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 functioning authorization or accreditation.

Higher education institutions are education providers that carry out educational activities based on study programs authorized to operate provisionally/accredited under the law, for initial and continuous university-level training, 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 visit 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 nonprofit and apolitical. Higher education institutions are legal entities of public law or, as the case may be, legal entities of private law and of public utility.

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

By means of an annual government decision, the following are validated:

• The nomenclature of fields and university study specializations/programs per union
• the structure of accredited or provisionally authorized public and private higher education institutions, with:
  • fields of undergraduate university studies and accredited or provisionally authorized study specializations/programs,
  • geographical locations of operation,
  • the number of transferable study credits for each university study program,
  • form of education and language of instruction,
  • the maximum number of students that 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 the purpose of personal development, professional insertion of the individual and the satisfaction of the competence needs of the socioeconomic environment, as well as through scientific research, development, innovation and technology transfer, through individual and collective creation, in the fields of sciences, engineering sciences, arts, letters, by ensuring performance and physical and sports development, as well as the valorization and dissemination of their results. All 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 the freedom of national and international mobility of students, teaching staff and researchers;

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

l) the principle of student-centered education.

The 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 lasts 14 weeks of didactic activities followed, generally, by a minimum of 3 weeks of exams.
• The structure of the academic year is approved by the university senate.
• When awarding transferable study credits for a semester, a period of at least 17 weeks is taken into account.
• The university senate of each higher education institution approves annually, at least 3 months before the beginning of the academic year, the regulation regarding the students' professional activity, as well as the calendar of educational activities specific to the academic study semesters.