Romania’s government runs one of the oldest and most consistent scholarship programs in Eastern Europe, and every year it hands out a fixed batch of fully funded seats to students from outside the country. For the 2026-2027 academic year, the Romanian Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade, known as ARICE, managed the selection process for exactly 40 scholarship spots covering bachelor’s, master’s, PhD, and postgraduate residency programs at accredited public universities across Romania.
This particular application cycle has already closed, since files were only accepted between 11 May and 12 June 2026. We are covering it here so that students planning ahead for the next academic year understand exactly how the process works, what the scholarship covers, and what to prepare well before the next window opens.
A Program Worth Watching for Future Cycles:
Even though this specific round is no longer accepting new applicants, the structure of the Romanian government scholarship rarely changes much from year to year. Understanding this cycle in detail gives you a real advantage if you are aiming for next year’s round. ARICE runs the initial screening, but the final say on who actually gets a scholarship rests with the Ministry of Education and Research, which reviews the shortlisted files against its own internal criteria before issuing formal letters of acceptance.
Program Snapshot:
- Number of Scholarships: 40 seats made available for the 2026-2027 academic year
- Degree Levels Covered: Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD, and postgraduate studies including residency programs
- Host Country: Romania, at public universities accredited by the Romanian Ministry of Education
- Application Window: 11 May 2026 through 12 June 2026, 2:00 PM Romanian time
- Current Status: closed for this cycle, useful as a reference for the next application round
- Application Fee: none mentioned in the official procedure
- Nationality Requirement: open to foreign citizens generally, not restricted to a specific region
- Submission Format: scanned PDF files sent by email, with original documents required only later at the host institution
How the Selection Actually Works:
This scholarship does not use a single-stage decision process. Instead, it moves through a few clear checkpoints, and knowing them helps you understand why the whole cycle takes several months from application to final placement.
- Applicants submit scanned PDF files by email before the stated deadline
- The ARICE selection committee reviews all submitted files and completes an intermediate selection by 15 September 2026
- Results of this intermediate stage get published on the ARICE website under the Scholarships section
- The Ministry of Education and Research then makes the final award decision using its own internal criteria
- Selected candidates receive their results by email, and the same results appear on the ARICE website
- The Ministry issues Letters of Acceptance or Enrollment Orders before the new academic year begins
What Selected Students Actually Get:
A scholarship like this is valuable not just because it funds tuition, but because of everything wrapped around that core support.
- A fully funded place at an accredited Romanian public university, removing the tuition burden entirely
- Access to programs across all four major study levels, meaning the same scholarship framework supports everything from a first bachelor’s degree to advanced doctoral research
- Accommodation inside student dormitories, covered up to the national subsidy limit set for each host university
- The option to enroll in a preparatory Romanian language course before starting your actual degree program, useful for students with no prior exposure to the language
- A transparent, government-backed selection process rather than a private or opaque scoring system
- The chance to study in a country that has built one of the strongest engineering and technical education systems in the region
Who Should Be Preparing to Apply:
The scholarship targets foreign citizens without any narrow field restriction, so students from almost any academic background can put together a file. That said, a few conditions apply consistently across cycles.
- You must not have already received a scholarship from the Romanian state for the same level of study you are applying for
- You need to choose two university options as part of your application, since Romanian authorities use your second choice if your first one cannot be honored
- You must be prepared to attend classes taught in Romanian, since that remains the primary language of instruction unless your specific program states otherwise
- You should have your civil documents ready in Romanian, English, or French, since only these languages are accepted for authenticated and legalized translations
- You must be willing to declare, in writing, that all information in your file is accurate, since incomplete or false submissions lead to automatic disqualification
Study Levels You Can Apply For:
- Bachelor’s Degree Studies
- Master’s Degree Studies
- PhD Studies
- Postgraduate Studies and Medical Residency Programs
Documents You Need to Prepare in Advance:
Getting your paperwork ready early is probably the single biggest factor in whether your file gets accepted or rejected on a technicality. Based on the official application form, here is what you should have on hand.
- A recent passport-style photo
- Authenticated copies of your study certificates and diplomas
- Academic transcripts listing your results for every completed year of study
- Your birth certificate, translated and legalized if it is not already in Romanian, English, or French
- A valid passport with enough remaining validity for the scholarship period
- A medical certificate confirming your fitness to study
- A provisional agreement from a PhD thesis coordinator, but only if you are applying at the doctoral level
Filling Out the Application Correctly:
Because this scholarship uses a fixed, non-negotiable form, small mistakes can disqualify an otherwise strong candidate. Keep these points in mind while filling it out.
- Fill in every field of the form, since a partially completed form is automatically treated as an incomplete file
- List two university choices, not just one, since the Ministry can only reassign you to an alternative institution if you have provided a second option
- Choose only state universities accredited by the Romanian Ministry of Education, since private institutions are not part of this program
- Keep your contact information accurate and current, since communication about your application depends entirely on the details you provide
- Sign the declaration section confirming that you understand and accept the terms, including compliance with Romanian law during your study period
What Happens After You Are Accepted:
Once the Ministry of Education confirms your scholarship, you will receive a formal Letter of Acceptance or an Enrollment Order. At that point, you are expected to bring your original documents with you when you arrive in Romania, since the scanned copies submitted earlier are only used for the initial screening. It is also worth noting that if your first-choice university cannot accommodate you, you retain the right to either accept the alternative placement offered or decline the scholarship altogether and continue your studies in Romania independently, at your own expense.
Data Protection and Legal Declarations:
As part of the application, every candidate has to formally acknowledge EU Regulation 2016/679, which governs how personal data gets processed and shared. By signing the form, applicants agree to let the Romanian Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade process their personal data for educational and legal purposes, and they also accept that this data may be communicated to public authorities, third parties, or published on the ARICE website as part of the standard procedure.
Why This Matters for Future Applicants:
Since this cycle has already closed, the smartest move for anyone reading this now is to treat it as a preview of what next year’s round will likely look like. Romania has run this scholarship framework for years without major structural changes, so the timeline, required documents, and selection stages are unlikely to shift dramatically. Students who start preparing their transcripts, certificates, and translations months in advance tend to have a much smoother experience once the next application window opens.
Frequently Asked Questions?:
Is this scholarship still open for applications? No. The 2026-2027 cycle accepted applications only between 11 May and 12 June 2026, and that window has now closed.
Is the scholarship fully funded? Yes. It covers tuition at a public Romanian university and includes accommodation in student dormitories up to the national subsidy limit.
Is there an application fee? No fee is mentioned anywhere in the official procedure.
Can I apply for more than one degree level at the same time? The application form only allows you to select one study level per submission, so you would need to apply separately for each level you are interested in during future cycles.
Do I need to already know Romanian to apply? No. Applicants can request a preparatory Romanian language course before their degree program begins if they do not yet speak the language.
How many university choices do I need to provide? Two. Providing only one option risks limiting the Ministry’s ability to place you if your first choice is unavailable.
When will the next application cycle likely open? Based on this year’s pattern, applications tend to open in May and close in June, with results for the intermediate stage announced by mid-September.
