Higher Education Law no. 199 / July 5, 2023, introduced the cycle of short-term university studies as a distinct form of higher education organization.

Short-term university studies correspond, as a rule, to a number of 120 transferable study credits, according to ECTS/SECT, and are completed through level 5 of the NQF.

The specific duration of short-term university studies is 2 years and corresponds to a minimum number of 60 transferable study credits for one study year.

These programmes are usually delivered by universities or university colleges, often with a strong professional orientation and, increasingly, with dual (work-based) learning components combining academic study with practical training. 

Branches of study 

The reference domains and specialisations of study in higher education, including short-cycle programmes, are established annually through a Government Decision.

For academic year 2025–2026, Government Decision no. 412/2025 approves the Nomenclature of fields and specializations/university study for the 2025–2026 academic year. 

Short-cycle programmes are professionally oriented and mirror the main disciplinary groupings used in higher education and qualifications frameworks. They cluster into the following broad branches: Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, Sport and Physical Education, Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Architecture and Urbanism.

Admission requirements 

Law on Higher Education no. 199/2023 establishes that admission to higher education (including short-cycle) is organised by institutions based on their own methodologies, with the observance of the legislation in force.

The law defines the requirement to hold a baccalaureate diploma or equivalent.

Ministerial Order No. 3693/2024 of February 1, 2024, for the approval of the Framework Methodology regarding the organization of admission to higher education in short-term university study cycles, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees establish the general framework rules for admission and serve as the regulatory umbrella under which universities adopt their own procedures.

Key issues according to Ministerial Order No. 3693/2024: 

• The minimum general admission average for short-term university studies cannot be less than 5.00 (five) or an equivalent minimum number of points. 
• The general admission average is calculated as the arithmetic average or weighted average of the grades obtained in the admission competition tests. When calculating the general admission average for short-term university studies, based on university autonomy, averages from subjects from the years of high school studies, grades from the baccalaureate tests, the baccalaureate average or other specific criteria may be taken into account, according to the higher education institution's own regulations.
• The ranking of candidates is done in descending order of the averages obtained in the admission competition and within the limit of the places approved for each study program. 

The number of places funded by the state budget is set by a Government Decision. Besides these places, public higher education institutions are authorised to admit a number of students who accept to pay tuition fees (Law 441/2001). 

Curriculum 

The Law on Higher Education No. 199/2023 guarantees university autonomy in academic matters, including curriculum design, and the responsibility of each institution to develop study plans, course content, and teaching methods. 

Curriculum is established in such a way as to maximize the chances of obtaining the identified qualification and is approved by the university senate. The correspondence between the curriculum and the qualification offered by the study program is a mandatory criterion for the evaluation of quality assurance.

According to law, in the framework of short-term university studies, it is mandatory to carry out internships. 

• Higher education institutions have the obligation to provide a minimum of 50% of the necessary practice places, of which at least 75% are outside higher education institutions.

Teaching methods 

The Law on Higher Education No. 199/2023 guarantees university autonomy in academic matters, including curriculum design, and the responsibility of each institution to develop study plans, course content, and teaching methods.

The teaching-learning activities have to comply in what regards fundamental types and ratios with the national academic standards for each reference domain and specialisation.

The teaching-learning activities are similar with those used for Bachelor studies, for most academic subjects. Teachers are free to choose their own teaching methods.

Practical activities generally predominate or have a central role in the curriculum.

As a result, teaching typically combines theoretical instruction with extensive practical components such as:

• laboratory work
• applied projects
• internships, and, 
• in dual programmes, structured workplace learning.

Since 2024/25, dual higher education has become an option for students who acquire professional qualifications at levels 5 (short-term higher education), alongside dual programmes in bachelor’s, professional master’s degree programmes and at doctoral level. 

Dual education combines substantial structured workplace learning with institutional study, supported by employer partnerships, competence-based curricula, and mentoring arrangements. Competences are developed in the context of vocational training, which increases the integration of graduates into the labour market.

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is an important support for practice-oriented, competence-based teaching, and to link classroom instruction with workplace practice, particularly in professionally oriented and dual programmes. 

ICT is used on an extensive scale, being typically integrated to enhance access to learning resources, simulate professional environments, and support flexible delivery formats.

In higher education institutions as well as in numerous universities campuses students have full-time free of charge access to public computers connected to Internet.

Progression of students 

Progression within the programme follows the general higher education rules on:    

• accumulation of credits (ECTS)
• continuous and final assessment
• institutional regulations on promotion to the next year.

The Law of higher education 199 /2023 states that provisions on organisation, evaluation, and completion of studies apply similarly across study forms, including dual education.

The specific duration of short-term university studies is 2 years and corresponds to a minimum of 60 transferable study credits for one year of studies. These parameters define the minimum academic workload required for progression from one year to the next and toward completion.

