National education system
The national education system is composed of all public and private education establishments and institutions of various types, levels and forms of organisation of their instruction and education activity.
The national education system is structured across educational levels, so as to ensure coherence of instruction and education in accordance with students’ age and individual characteristics.
The national education system includes the following levels:
- early childhood education and care (3 months - 6 years of age), made up of ante-preschool education and care (3 months - 3 years of age) and preschool education (3 - 6 years of age), both sublevels including a junior group, a middle group and a senior group.
- primary education, with a length of 5 years, including the preparatory grade and grades 1-4.
- lower secondary education (middle school), with a length of 4 years, including grades 5-8.
- upper secondary education (high school), which usually lasts for 4 years.
- post-secondary education (education after high school), including non-university college education, which lasts between 1 and 3 years.
Early childhood education and care (from the age of 3 months to 6 years, ISCED 0)
Early childhood education and care (from the age of 3 months to 6 years), is made up of:
- ante-preschool education and care (3 months - 3 years of age) and
- preschool education (3-6 years of age),
both with three groups at three levels:
- junior group
- middle group
- senior group.
Primary education (ISCED 1)
Primary education (ISCED 1) includes:
- the preparatory grade
- grades 1—4.
Progression from primary education to lower secondary education only requires the completion of primary education.
Lower secondary education (ISCED 2)
Lower secondary education or middle school (ISCED 2) covers grades 5-8. For access to the next level, students take a national test and a high-school admission examination, based on which the students who complete grade 8 are enrolled in high-school education.
Upper secondary education (ISCED 3)
Upper secondary education or high-school education is organised in academic high-schools, aptitudinal high-schools and technological high-schools and covers grades 9-12 for full-time education and grades 9-13 for full-time evening classes and part-time education.
There are three distinct paths in high-school education:
- the academic path, with the profile humanities and the profile mathematics and science.
- the aptitudinal path, with the military, theological, sport, artistic and pedagogical profiles.
- the technological path, with the technical, services, natural resources and environmental profiles.
A student who completes at least 3 years on the technological path or 4 years on the aptitudinal or academic path or in special technological education gains a Level 3 qualification under the National Qualifications Framework and has direct access to the labour market based on some specific vocational tests or an examination certifying a professional qualification.
Students from the technological path may continue their studies in the same high school for participating in the Baccalaureate Examination. Students who pass the Baccalaureate Examination gain a Level 4 qualification under the National Qualifications Framework.
Technological high-school education may also be organised as dual education in public and/or private high-schools, in post-secondary schools with a legal person status or in non-university colleges which function within higher education institutions.
Post-secondary non-tertiary education (ISCED 4)
Post-secondary non-tertiary education (ISCED 4) covers education after high school.
Post-secondary (non-tertiary) education is organised for professional qualifications from the National Qualifications Register which are established by the Ministry of Education and are approved by a Government Decision.
Post-secondary education takes place in post-secondary schools with a legal person status or in settings with no legal person status of high schools with a legal person status or in non‑university colleges functioning within higher education institutions, in compliance with a methodology approved by an order of the education minister.
The duration of post-secondary education is 1-3 years, depending on the complexity of the qualification and the number of ECTS credits in lifelong learning.
The organisation and functioning of post-secondary education in the defense, public order and national security system comply with the framework regulation approved by an order of the responsible minister, established based on a methodology approved by an order of the education minister.
The State supports and promotes, including financially, educational programmes at post‑secondary level in a public-private partnership.
Admission to post-secondary education follows the general criteria laid down by an order of the education minister. Post-secondary education establishments and institutions develop, based on these general criteria, their own admission methodologies.
Post-secondary education is accessible to students who completed high-school education, with or without a baccalaureate diploma. For post-secondary programmes leading to level 5 qualifications in the National Qualifications Framework, the admission tests may also cover the recognition of non-certified competences acquired in a non-formal and informal way.
Post-secondary education finishes with a certification examination for a professional qualification. How this certification examination is organised and takes place is set out in a methodology approved by an order of the education minister.
For students holding a baccalaureate diploma, the credits for education and training gained in post-secondary education may be recognised by universities, based on decisions made by the university senate, as transferable credits for bachelor’s programmes.
The regulations concerning the organisation and functioning of dual technological high-school education appropriately apply to dual post-secondary education too.
Foremen schools are post-secondary schools.
Higher education (ISCED 5-8)
Higher education (ISCED 5-8) is organised only by education providers and higher education institutions that were granted a temporary authorisation or accreditation in compliance with the law.
Higher education institutions may be public, private and confessional. These institutions have a legal person status, are non-profit and apolitical.
Public, private and confessional higher education institutions may establish, based on a decision of their university senate and following an external evaluation in accordance with the legal provisions on quality assurance in school education, other public, and private and confessional school education establishments respectively, as follows:
- for ante-preschool and preschool education, establishments without a legal person status which are part of the structure of higher education institutions.
- for primary education, lower secondary education and upper secondary education, establishments with a legal person status which are subordinated to higher education institutions.
- for post-secondary non-tertiary education, non-university colleges, without a legal person status which are part of the structure of higher education institutions.
School education establishments set up by higher education institutions are public establishments funded from the state budget under the institutional contracts concluded between the higher education institutions concerned and the Ministry of Education, with the application of specific cost standards for school education in compliance with the legal provisions in force.
The enrolment and the funding mechanism for post-secondary non-tertiary education that takes place in colleges functioning within public higher education institutions is approved by a Government Decision.
School education establishments set up within the structure of public higher education institutions are organisational components, without a legal person status, and they are as of right included in the school network at school education level, based on the rector’s decision and their temporary authorisation/accreditation order issued by the Education Minister, which have been communicated to local public administration authorities and to County/Bucharest School Inspectorates.
