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Romanian Preparatory Year (Anul Pregătitor) 2026–2027 — Language Course & Application Guide

The foundation year that opens Romanian-taught degrees to international students

Non-EU Citizens Tuition Fee
€1,980 – €4,500 / year
EU / EEA Citizens Tuition Fee
€840 – €2,500 / year
Duration of Study:
1 year · 60 ECTS

The Romanian preparatory year — anul pregătitor — is a state-accredited, university-taught language course that opens Romanian-taught degrees in Medicine, Engineering and Law to international students. Admission is file-based, IELTS is not mandatory (universities accept TOEFL, Cambridge, or their own online test for English-taught tracks), and verified 2026–2027 tuition is €1,980 – €4,500 per year for non-EU students and €840 – €2,500 for EU/EEA/Swiss students. This guide covers every accredited programme, the full D/SD student visa document checklist, and the deadlines that close first.

Completing the preparatory year does not commit you to a Romanian-taught degree: graduates may also enrol in English- or French-taught programmes, subject to that programme’s own language requirement.

The first semester is general Romanian. In the second, ARACIS standards require a specialised language module (limbaj specializat) aligned with the degree you intend to study — anatomy and clinical vocabulary for medicine, technical drawing and applied physics for engineering, and so on. Which track a university runs depends on the institution, so confirm yours before you apply.

Preparatory Year in Romania, 2026–2027: 14 accredited programmes at 10 universities in 6 cities. Annual tuition published by these universities runs €1,980 – €4,500 for non-EU students and €840 – €2,500 for EU/EEA/Swiss students (catalogue figures, verified August 2026).

Programmes
14
Universities
10
Cities
6
Fee (non-EU)
€1,980 – €4,500

Specialised language tracks

  • Medical and biomedical

    Anatomy, physiology and clinical vocabulary, for Romanian-taught medicine, dentistry and pharmacy.

  • Technical and engineering

    Technical drawing, applied physics and mathematics terminology for engineering and IT degrees.

  • Economics, law and social sciences

    Legal and commercial register for law, business and social science degrees.

  • Architecture and the built environment

    Drawing, design and construction vocabulary for architecture and urbanism.

  • Mathematics and natural sciences

    Chemistry, biology and physics terminology for science degrees and laboratory work.

Languages of instruction

Languages in which this field is currently taught across Romanian universities.

  • English14

Universities offering this field

Institutions with at least one accredited programme in this field. Figures are counted from the programme catalogue.

Programmes in this field

Every accredited programme in this field currently listed in our catalogue, with the tuition fee published by each university.

The list below gives the annual tuition and language of instruction published for each of the 14 programmes, university by university, with that university’s own application deadline (verified August 2026).

National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA BucharestJuly 2026

  • Preparatory Year — Technical and Science track

    Preparatory Department

    Preparatory yearEnglishNon-EU: €2,430 / year

  • Preparatory Year — Architecture track

    Preparatory Department

    Preparatory yearEnglishNon-EU: €3,150 / year

  • Preparatory Year — Doctoral Science track

    Preparatory Department

    Preparatory yearEnglishNon-EU: €2,610 / year
Titu Maiorescu UniversityMedicine: September 11, 2026 / Dentistry: September 8, 2026

  • Preparatory Year — Health track (Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy)

    Preparatory Department

    Preparatory yearEnglishNon-EU: €4,000 / year

  • Preparatory Year — Mathematics and Computer Science track

    Preparatory Department

    Preparatory yearEnglishNon-EU: €4,000 / year

  • Preparatory Year — Social Sciences track (Psychology, Law, Economics, Communication)

    Preparatory Department

    Preparatory yearEnglishNon-EU: €4,000 / year
University of BucharestJuly 31, 2026

  • Romanian Language (Preparatory Year)

    Preparatory Department

    Preparatory yearEnglishNon-EU: €3,150 / year
Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE)Session 1: July 2026 / Session 2: September 2026 (Bachelor/Master: August)

  • Romanian Language (Preparatory Year)

    Preparatory Department

    Preparatory yearEnglishNon-EU: €4,500 / year
Romanian-American University

  • Romanian Language (Foundation Year)

    Preparatory Department

    Preparatory yearEnglishNon-EU: €3,600 / year
Technical University of Cluj-NapocaJuly 2026 / September 2026

  • Romanian Language (Preparatory Year)

    Preparatory Department

    Preparatory yearEnglishEU: €840 / Non-EU: €2,430 / year
Transilvania University of BrașovJuly 2026 / August 2026

  • Romanian Language (Preparatory Year)

    Preparatory Department

    Preparatory yearEnglishEU: €840 / Non-EU: €3,000 / year
Ovidius University of ConstanțaJuly 2026 / September 2026

  • Romanian Language (Preparatory Year)

    Faculty of Letters

    Preparatory yearEnglishEU: €1,000 / Non-EU: €2,700 / year
Politehnica University of TimișoaraAugust 31, 2026

  • Romanian Language (Preparatory Year)

    Preparatory Department

    Preparatory yearEnglishEU: €900 / Non-EU: €1,980 / year
Vasile Goldiș Western University of AradSeptember 2026 (Medicine/Dentistry: September 20, 2026)

  • Romanian Language (Preparatory Year)

    Preparatory Department

    Preparatory yearEnglishEU: €2,500 / Non-EU: €2,500 / year

Tuition fees, deadlines and admission requirements are collected from public university sources and may change. Confirm all details with the institution before applying.

