Types of institutions

The general upper secondary education in Moldova is organised in lyceums. 

Lyceums can be separate educational institutions or represent larger complexes that include different combinations of education types and categories of institutions (e.g. primary school + gymnasium + lyceum or gymnasium + lyceum).

The educational process is carried out in classes or groups, according to the norms established by the local specialised body in the field of education, based on state educational standards and state sanitary-epidemiological norms.

Education of pupils with special educational needs is organised in general education institutions, including special education institutions, or through home education.

Geographical accessibility

The lyceums are distributed proportionally to the population throughout the country (337 units, in school year 2024/2025). 

Pupils from rural areas, residing more than 2 km from the educational institution benefit from free transport, provided by the second-level local public administration authority and UTA Gagauzia. 

The transportation of pupils and teaching staff from and to the educational institution is organised in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation on the transportation of pupils.

Admission requirements and choice of school

The admission to general upper secondary education (lyceum) in Moldova takes place, according to the Methodology of the Admission of Pupils in General Upper Secondary Education, in two stages:

• The first stage, with a duration of 20 days, starts annually, three calendar days after the issuance of the lower secondary education graduation certificates.

• The second stage, lasting 10 days, starts every year in the first week of August. 

The second stage is organised only if, in the first stage, applications have been submitted for at least 75% of the places planned according to the admission plan.

Admission to upper secondary education is organised in the upper secondary education institution, through competition, based on the selection average.

Gymnasium graduates have the right to opt for continuing their studies in upper secondary education, which can be organised as full-time (grades X-XII) or part-time (grades X-XIII).

Foreigners, who are on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, including children of migrant workers, nationals of third countries, who provide evidence of previous studies equivalent to lower secondary education, have the right to opt for continuing their studies in upper secondary education.

Graduates of secondary technical vocational education institutions have the right to choose to continue their studies in general upper secondary education either full time (admission to the XI grade) or part-time (admission to the XII grade).

The admission competition in upper secondary education institutions (lyceums) with arts and sports profiles includes, compulsorily, aptitude tests.

The admission competition in upper secondary education institutions with a theoretical profile may include additional tests in the situation where in the last three admission sessions they have registered a number of applicants greater than the planned places according to the Admission Plan. 

Lower secondary school graduates, whose age does not exceed 20 years, can compete in the lyceum entrance exam with regular attendance.

Individuals employed in the workforce and those who have reached the age of 20 can compete in the admission contest for part-time upper secondary education.

The following general lower secondary education graduates (gymnasium) are admitted without competition:

• holders of 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd degree diplomas in sciences and related disciplines, at the national and international Olympiads, organised and recognised by the Ministry of Education in the current year (for the competition at theoretical lyceums).

• holders of champion titles in national, international, world, and Olympic sports competitions (for the competition in lyceums with a sports profile),

• holders of 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd degree diplomas in national and international art competitions organised in the current year (for the competition in lyceums with arts profile).

The state upper secondary education institutions ensure 10% of the total number of places allocated without competition, at each profile, for the following categories, in order of priority:

• children left without parental care;
• children from families with parents who have severe and pronounced disabilities;
• children with special educational needs who have studied based on the general curriculum;
• twin children, one of whom has academic performance;
• children of migrant workers who are nationals of third countries;
• children of Moldovan citizens living abroad.

Age levels and grouping of pupils

The common age level for the upper secondary education in Moldova is 14-18 years, pupils being enrolled at the age of 14-15 and finishing their studies at 17-18. The age of pupils enrolled in full-time upper secondary education cannot exceed 20 years. The duration of full-time studies is three academic years. The part-time studies (evening education) duration is four academic years, where pupils aging 20 years and more can be part of the same education class.

The educational process is conducted in classes or groups, according to the norms established by the local specialised authority in the field of education, based on state educational standards and state sanitary-epidemiological norms.

The norms regarding the number of classes per academic year in public educational institutions are established by the local specialised authority in the field of education.

The number of classes per academic year and the number of pupils in each class in public educational institutions are proposed annually by the institution's administration, based on the institution's projected capacity and the forecasted pupil population. These proposals are reviewed by the board of administration and approved by the local specialised authority in the field of education.

