Universities in Romania 2026 — Complete Guide for International Students
Romania is one of the most affordable EU destinations for higher education, with English-taught programs in medicine, engineering, IT, business and the humanities. This is the complete list of accredited Romanian universities, with details on admission, tuition fees and English-language options.
Why study in Romania?
Romania has more than 90 ARACIS-accredited universities (the national quality assurance agency for higher education), of which roughly 56 are public and the rest private. The country has been a full member of the European Union since 2007, which means every Romanian degree is automatically recognised across the EU and EEA. International students choose Romania for three main reasons: cost (medicine in English costs 6,000–9,000 EUR/year, vs. 30,000+ EUR in Ireland or the Netherlands), language access (most major universities run English-taught BSc, MSc and PhD tracks), and quality (Babeș-Bolyai, the University of Bucharest and Carol Davila consistently rank in international tables).
Most popular fields for international students
By far the most popular field is medicine — the six UMF universities (Bucharest, Cluj, Iași, Timișoara, Craiova and Târgu Mureș) admit thousands of international students each year into English- and French-language MD programs. Dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine are also extremely strong, with EU-recognised diplomas. For the technical side, Politehnica Bucharest (UPB) and UTCN Cluj offer English-taught engineering and computer-science tracks. For business, ASE Bucharest and FSEGA UBB Cluj are the flagship schools.
Cost of studying and living in Romania
Tuition fees vary by field. For English-taught programs, expect:
- Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy — 5,000–9,000 EUR/year
- Engineering and IT — 2,500–4,500 EUR/year
- Business, Economics, Humanities — 2,000–3,500 EUR/year
Living costs in Bucharest are around 600–800 EUR/month including rent; in Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Timișoara or Craiova you can live comfortably on 400–600 EUR/month. Most universities offer campus accommodation at very low rates (40–80 EUR/month for shared rooms).
Admission for international students
EU/EEA citizens apply on equal terms with Romanian students — typically based on their high-school diploma plus a subject test for competitive faculties (medicine, IT, engineering). Non-EU applicants apply through the Ministry of Education and need a Letter of Acceptance to Studies before applying for a student visa. Most universities open international applications between March and July for the academic year starting in October.
Browse by field
Medical Schools
MD programs in English at UMF Carol Davila, UMF Cluj, UMF Iași, UMF Timișoara.
Computer Science
Top IT faculties — ACS UPB, FMI UB, Computer Science UAIC, UBB.
Law Schools
LLB programs at Bucharest, Cluj and Iași law faculties.
Business & Economics
ASE Bucharest, FEAA, FSEGA — business in English, French, German.
Engineering
Polytechnic universities — UPB, UTCN, UPT, TUIASI.
Psychology
Psychology programs at UB, UBB and UAIC.
All accredited Romanian universities
Public and private universities accredited by ARACIS — sorted by city
Universitatea din București
The oldest comprehensive university in Romania, founded in 1864. Over 30,000 students across 19 faculties covering science, humanities, law and business.
Universitatea Națională de Știință și Tehnologie POLITEHNICA București
The largest technical university in Romania. 15 engineering faculties, more than 30,000 students, with English-taught BSc and MSc tracks in several specialisations.
Academia de Studii Economice din București
The largest economic university in Romania and South-East Europe. 13 faculties, more than 22,000 students, with degrees in finance, management, marketing and business taught in English, French and German.
Universitatea de Medicină și Farmacie Carol Davila
Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest — Romania's most prestigious medical school, with parallel programs in Romanian, English and French.
Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai din Cluj-Napoca
Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca — Romania's largest university, with multilingual tracks (Romanian, English, German, Hungarian) across 21 faculties.
Universitatea Tehnică din Cluj-Napoca
Technical University of Cluj-Napoca — leading engineering school in north-western Romania, with English-taught programs in IT and electronics.
Universitatea de Medicină și Farmacie Iuliu Hațieganu Cluj-Napoca
Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca — Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy programs in Romanian, English and French.
Universitatea Alexandru Ioan Cuza din Iași
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași — the oldest modern university in Romania, founded in 1860. 15 faculties, English-taught programs in business, computer science and political science.
