Higher education is organized in universities, academies of studies, institutes, schools of higher studies, hereinafter referred to as higher education institutions or universities, which have obtained provisional operating authorization or accreditation.

Higher education institutions are education providers that carry out teaching activities based on study programs authorized to operate provisionally/accredited under the law, initial and continuing training at the university level, programs that operate on the principle of quality and the correlation of the educational offer with the labor market.

The national higher education system includes all accredited higher education institutions. A higher education institution authorized to operate provisionally, according to the legal procedures in force, becomes part of the national higher education system only after accreditation. For more information, you can also access the website of the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education - www.aracis.ro .

Higher education institutions can be public, private or denominational. These institutions have legal personality, are non-profit and are apolitical. Higher education institutions are legal entities under public law or, as the case may be, legal entities under private law and of public utility.

University autonomy is guaranteed by the Constitution. Academic freedom is guaranteed by law. Public accountability is also regulated for any higher education institution, public or private.

By annual government decision, the following are validated:

• The list of university fields and specializations/programs of study per year
• the structure of accredited or provisionally authorized public and private higher education institutions, including:
  • fields of bachelor’s degree studies and accredited or provisionally authorized specializations/programs of study,
  • geographical locations of operation,
  • number of transferable study credits for each university study program,
  • form of education and language of instruction,
  • maximum number of students who can be enrolled

The mission of higher education is to generate and transfer knowledge to society both through initial and continuing university-level training, for personal development, individual professional insertion and to meet the competence needs of the socio-economic environment, as well as through scientific research, development, innovation and technology transfer, through individual and collective creation in the fields of science, engineering sciences, arts, literature, by ensuring performance and physical and sports development, as well as capitalizing and disseminating their results. All of these are carried out with respect for the following principles:

a) the principle of university autonomy;

b) the principle of academic freedom;

c) the principle of public accountability;

d) the principle of quality assurance;

e) the principle of equity;

f) the principle of managerial and financial efficiency;

g) the principle of transparency;

h) the principle of respecting the rights and freedoms of students and academic staff;

i) the principle of independence from ideologies, religions and political doctrines;

j) the principle of freedom of national and international mobility of students, teaching staff and researchers;

k) the principle of consultation of social partners in decision-making;

l) the principle of student-centered education.

Structure of the academic year (according to Law no. 1/2011 – art. 136)

• The academic year usually begins on the first working day of October, includes two semesters and ends on September 30 of the following calendar year.
• A semester usually has a duration of 14 weeks of teaching activities, followed, as a rule, by at least 3 weeks of examinations.
• The structure of the academic year is approved by the university senate.
• When assigning transferable study credits for a semester, a minimum period of 17 weeks is taken into account.
• The university senate of each higher education institution approves annually, at least 3 months before the start of the academic year, the regulation on students’ academic activity, as well as the calendar of educational activities specific to the academic study semesters.