Initial training in higher education takes place through higher education programmes organised across four cycles of studies, as follows:
- short cycle, which includes short-length higher education programmes.
- cycle 1, which includes bachelor’s programmes.
- cycle 2, which includes master programmes.
- cycle 3, which includes doctorate programmes.
The modes of study for these higher education programmes are:
- Full-time programmes are characterised by education and/or research activities scheduled throughout a day; these activities are specific to each higher education programme and cycle of studies respectively, with a relatively even daily/weekly distribution throughout a semester and they involve the meeting of university students and teaching and research staff in an academic setting. Some education and/or research activities within full-time programmes can take place synchronously by means of specific electronic, information and communications resources as set out in the quality standards developed and approved by the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS), differentiated for each field of study.
- Part-time programmes are characterised by activities dedicated mostly to synthesis courses and applied training, scheduled compactly and at certain intervals, involving the physical presence of university students and teachers in an academic setting; these activities are complemented by other means of training which are specific to distance learning, such as those conducted through specific electronic, information and communications resources.
- Distance learning programmes are characterised by the use of specific electronic, information and communications resources, self-teaching and self-assessment activities, complemented by specific tutorship activities and involving a combination of distance and face to face educational and research activities.
Admission to public, private and confessional higher education for every cycle of studies and programme falls within the area of competence of each higher education institution and takes place based on specific regulations concerning the organisation of admission and the admission process, laid down by every higher education establishment in compliance with the legislation in force. The Ministry of Education develops the framework methodology for the organisation of the admission process in higher education.
Students who completed high-school education with a baccalaureate diploma or an equivalent diploma may participate in the admission to the first cycle of higher education.
The State ensure fair access to higher education, with no discrimination, for Romanian citizens, citizens of EU Member States, citizens of the countries of the European Economic Area and citizens of the Swiss Confederation, as well as for British citizens and their family members as beneficiaries of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community 2019/C 384 I/01.
Adult education/ Lifelong learning
Lifelong learning, for the purposes of the law, encompasses:
- (a) school education,
- (b) career guidance and counselling services,
- (c) recognition of competences acquired in non-formal and informal contexts,
- (d) youth activities.
Learning in formal contexts take place in school education establishments and institutions too.
Learning in non-formal contexts take place in child protection and care centres, student palaces and clubs or other entities stipulated by the legislation too.
Educational institutions, by themselves or in partnership with local authorities and other institutions and public and private bodies – like cultural establishments, in service training providers, social partners, youth centres, non-governmental organisations and alike – may organise local community centres for lifelong learning, based on offers of educational services adapted to the specific needs of various target groups.
Community lifelong learning centres are established by local public administration authorities in partnership with education and training providers. Their role is to implement lifelong learning policies and strategies at community level.
Funding for community lifelong learning centres comes from public and private funds under the law. All revenues gained by community lifelong learning centres are theirs and remain at their disposal.
The Ministry of Education, together with the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity, the Ministry of Culture and the National Authority for Qualifications, establish the methodological rules for the development of the statute and the professionalisation route for staff working in the area of lifelong learning, which are approved by a Government Decision.
Home education/ “Hospital School”
In accordance with the provisions of School Education Law 198/2023, in situations which are related to preschoolers/students’ health, full-time education may be delivered at home or, as appropriate, in hospital.
An ante-preschooler, a preschooler or a student is enrolled in a “hospital school” or home education at their parents’ / legal representative request, in compliance with the methodology for the organisation and functioning of hospital schools or school at home, approved by a joint order of the Education Minister and Health Minister.
An ante-preschooler, a preschooler or a student have their place reserved in the school they attended prior to their enrolment in a hospital school and are entitled to return to their initial school anytime during the school year.
Preschoolers included in a form of schooling in hospital in the senior group, who are diagnosed with an invalidating chronic condition, a malignant disease, other life-threatening disease or disorders which require long-term hospitalisation or immobilisation at home, have a place reserved in the preparatory grade at the school in their catchment area.
Students included in a form of hospital schooling in grade 8, who are diagnosed with an invalidating chronic condition, a malignant disease, other life threatening disease or disorders which require long-term hospitalisation or immobilisation at home, are admitted on special places in grade 9 without having to take the national test, in accordance with the framework-methodology for the organisation of high-school admission, developed by the Ministry of Education and made publicly available, for every generation, at the beginning of grade 8 at the latest.
In case that an ante-preschooler/preschooler/student enrolled in a hospital school returns home during their treatment, they may opt for either having home education with a teacher’s physical presence or going to their original school or attending online/hybrid school, depending on the recommendation of the specialist doctor and based on their parents’ / lgal representative request.
The instruction / teaching-learning-assessment process taking place in a hospital school or at home is adapted to the specificity of the disease and the year of study in which the preschooler/student is enrolled.
Throughout schooling in hospital, ante-preschoolers, preschoolers, students and their parents / legal representatives benefit from administrative counselling on their educational rights. Administrative counselling is offered ex-officio, necessarily by an inspector appointed by the School Inspectorate / Bucharest School Inspectorate in compliance with the framework methodology approved by an order of the education minister.
The file containing the school documents and any other necessary document for enrolment in a hospital school and, after hospitalisation, for returning physically to their former school will be compiled by the appointed school inspector, based on a request from student’s parents / legal representative.
Throughout hospital schooling, a monitoring teacher will be appointed. The monitoring teacher has an obligation to oversee the preschooler/student’s educational course, keep in touch with the school which the preschooler/student was attending before hospitalisation and suggest any educational measure in their interest.