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General information on the educational system

The national education system is divided in 2 main categories of education that are further divided in different levels according to the age and needs of the pupils/students:

1. Pre-university
Pre-university education is an integral part of the national education system that brings together public (state), private and denominational education units, authorised or accredited. It is organised on levels, forms of education and, as the case may be, channels and profiles, ensuring the necessary conditions for the acquisition of key competencies and for progressive professionalisation.

Main benefits:
➤ The pre-university education system is open, meaning that students can transfer from one school unit to another, from one class to another, from one profile to another and from one branch to another, under the conditions established by the methodology developed by the Ministry of Education;
➤ In Romania, there are public or private schools, in a system of educational alternatives (Step by Step, Waldorf, Freinet, Montessori, etc.) that complete the classical education system, opening new perspectives of didactic and pedagogical approach to learning;
➤ The schooling of students in pre-university education is mainly in the official language of the state – Romanian, but also in the mother tongue of students belonging to national minorities, in the case of large ethnic communities, or in languages ​​of international circulation (usually in the case of private international schools).
➤ During pre-university education, with the exception of post-secondary education, children are beneficiaries of the state allowance for children, in accordance with the law.
➤ The state also ensures, through national programs Milk and horn, the allocation of basic food to all children in primary and secondary education.

The forms of organization of pre-university education are:
* full-time education
* part-time education

Compulsory general education consists of attending 10 grades meaning:
– primary education
– lower secondary education
– 2 years of upper secondary education.

The general levels of education are:
– preschool education (more information can be accessed here – https://www.edu.ro/invatamant-prescolar)
– primary education (more information can be accessed here – https://www.edu.ro/invatamant-primar)
– secondary education (more information can be accessed here – https://www.edu.ro/invatamant-gimnazial)
– high school education (more information can be accessed here – https://www.edu.ro/invatamant-liceal)
– post-secondary education (more information can be accessed here – https://www.edu.ro/invatamant-postliceal)
– vocational education (more information can be accessed here – https://www.edu.ro/invatamant-profesional)
– special education (more information can be accessed here – https://www.edu.ro/invatamant-special)

2. Higher education
Higher education is organised in universities, academies of studies, institutes, schools of higher education, hereinafter referred to as higher education institutions or universities, which have obtained provisional operating authorisation or accreditation.
Higher education institutions are education providers that carry out educational activities based on study programs authorised to operate provisionally/accredited in accordance with the law, initial and continuous training at university level, programs that operate on the principle of quality and correlation of educational offer with labor market.
The general Structure of the academic year according to Law no. 1/2011 – art. 136 is as follows:
➤ The academic year usually begins on the first working day of October, includes two semesters and ends on September 30 of the following calendar year.
➤ A semester usually has a duration of 14 weeks of teaching activities followed, as a rule, by a minimum of 3 weeks of exams.
➤ The structure of the academic year is approved by the university senate.
➤ A minimum period of 17 weeks is considered in the allocation of transferable study credits from one semester.
➤ The university senate of each higher education institution approves annually, at least 3 months before the beginning of the academic year, the regulation regarding the professional activity of the students, as well as the calendar of the educational activities specific to the academic semesters of study.

The Higher education is divided in the following levels:
– Undergraduate studies (BA level) (more information can be accessed here – https://www.edu.ro/studii-licenta)
– Master’s Degree (more information can be accessed here – https://www.edu.ro/studii-masterat)
– Doctoral studies (more information can be accessed here – https://www.edu.ro/studii-doctorat)
– Postgraduate studies (more information can be accessed here – https://www.edu.ro/studii-postuniversitare)
– Non-university tertiary education (more information can be accessed here – https://www.edu.ro/tertiar-nonuniversitar)