top students admitted to public universities. Other students who meet the admissions requirements pay tuition fees in the area of $800 per year. Private universities charge similar fees.

At the graduate level, students pay fees starting at $ 500 per year.
A range of MBA programs are available in Romania. They are usually joint programs with universities in Canada, the U.S., and France and their fees range from $6,000 to $14,000 per program.

Assessment

Just like in the secondary education system, grades in the higher education system range from 1 to 10, where 10 is the highest, and 5 is the lowest pass.

At the end of the undergraduate program, students take a final comprehensive exam called “Licenta”. They need to pass oral and written tests in their areas of concentration.

The higher education diploma is called “Diploma de Licenta”.
Upon request, the student is issued the “Diploma Supplement” in Romanian and English, free of charge.

If you have further questions on the Romanian higher education system contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Fulbright Educational Advising Center, in partnership with IE3 Global Internships http://ie3global.ous.edu/, offers internships for U.S. university students interested in gaining experience in the field of International Educational Advising.

Please check section Staff on this website to see profiles of recent interns.

We are happy to host presentations by representatives of schools in the U.S. and U.S.-like schools in Europe. Our presentations are usually scheduled in the afternoon, but we can accommodate your requests for different times.

We are eager to facilitate Romanian students’ access to your schools in any way we can. Let us know when you are planning to travel in our region!

The Fulbright Educational Advising Center offers the following services to your school:

• distribution of promotional materials before your presentation;

• organization of promotional events and presentations (our dedicated room seats around 30 participants, is equipped with a large plasma screen, etc.);

• advertising of your promotional program;

• assistance with contacting educational institutions in Romania;

• assistance with arranging visits to local high schools and universities.