Upper secondary education is organised in a differentiated manner with theoretical tracks (humanities and sciences) and vocational tracks (arts, sports, theology, military), in accordance with the national curriculum and the provisions of the framework plan for upper secondary education, approved by the Ministry of Education. The education process is structured by disciplines. Different teachers teach separate profile disciplines (e.g. biology, physics, etc.). At the beginning of every academic year, several teachers, according to the number of disciplines, are assigned to each lyceum class. During the three years of upper secondary education, the specialised teachers may change for a given class from different reasons.

Classes can be divided into two groups, if there are 25 or more pupils in the class, for the following subjects:

• Foreign Language; 

• Romanian Language and Literature, in schools with instruction in other language than Romanian; 

• Informatics; 

• Physics (practical works);

• Chemistry (practical works).

Organisation of the school year

The school year for upper secondary education begins on September 1 and ends on August 31 of the following calendar year. It includes the period of studies, examination, and re-examination sessions, working with papers and issuance of study documents (diplomas, certificates). 

The education process is organised in two semesters, starting on September 1, and ending on May 31 of the following year.

The structure of the school year (semester duration, number and duration of vacations, examination session period) is established annually by the Ministry of Education via the Framework Plan For Primary, Secondary, And Upper Secondary Education.

The duration of the study year in upper secondary education is 35 weeks. For the 12^th grade, the duration of the academic year is 34 weeks, the academic situation being completed no later than on May 25 each year. 

For pupils of the 12^th grade the last week of the academic year, starting from May 26 is reserved for preparatory activities for the national final exam – baccalaureate.

There are totally four holidays during the year with fixed duration:

• autumn holidays (duration - 5 days);

• winter holidays (duration – 16-17 days);

• spring holidays (duration - 5 days);

• Easter holidays (duration - 10 days);

• summer holidays (duration - 92 days).

There are no fixed days for beginning and end of school holidays, except for summer holidays. The holidays period may vary depending on annual calendar and national holidays. 

The number of weekly hours is also set by the Ministry of Education via the annually Framework Plan for Primary, Lower and Upper Secondary Education.

Organisation of the school day and week

The upper secondary education is organised both as full-time and part-time education (evening school), according to the Standard Regulation for the Organisation and Functioning of Primary and Secondary Education Institutions, Cycle I and II. 

The study process in upper secondary education (lyceum) in Moldova is organised over 5 days, from Monday to Friday. 

The number of weekly hours is stipulated in the Framework Plan for Primary, Lower Secondary, and Upper Secondary Education. 

Depending on the lyceum profile (scientific or humanities) and chosen learning model, the number of weekly hours allocated varies across different lyceums:

There are slight differences in weekly number of hours for bilingual lyceum classes, as well as lyceums with arts and sports profiles. 

The school hours within the lyceums occur in a single shift. 

For the study of certain school subjects (Foreign Language; Romanian Language and Literature in schools with instruction in Russian; Informatics; practical works at Physics and Chemistry, optional subjects, as well as for special circumstances, classes may be divided into groups, if they consist of more than 25 pupils. The formation of these groups is approved by the administration board of the institution.

The duration of a lesson is 45 minutes. The classes usually begin at 8:30 AM. The administration board, upon recommendation from the teaching staff, may approve a different start time for classes, but the classes cannot start before 8:00 AM. A break of 10-15 minutes is scheduled after each lesson, and after the third class, a longer break of 15-20 minutes is recommended. Usually, the end time for lyceum classes is about 14:00-15:00, depending on the start time in the morning.

In special circumstances and for a specific period, the duration of lessons and breaks may be modified with prior approval from the local educational authority, based on a reasoned proposal from the institution's administration board.

Homework is assigned according to the curricular requirements for school subjects and is recorded in the school catalogue under the Homework/Learning Activities section, in accordance with the provisions of the Instruction on Managing Homework in Primary, Lower and Upper Secondary Education. 

The estimated daily time for completing homework not exceed 2.5 hours. The weekly volume will not exceed 12.5 hours.

Optional subjects are integrated into the core schedule, being specified according to the officially approved titles. When developing the lesson schedule, in the case of partial and occasional inclusion of children with special educational needs, appropriate spaces is provided in relation to the school subject and the specific requirements for each pupil (equipped resource centers or other adapted spaces).

Extracurricular activities (clubs, cultural and artistic activities, sports, ecological initiatives, community service, volunteering, etc.) take place outside of regular class hours.

In developing and approving the schedule, the institution's director is responsible for ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Framework Plan for education, hygienic and pedagogical requirements, and the regulation of study time.