Financing for equity in higher education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to institutions
3. Education resources to students
4. Support for students' living costs
Introduction
Key financing indicators (UIS Data)
In 2023, for tertiary education, the gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for both sexes was 55,17%, while the initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita was 24,24%. The initial household funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita is not available.
Tuition-free status
According to the Law of National Education (Law 1/2011), the public higher education system is free for the number of students approved by the Government, with fees applicable within the limits of the Law.
Governance
Universities secure funding through institutional financing from the state budget, their own funds, tuition fees, and other sources. The Ministry of Education (ME), the National Council for the Financing of Higher Education (CNFIS), the Executive Unit for the Financing of Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation (UEFISCDI), and the National Council for Statistics and Forecasting of Higher Education (CNSPIS) are all structures that finance higher education. However, most of the institutional funding comes from the ME.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
The revenues of higher education institutions remain centralised and are made of amounts of money allocated from the budget of the Ministry of Education, on a contractual basis.
2. Education resources to institutions
Funding for private universities in the absence of public institutions
According to the Law of National Education, there is no funding for private universities when no public university is available.
Allocation and equity
Institutional financing follows Law of National Education no. 1/2011 and its amendments, along with related regulations. The Ministry of Education allocates various funds to higher education institutions on a contract basis: Basic Financing (72%), additional funding (26.5%), and the Institutional Development Fund (FDI) (1.5%), which includes the Special Situations Fund (SSF), complementary financing, scholarships, and other student protection measures.
The additional funding includes a "regional and social equity" component, which constitutes 20% of this category. The National Council for the Financing of Higher Education (CNFIS) is responsible for developing the methodologies for calculating basic and additional funding allocations to universities.
The FDI targets the top-performing higher education institutions in various categories (education-focused universities; education and science research universities; education and artistic creation universities; advanced research and education universities) and is allocated based on competitive, standards-based criteria. This fund is accessed through a project competition in areas such as enhancing social equity to promote inclusion and increase access to higher education, and aligning educational offerings with labour market demand.
3. Education resources to students
Admission for vulnerable groups
The Law of National Education no. 1/2011 prohibits discrimination in higher education based on age, ethnicity, gender, social origin, political or religious orientation, sexual orientation, or any other criteria, except for affirmative measures provided by law (Article 118). It also guarantees budget places for candidates from high socio-economic risk environments or socially marginalised groups, such as Roma, graduates from rural high schools, or those from towns with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants (Article 205). Additionally, higher education institutions may grant at least one tuition-free place to high school graduates from placement centres who obtain the baccalaureate diploma, under conditions established by the university senate.
Scholarships, grants and loans for vulnerable groups
Social scholarships provide financial support for low-income students, with the minimum amount set by CNFIS based on the national average monthly costs for accommodation and meals. At least 30% of the scholarship fund to universities is allocated to the category of social scholarships.
Students with deceased parents or those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds may receive a scholarship for clothing and footwear if their family's average net income per member is below the national minimum wage in the three months before applying. This scholarship can be awarded twice in a university year. A maternity social assistance scholarship is available to students or their spouses with no income or below the national minimum salary, covering a birth and leisure scholarship and clothing for a newborn, granted once per academic year per child. A social assistance scholarship for the death of a family member (spouse or child) can be awarded once per academic year. If an unmarried student’s spouse has no income, the scholarship can go to first-degree relatives or legal successors.
Article 204 of the Law of National Education states that students from low-income families can access state-guaranteed study loans through the Agency for Loans and Scholarship Grants, under current laws. Loans may cover tuition and living expenses during their studies. Graduates who work for a minimum of 5 years in rural areas will be exempt from repaying 75% of the loan, up to a maximum of 5,000 lei, with the state covering the amount.
4. Support for students’ living costs
Transportation
During the academic year, the students who are up to 26 years old benefit from a discount of 50% on the fare of local public transport, domestic transport by road, railway, and ship.
Accommodation
Students have to cover the costs of the meals and accommodation provided within the university's campuses. Nevertheless, through the complementary funding to the university, part of these costs is covered from the state budget.
Textbooks
No support for purchasing student textbooks has been identified.
