The Scholarship With the Lowest Stipend and the Most Hidden Costs
Each year, Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs offers scholarships to citizens of non-EU countries who want to study at Romanian public universities. The programme has been running since 1993, governed by Government Decision 288/1993, and it covers tuition fees in full, provides dormitory accommodation where available, and pays a monthly stipend. It also exempts scholarship holders from visa consular fees and residence permit fees.
On paper, it sounds complete. In practice, the monthly stipend — €65 for bachelor's students and those in the preparatory year, €75 for master's, and €85 for PhD students — covers somewhere between 10% and 20% of what you actually need to live in Romania. The rest comes out of your own pocket. The official site lists this figure clearly, but it doesn't explain what €65 can and cannot buy in Bucharest or Cluj-Napoca. This guide does.
There is also the language question. Bachelor's and master's programmes are taught in Romanian only. Students who don't already speak Romanian attend a fully-funded one-year preparatory course before their degree begins. The course is good. But completing an entire degree in a language you've been studying for one year is genuinely challenging, and no official materials acknowledge that reality.
PhD students have more flexibility: their programmes can be conducted in Romanian or another language, depending on the doctoral school. This is the one track where English is sometimes possible — but finding a supervisor and securing their written agreement before the application deadline is something you'll need to manage entirely on your own.
This guide covers all of it, page by page.
What almost every online guide gets wrong about this scholarship
Dozens of scholarship aggregator websites describe the Romanian MFA scholarship as "fully funded." This is technically inaccurate and practically misleading. The scholarship covers tuition and provides a dormitory room where space is available — but food, transport, and personal expenses are entirely your responsibility. With a stipend of €65/month, you would cover perhaps two weeks of grocery shopping in a mid-size Romanian city.
- Full tuition fees
- Dormitory (subject to availability)
- €65–85/month stipend
- Visa fee exemption
- Residence permit fee exemption
- Food and meals
- International travel
- Local transport
- Private housing if dorm unavailable
- Personal expenses
What This Guide Covers
Seven sections that together cover every stage of the Romanian MFA Scholarship process. Eligibility is the right place to start — a few exclusions catch a surprising number of applicants off guard.
Eligibility
Non-EU citizens only, minimum GPA of 7/10, and no medicine. Plus the age limit confusion that third-party sites keep getting wrong.
Benefits & Stipend
What €65–85/month covers and doesn't. Real living cost breakdowns by city, dormitory availability, part-time work rights, and health insurance details.
How to Apply
Step-by-step through the portal, the two-university preference system, PhD tutor requirements, and what happens after results come out in July.
Required Documents
Every document on the official checklist with notes on apostille requirements, authorized translations, medical certificate timing, and PDF format rules.
Common Mistakes
The errors that get applications automatically disqualified — from submitting without a valid passport to missing the apostille on your diploma.
FAQ
The questions students ask most often about Romanian MFA scholarships — many of which the official portal doesn't answer at all.
Three Things Nobody Tells You
The stipend is €65
Most guides call this "fully funded." The €65/month stipend covers roughly 10–15% of actual living costs. You need €300–500/month from your own resources on top of it.
Dormitory is not guaranteed
The scholarship offers dormitory accommodation "subject to availability." Some universities have enough space, others don't. Private rooms cost €100–300/month and that comes out of the €65 stipend.
PhD applicants must find their own supervisor
The application requires a signed tutor agreement from a Romanian doctoral school member — but the MFA provides zero help finding one. You need to contact professors directly and secure that letter before the March deadline.
Key Facts at a Glance
Where You'll Study: Romanian University Cities
Romania has several university cities, and the cost of living varies meaningfully between them. Your choice of city affects how far your stipend — and your personal budget — will stretch.
Bucharest
Highest costsCapital city with the most universities and programs. Monthly budget: €500–700. Largest international student community.
Cluj-Napoca
Mid-highMajor university hub, vibrant student life. Monthly budget: €450–600. Babes-Bolyai University is one of Romania's largest.
Timişoara
Mid-rangeWestern Romania, known for engineering and arts. Monthly budget: €400–500. Good quality of life at reasonable cost.
Iaşi
Most affordableOldest university city in Romania, large student population. Monthly budget: €300–400. Alexandru Ioan Cuza University is highly respected.
Full cost-of-living breakdown and what your monthly budget should look like is in the Benefits & Stipend guide.
How the Application Works
The application runs through the Study in Romania scholarship portal. You register, fill in your details, select two universities in order of preference, upload all required documents, and submit. That's it — but the details matter.
Create an account at scholarships.studyinromania.gov.ro. This is where applications are submitted and where results are published. Not receiving a notification email is not an excuse for missing results — check your account directly.
Diplomas need apostilles and authorized translations. Your medical certificate must be issued within one month of your application date. The passport is required before you can submit. Get everything ready before the portal opens, expected in mid-February 2027 (exact date to be confirmed).
You choose two Romanian public universities in order of preference. Use the portal's searchable list to filter by city, field, and degree level. Research both options before submitting — you cannot change your choices after submission.
Once submitted, the application is locked. Nothing can be added or changed. Results come in approximately July — though in multiple recent cycles, this date has slipped. Waiting times of 4–5 months after the deadline are normal.
You confirm acceptance through the portal, contact your assigned university, apply for a Type D student visa at the Romanian embassy in your country, and arrive before the academic year starts in October.