Universitatea Tehnică Gheorghe Asachi din Iași
Universitate tehnică de tradiție, cu 11 facultăți de inginerie și arhitectură.
Universitatea de Medicină și Farmacie Grigore T. Popa Iași
Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iași — Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Bioengineering. English-taught Medicine track available.
Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara
West University of Timișoara — the largest comprehensive university in western Romania, with English- and German-taught programs in business, law and IT.
Universitatea Politehnica Timișoara
Politehnica University of Timișoara — engineering and IT, with several English-taught BSc and MSc programs.
Universitatea de Medicină și Farmacie Victor Babeș Timișoara
Victor Babeș University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Timișoara — Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy with English-taught and French-taught Medicine programs.
Universitatea de Medicină și Farmacie din Craiova
University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova — Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy programs, with an English-taught Medicine track for international students.
Universitatea de Medicină, Farmacie, Științe și Tehnologie George Emil Palade Târgu Mureș
Universitate de medicină cu programe în română, engleză și maghiară.
Universitatea din Craiova
Cea mai mare universitate din Oltenia, cu 14 facultăți.
Universitatea Lucian Blaga din Sibiu
Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu — comprehensive university with strong programs in law, engineering and economics.
Universitatea Transilvania din Brașov
Transilvania University of Brașov — engineering, business, forestry, medicine and design.
Universitatea Ovidius din Constanța
Universitate cuprinzătoare cu 16 facultăți, inclusiv Medicină.
Universitatea Dunărea de Jos din Galați
Universitate cuprinzătoare cu 14 facultăți, inclusiv Medicină și Inginerie.
Universitatea Ștefan cel Mare din Suceava
Universitate cuprinzătoare cu 10 facultăți.
Universitatea din Oradea
Universitate cuprinzătoare cu 15 facultăți, inclusiv Medicină.
Universitatea de Științe Agronomice și Medicină Veterinară din București
University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest — Veterinary Medicine, Agronomy, Horticulture, Biotechnology, with English-taught Veterinary Medicine for international students.
Universitatea Spiru Haret
Una dintre cele mai mari universități private din România. Multiple facultăți și sedii.
Universitatea Româno-Americană
Universitate privată axată pe business, drept, IT și relații internaționale.
Universitatea Titu Maiorescu
Universitate privată cu Medicină, Drept, Informatică, Psihologie.
Universities by city
Frequently asked questions
Can international students study in Romania in English?▾
Yes. Many Romanian universities — including Carol Davila and UMF Cluj for medicine, ASE for business, Politehnica Bucharest for engineering, UBB Cluj for IT and business — offer full BSc, MSc and PhD programs entirely in English. Tuition typically ranges from 2,000 to 9,000 EUR/year, well below Western European averages.
Are Romanian degrees recognised in the EU?▾
Yes. Romania is a full EU member, so all degrees issued by accredited Romanian universities (ARACIS-accredited) are automatically recognised across the European Union. Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine and architecture diplomas are recognised under EU directive 2005/36/EC.
How much does it cost to study in Romania as an international student?▾
Tuition for English-taught programs ranges from 2,000 EUR/year (humanities, social sciences) to 9,000 EUR/year (medicine in English). Living costs in cities like Cluj, Iași or Timișoara are 400–600 EUR/month including rent — significantly lower than in Western Europe.
Which is the best university in Romania for international students?▾
Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB) in Cluj-Napoca is consistently ranked the highest in international rankings. For medicine, Carol Davila University in Bucharest is the most prestigious. For business, ASE Bucharest is the leading school. For engineering and IT, Politehnica Bucharest (UPB) is the top choice.
Do I need to speak Romanian to study at a Romanian university?▾
Not for English-taught programs. However, if you wish to enter the Romanian-language track (which is much cheaper or even free for EU citizens with Romanian Baccalaureate), you must pass a Romanian language proficiency test or attend the preparatory year.
Is there a preparatory year for international students?▾
Yes. Many Romanian universities offer a one-year Romanian-language preparatory program (typically 2,500–3,500 EUR) that allows international students to then enter Romanian-language degree tracks at much lower tuition.