Admission Requirements, Documents & Application Deadlines 2026–2027

There is no centralised entrance examination for admission to Romanian bachelor and master degree programmes — admission is based on your high-school GPA and a dossier evaluation. Individual universities may set their own tests on some routes, so check the requirements of each university before you apply.

  • High School Diploma & Transcript

    Must be apostilled and officially translated into Romanian.

  • Language Proficiency Certificate

    B2 level IELTS, TOEFL, or university online language test result.

  • Passport & Birth Certificate

    Copy of passport valid for at least 2 years and apostilled birth certificate.

  • General Medical Health Certificate

    Certified medical document confirming absence of contagious diseases.

Non-EU Students: D/SD Student Visa Document Checklist & Process

After receiving your Letter of Acceptance, follow these steps carefully:

  1. 1

    Letter of Acceptance

    Issued personally by the Romanian Ministry of Education. Required for visa application.

  2. 2

    Student Visa (D/SD)

    Apply at the Romanian consulate with: first-year tuition paid, ~€500/month (€3,000/year) financial proof, criminal record and health insurance.

  3. 3

    Residence Permit (Permis de Ședere)

    Within 90 days of arrival, apply at the Immigration Office (IGI) for a temporary residence card.

Different Process for EU/EEA/Swiss Citizens

EU, EEA and Swiss nationals hold the same academic rights as Romanian citizens.

  1. ✓

    No Visa Required

    Register directly with an EU passport. Simple residence registration is sufficient.

  2. ✓

    CNRED Diploma Recognition

    High school diplomas are evaluated directly by the National Centre for Diploma Recognition (CNRED).

  3. ✓

    State-Funded Places Eligibility

    EU students may sit the national Romanian exam to compete for state-funded spots, or enrol in English/French fee-based programmes.

How we help with your application

We manage the operational side of getting you in: the university application file, document preparation and translation, D/SD student visa guidance, and the residence permit process in Romania.

Before any of that costs anything: send us your grades and documents and we check them against each university’s published requirements, with an answer within 48 hours. It is free and carries no obligation.

See every fee and package

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the preparatory year compulsory?

Only for degrees taught in Romanian, and only if you cannot already show the required proficiency. Programmes taught in English or French do not require it — you provide a language certificate for that language instead.

What level do I reach, and how is it assessed?

The year runs across two semesters worth 60 ECTS in total, 30 each, with 700–840 contact hours at 25–30 hours per week. It takes you from beginner to an independent B1–B2 level on the CEFR scale, and finishes with a graduation examination carrying 10 ECTS.

When do I have to enrol?

Non-EU students must enrol within 30 days of entering Romania and no later than 31 December. Application windows themselves are set by each university and usually run over the summer, with some institutions holding a second autumn session — check the deadline on the university page before planning travel.

Can I study in Romania without IELTS?

Yes — IELTS is not mandatory. For English-taught programmes, universities accept TOEFL, Cambridge certificates, or their own online English test; for Romanian-taught programmes, the preparatory year itself replaces any language certificate requirement.

When do applications for the 2026–2027 preparatory year close?

Applications for the 2026–2027 preparatory year close on 23 September 2026 (verified August 2026). That date is for the preparatory year itself. The dates shown next to each university in the table above are their degree admission sessions — most first sessions close in July, with second sessions in August or September — and those are a separate application, for the degree programmes rather than for this foundation year.

Can I study medicine in Romania without an entrance exam?

Admission to Romanian medical faculties is file-based: there is no centralised entrance examination, and the dossier is weighted primarily on your Biology and Chemistry grades. Individual universities can set their own tests on EU routes, so the requirements are verified university by university before you apply.

Does the preparatory year mean I must study my degree in Romanian?

No. Completing the preparatory year does not commit you to a Romanian-taught degree — graduates may enrol in an English- or French-taught programme instead, subject to that programme’s own language requirement, which is normally a certificate such as TOEFL or Cambridge, or the university’s own test.

What is the Integrated Preparatory & Degree Continuation Package?

For students entering through the Preparatory Year, this package covers both years of operational work — the prep-year intake and the transition into your degree program — under one engagement and our Service-Continuity Guarantee. Year 1 — Preparatory Intake: complete application file for the preparatory year, D/SD student visa guidance, airport pickup and settlement, and first-year residence permit application management. Year 2 — Degree Transition: full file preparation for your degree admission, university enrollment tracking upon prep-year completion, and management of your first residence permit renewal for the degree program. The package costs €3,299 (both years’ services purchased separately: €4,000). Conditional clause: entry into the degree program in Year 2 and residence permit extensions are legally contingent upon successfully passing the preparatory year language examination (language certificate) and maintaining academic eligibility as set by the Romanian Ministry of Education. We guarantee our work across both years; admission and permit decisions rest with the university and the Romanian authorities — as they do for every applicant, through every agency.

What are the living costs in Romania?

In major cities like Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca or Iași, monthly costs (rent, food, transport) average €600 – €900 — roughly half the cost of Western Europe.

When do applications open?

Most universities accept applications between January and June, with the academic year starting in September. Academia Romania can advise you on current intake dates.

Does Academia Romania help with the application?

Yes — from document preparation to university submission, visa guidance and accommodation, we support you at every step. Use the contact form to reach us.

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