Student mobility

The Republic of Moldova does not have separate national programmes dedicated exclusively to students’ international mobility at the level of higher education. However, several mechanisms are in place at both national and European levels to support academic mobility.

To promote academic mobility, the government of the Republic of Moldova approved in 2014 the Framework Regulation on Academic Mobility in Higher Education, which establishes the guidelines for academic mobility at the university level, aligned with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). In 2020, the Ministry of Education approved the Framework Recommendations on the Organisation of Academic Mobility and the Recognition of the Mobility Periods.

In Moldova, the academic mobility and the recognition of qualifications and degrees are part of the evaluation criteria of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and Research (ANACEC), in line with the Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the EHEA (ESG), proposed by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA).

International mobility in higher education is mainly supported through the European Union's Erasmus+ Programme and projects run by the University Agency for Francophonie (Agence universitaire de la Francophonie - AUF), GIZ, CEEPUS, as well as on the basis of the targeted bilateral agreements and initiatives, cross-border cooperation for students and teaching staff. 

Under the Erasmus+ Programme, the Republic of Moldova holds the status of a third country not associated to the programme. This status allows higher education institutions from Moldova to be eligible for participation in certain mobility projects, as defined annually in the Call for Proposals and outlined in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide. Students enrolled in Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral programmes at higher education institutions in the Republic of Moldova currently have access to academic mobility in physical, blended (the combination of physical mobility and a virtual component) and virtual exchanges, as well as internship opportunities.

Moldova was granted EU candidate status on June 23, 2022. The European Commission recommended to open accession negotiations in November 2023, and the formal negotiations officially began on June 25, 2024. In the frame of these negotiations, Moldova expressed the objective to become a country eligible to participate fully in all actions of the Erasmus+ Programme.

CEEPUS (Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies) is a regional academic mobility programme that has been operating in Central and Eastern Europe since 1993. The Republic of Moldova joined the programme in 2010 under the CEEPUS III Agreement. The programme offers mobility grants for students at Bachelor, Master and Doctoral levels. The scholarship amounts granted to students: bachelor’s, master's and doctoral candidates arriving in Moldova under the CEEPUS III Programme, are established at the national level by Government decision.  

Foreign citizens are enrolled in higher education institutions in the Republic of Moldova in accordance with the national legislation in force, international treaties, international or regional projects and programmes to which the Republic of Moldova is a party, agreements concluded between accredited educational institutions, as well as individual contracts signed between foreign citizens and educational institutions. Foreign citizens are required to submit their application file in physical format, directly to the higher education institution.

Applicants from the diaspora of the Republic of Moldova, who hold an educational qualification obtained abroad, may submit their application to the higher education institution. The application file must include a certificate of recognition and equivalence of the qualification.

Citizens of Ukraine and Romania who are not admitted to state-funded study places may pay tuition fees set at the same rate as those applicable to citizens of the Republic of Moldova.

Academic staff mobility

The Republic of Moldova does not have separate national programmes dedicated exclusively to academic staff international mobility at the level of higher education. However, several mechanisms are in place at both national and European levels to support academic staff mobility.

To promote academic mobility, the government of the Republic of Moldova approved in 2014 the Framework Regulation on Academic Mobility in Higher Education, which establishes the guidelines for academic mobility at the university level, aligned with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). In 2020, the Ministry of Education approved the Framework Recommendations on the Organisation of Academic Mobility and the Recognition of the Mobility Periods.

In Moldova, the academic mobility and the recognition of qualifications and degrees are part of the evaluation criteria of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and Research (NAQAER), in line with the Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the EHEA (ESG), proposed by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA).

International mobility of the academic staff in higher education is mainly supported through the European Union's programmes Erasmus+ and Horizon, projects run by the University Agency for Francophonie (Agence universitaire de la Francophonie - AUF), GIZ, CEEPUS, as well as on the basis of the targeted bilateral agreements and initiatives, cross-border cooperation for students and teaching staff. 

Under the Erasmus+ Programme, the Republic of Moldova holds the status of a third country not associated to the programme. This status allows higher education institutions from Moldova to be eligible for participation in certain actions, as defined annually in the Call for Proposals and outlined in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide. Academic staff from higher education institutions in Moldova currently has access to teaching and training mobility (may be carried out in a blended format) within the mobility projects for higher education students and staff. Additionally, various mobility opportunities (study visits) and exchanges are available through Capacity Building in Higher Education; Cooperation Partnership and other Erasmus+ projects.

Mobility and exchanges in Research and Innovation

Since 2012, the Republic of Moldova has held the status of an associated country to the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programmes, namely FP7 and Horizon 2020. In 2021, the Moldova signed the Association Agreement for participation in Horizon Europe, the European Union Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for 2021-2027. As an Associated Country under Horizon Europe Moldova benefits from full access to the programme, ensuring equal access and status for Moldovan research entities with entities from EU Member States. 

CEEPUS (Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies) is a regional academic mobility programme that has been operating in Central and Eastern Europe since 1993. The Republic of Moldova joined the programme in 2010 under the CEEPUS III Agreement. The programme offers mobility grants for academic staff. The scholarship amounts granted to academic staff candidates arriving in Moldova under the CEEPUS III Programme, are established at the national level by Government decision.