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 carry out educational activities based on study programs authorized to operate provisionally/accredited under the law, for initial and continuing university-level training, programs that operate on the principle of quality and the correlation of educational offer with the labor market.

The national system of higher education 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 state, private, or denominational. These institutions have legal personality, are non-profit, and are apolitical. Higher education institutions are public law legal entities or, as the case may be, private law legal entities 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, whether state or private.

By an annual government decision, are validated:

• The nomenclature of fields and specializations/university study programs per union
• the structure of state and private higher education institutions accredited or authorized to operate provisionally, with:
  • fields of undergraduate university studies and accredited or provisionally authorized specializations/study programs,
  • geographic locations for activities,
  • 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 personal development, the professional integration of the individual and the satisfaction of 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 exploitation and dissemination of their results. All these are achieved while respecting 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 respect for 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 with 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 starts on the first working day of October, includes two semesters and ends on September 30 of the following calendar year.
• A semester generally lasts 14 weeks of teaching activities followed, usually, by at least 3 weeks of exams.
• The structure of the academic year is approved by the university senate.
• In awarding transferable study credits from a semester, a period of at least 17 weeks is considered.
• The university senate of each higher education institution annually approves, at least 3 months before the start of the academic year, the regulations on students' professional activity, as well as the calendar of educational activities specific to academic study semesters.