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 199/2023), 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. However, there are self-funded HEI, where a substantial proportion of students do pay fees.
Governance
Universities secure funding through institutional financing from the state budget, their own funds, tuition fees, and other sources. The Ministry of Education (ME) is the main structure that finances higher education.
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 the Law of National Education (Law 199/2023) and its amendments, along with related regulations. The Ministry of Education allocates funding to higher education institutions contractually. This includes basic funding; additional funding; funds allocated on a competitive basis for institutional development; funds for doctoral grants; funds for special situations; funds allocated for inclusion, scholarships, and social protection of students; subsidies for local public transport of students; financing objectives and other expenditure of an investment nature, and complementary funding. In university education for national minorities, basic funding is calculated using an increased coefficient for students studying in a minority language.
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. Competitive allocation links funding to equity performance, incentivising institutions to integrate inclusion into their strategies.
Finally, in Romania, the PNRR primarily supports universities through Components C15 (Education) and C9 (Research, Development and Innovation). These programs finance infrastructure modernization, digitalization, staff development, and research capacity, and include measures to improve access and reduce dropout rates among disadvantaged students. Broader digital transformation investments further enhance institutional capacity and governance across the higher education system.
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
Scholarship and social protection funds for students in state higher education institutions are allocated based on the number of full-time students enrolled in tuition-free places, using a standard cost for the scholarship and social protection fund. This standard cost is equivalent to 10% of the minimum guaranteed gross national salary per student per month.
Students can receive social and special scholarships from their higher education institution, awarded according to a methodology approved by the University Senate. The minimum social scholarship, proposed annually by CNFIS and adopted by order of the Minister of Education, must cover minimum meal and accommodation expenses. Social scholarships can be combined with other scholarships if the student meets the criteria for both, according to the general scholarship criteria established by order of the Minister of Education. Rectors of state higher education institutions are directly responsible for allocating institutional resources through the institutional and complementary contracts concluded with the Ministry of Education.
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.
4. Support for students’ living costs
Transportation
The Ministry of Education dedicates funds for subsidies for local public transport of students.
Accommodation
The costs of the meals and accommodation can be covered by social and special scholarships (see section 3). 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.
This profile was reviewed by Stefánia Toma, Researcher at the Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities.
