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 authorization to operate or accreditation.

Higher education institutions are education-providing organizations that conduct educational activities based on study programs authorized to operate provisionally/accredited under the law, for initial and continuous training at 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 visit the website of the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education - www.aracis.ro .

Higher education institutions can be state, private, or confessional. These institutions have legal personality, are nonprofit, and are 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 responsibility is regulated for any higher education institution, whether state or private.

By an annual government decision, the following are validated:

• The list of domains and specializations/programs of university studies by union
• The structure of accredited or provisionally authorized state and private higher education institutions, with:
  • domains of undergraduate university studies and specializations/study programs accredited or authorized to operate provisionally,
  • geographical locations where they are carried out,
  • number of transferable study credits for each university study program,
  • form of education and language of teaching,
  • maximum number of students who can be educated

both through initial and continuous training at university level, for personal development, individual professional integration, and meeting the competence needs of the socioeconomic environment, as well as through scientific research, development, innovation and technological 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 conducted in compliance with the following principles:

a) the principle of university autonomy;

b) the principle of academic freedom;

c) the principle of public responsibility;

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, academic staff and researchers;

k) the principle of consultation with 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 30th of the following calendar year.
• A semester usually has a duration of 14 weeks of teaching activities followed, as a rule, by a minimum of 3 weeks of exams.
• The structure of the academic year is approved by the university senate.
• In the allocation of transferable study credits from a semester, a period of at least 17 weeks is taken into account.
• The university senate of each higher education institution annually approves, at least 3 months before the start of the academic year, the regulation regarding the professional activity of students and the calendar of educational activities specific to academic study semesters.