The Law of higher education 199/2023 enables vertical progression, meaning graduates may continue to Bachelor’s programmes, subject to institutional rules and recognition of credits. 

• Graduates with a diploma of completion of the short-term study cycle may continue their studies in the first cycle - undergraduate studies, by participating in the admission exam. 
• Higher education institutions shall equate the subjects completed in the short-term study cycle with the subjects from the undergraduate study program to which the student was admitted, based on their own methodology. Following the equivalence, the student may be transferred to another year of studies within the undergraduate cycle. 

Employability 

Career guidance centers

A key national measure is the provision of Career Counselling and Guidance Centres (CCGC) within higher education institutions. 

CCGC offer career counseling, support for personal development and facilitating insertion into the labor market. 

CCGC can be accessed by both students during their studies and graduates, contributing to the planning of the professional path and the transition to employment.

The organization and operation of the centers are established by Methodology regarding the organization and operation of career counseling and guidance centers in higher education institutions, approved by Order No. 4042/2024 of March 22, 2024, which ensures a unified framework at national level, with implementation at institutional level. 

Work placements integrated into study programmes 

At system level, employability is supported through the practice-oriented design of short-cycle programmes, which typically include compulsory practical training or internships embedded in curricula.

These placements aim to facilitate the transition to the labour market by enabling students to acquire occupation-specific competences in real work environments.

Partnerships with companies often provide workplace training agreements, mentoring by practitioners, and assessment of practical competences in cooperation with employers.

Additional initiatives supporting employability

Institutions and national authorities also promote employability through projects financed by EU or national funds focusing on career skills and labour-market transition. These projects often include financial support for students (internship grants, travel allowances) and capacity-building for universities.

Key programme: Education and Employment Programme (PEO) 2021–2027, coordinated by the Ministry of Investments and European Projects, offers funding for:

• structured internships in companies
• dual education pathways (including short-cycle)
• graduate insertion measures
• cooperation platforms between HEIs and employers.

Student assessment 

Student assessment in short-cycle programmes is based on the evaluation of learning outcomes and professional competences. It is carried out through periodic (summative) examinations organised for each subject included in the curriculum.

Short-cycle programmes explicitly focus on verifying applied competences and students’ ability to integrate rapidly into the labour market. The significance of assessment is closely linked to the certification of a concrete professional qualification.

Assessments frequently are performed in the form of:

• practical examinations
• applied projects
• laboratory work
• evaluation carried out in real professional contexts (for example, during work placements or within dual education schemes).

The evaluation criteria for the academic and professional performances of the students are established by the higher education institutions according to the university autonomy. 

Evaluations of the students’ performances during higher education are materialized for each subject in marks on a 10-level scale.

The final grade usually reflects not only performance in a final examination but also the student’s activity throughout the semester, including the demonstration of technical and operational competences.

In dual or work-based learning programmes, assessment may also involve the employer or workplace mentor. Workplace performance contributes to final qualification.

Higher education institutions organise two regular examination sessions for the students during each academic year:

• usually held in February and May-June respectively
• and at least one second examination session in autumn, before the beginning of the academic year.

The second examination sessions are organised for the students that did not attain or failed one or more subjects’ examinations during the regular examination sessions. Students are granted the possibility to try to pass the examination for a given subject (regular examination, second examination and re-examination) for three times; if failed each time, the student has to attend once more all the teaching-learning activities related to the respective subject.

Certification 

Completion of a short-term study programme requires passing a graduation exam (“examen de absolvire”) organised according to criteria set by the Ministry of Education in Methodology Framework of February 1, 2024 for the organization and conduct of graduation, bachelor's/diploma and dissertation examinations and methodologies established by university senates.

The graduation exam consists of one or two tests, established by the university senate, as follows:

• the test for evaluating fundamental and specialized knowledge.
• the test for presenting and defending the graduation thesis.

The regulations of each accredited higher education institution will specify, depending on the specifics of each program, the number of tests and the method of their defense (oral, written, practical test).

The tests for the graduation exam are held in the presence, in the same place and at the same time, of the examination committee(s) specific to each test and of the examinee. 

The passing grade of the graduation exam must be at least 6.00. 

• The grades awarded by the members of the examination committee are integers from 1 to 10. 
• The passing grade for each test of the graduation exam must be at least 5.00, regardless of the number of tests. 
• The average of the test/tests, calculated as the arithmetic mean of the grades awarded exclusively by the members of the examination committee, is determined to two decimal places, without rounding.

Graduates of university study programs within dual higher education receive, after graduating, a certificate attesting to the period in which the student carried out work-based learning activities.

The diploma awarded after completing a short-term study programme is called a graduation diploma (“diploma de absolvire”). 

The graduation diploma contains all the information necessary to describe the completed study programme, including the form of education followed and the title obtained.

Graduation diplomas are awarded by accredited higher education institutions (universities or other tertiary institutions).