2024

In 2024 the Republic of Moldova has implemented significant reforms in higher education, including streamlined recognition of foreign academic titles, increased student scholarships, institutional mergers, expanded dual education, financial incentives for pedagogy graduates, and the launch of a national online admission platform:

• Recognition of Foreign Academic Titles – the government has approved a new regulation, proposed by the Ministry of Education and Research, to facilitate the recognition and equivalence of scientific and academic titles obtained abroad. This measure aims to support academic and professional mobility, ensuring the free movement of citizens within the European area, in line with Moldova’s commitments under the EU Association Agreement and international treaties.
• Increased Scholarships for Students – the government has doubled merit scholarships for students and increased monthly payments for those studying at military institutions. Additionally, scholarships for students in colleges, vocational schools, and centers of excellence, as well as for university students, master's, and doctoral candidates, have been raised by 5.5%.
• Merger of USEFS with USM – the University of Physical Education and Sports (USEFS) has become an Institute within Moldova State University (USM) following the merger of the two institutions. The new structure will have broad autonomy and will integrate all three USEFS faculties: Kinesiology, Physical Education and Sports, and Security Sciences.
• Establishment of a Bulgarian University Branch in Taraclia – the governments of Moldova and Bulgaria have signed an intergovernmental agreement to establish a branch of “Angel Kanchev” University (Ruse, Bulgaria) in Taraclia.
• Study Abroad Scholarships for Moldovan Students – Parliament has approved the law on Moldova’s participation in the Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies (CEEPUS IV), signed in Warsaw in 2023. This initiative promotes student, researcher, faculty, and administrative staff mobility across partner countries. Moldova will also offer study scholarships for foreign students.
• Financial Incentives for Education Sciences Graduates – Pedagogy graduates will receive a one-time allowance of 200,000 lei in their first five years of teaching, while graduates of professional-technical programmes will receive 160,000 lei under the same conditions.
• Launch of eadmitere.gov.md – a National Online Admission Platform – the platform allows applicants to select up to three universities and three specialisations per institution when applying for undergraduate studies.
• Expansion of Dual Education in Universities – starting the academic year 2025-26, dual education will be introduced in universities, enabling third- and fourth-year students in fields such as marketing, logistics, pedagogy, engineering, and IT to combine studies with work experience in companies or organizations.
• Simplification of Accreditation and Strengthening Quality Assurance – accredited institutions will now be able to offer continuous professional training for adults without additional accreditation. Additionally, universities will no longer need provisional authorization for new programmes if they already have an accredited programme in the same field. Another key reform extends the institutional accreditation period from five to seven years after re-accreditation.

2023

In 2023, the higher education system in the Republic of Moldova underwent reforms aimed at modernising the educational structure, increasing the efficiency of resource management and providing new opportunities for students and institutions. These reforms focused on expanding access to education, updating the educational offer and improving the university infrastructure.

A. State order for higher education

By Government Decision no. 468/2023, 8,732 budgetary places were allocated for higher education, including bachelor's, master's, residency and secondary clinical cycles. Of these, 25% were dedicated to pedagogical specialties. Also, places were provided for foreign citizens, especially for those from Ukraine, within the framework of bilateral contracts.

The framework regulation for admission to higher undergraduate studies and integrated higher studies for the academic year 2023/2024 was updated by Order of the Minister of Education and Research no. 458 of 15.05.2023, and for priority areas such as multimedia production, game design, animation and information and communication technologies, the budget places were increased.

B. Updating the Budget Financing Methodology

By Government Decision no. 700/2023, the financing methodology of public higher education institutions was updated, emphasizing the efficient management of public funds. The new provisions aim at strengthening university autonomy and the efficiency of the use of public funds, measured based on the number of equivalent students, performance indicators, correlated with the achievement of public policy objectives, which becomes an imperative in the vision of the new modern financing systems.

In this context, an additional 20 million lei (approx. 1 million euro) were allocated for the renovation of student dormitories at several universities, including the State University of Moldova, the Technical University of Moldova, "Ion Creangă" State Pedagogical University, "Alecu Russo" State University from Balti and the Academy of Economic Studies from Moldova. These allocations were aimed at improving living conditions for students, with repairs and furnishing of furniture and infrastructure.

C. The nomenclature of new specialties

Another important step was the completion of the Nomenclature of fields and specialties in higher education by Government Decision no. 360/2023, which introduced new specialisations such as data science, digital technologies in manufacturing, agribusiness and rural development. These specialisations were created to meet the demands of the modern economy and to support rural development, innovation and technology.

D. Awarding merit scholarships

The government continued to support the academic performance of students through Decisions no. 701 and 702/2023, which regulate the granting of merit scholarships: the Government Scholarship, the President's Scholarship and the Republican Scholarship. These scholarships are intended for students from higher education and VET institutions, contributing to their motivation and involvement.

E. Increasing scholarships for pedagogical specialties

In order to attract more students to pedagogical specialties, the Government approved in December 2023 the doubling of scholarships for students of these specialties through Government Decision no. 949/2023. Thus, the maximum 1^st category scholarship reaches 3,280 lei (approx. 169 euro), while the minimum 3^rd category scholarship will be 2,200 lei (approx. 113 euro).

2022

The basic activities in the field of higher education in 2022 focused on the modernisation and efficiency of higher education through the implementation of the "Higher Education in Moldova" project, financially supported by the World Bank, which aims to ensure the quality and relevance of higher education programmes.

The actions undertaken in higher education were aimed at ensuring access to higher education, implementing new financing mechanisms for higher education, training professional skills, based on future knowledge and skills needs, strengthening the research component of higher education, internationalisation of universities, etc.