Mistakes with documents
Missing or expired passport
The most immediately disqualifying error: applying without a valid, current passport. The portal requires uploaded copies of your passport biographical pages, and the passport must be valid at submission time.
What to do: Check your passport expiry date now. If it expires within 6 months of your anticipated arrival in Romania, renew it. If you don't yet have a passport, apply immediately — processing times vary from weeks to months.
Diploma without apostille
Academic documents (diplomas and transcripts) must be apostilled before submission. Many applicants upload clean, official copies of their diplomas and assume that is sufficient. It isn't. The apostille must be obtained from the competent authority in the country that issued the document.
What to do: Research your country's apostille process early. Hague Convention countries have relatively straightforward apostille procedures. Non-Hague countries require multi-step legalization that can take months. Do not leave this for February.
Using an online or machine translation
Documents not in English, French, Spanish, or Romanian must be translated by an authorized (sworn) translator. DeepL, Google Translate, or a bilingual friend's translation is not accepted, even if technically accurate.
What to do: Find a certified translator in your country who can provide sworn translations with their stamp and credentials. Budget €20–60 per page depending on your country. Plan 1–2 weeks for translation turnaround.
Medical certificate outside the 30-day window
The medical certificate must be dated within one calendar month of your application submission date. A certificate issued in December or January and submitted in March is out of the validity window and will result in disqualification.
What to do: Get the medical certificate 10–14 days before you plan to submit. If your documents need translation, get the translation done immediately after the medical certificate is issued — you have limited time.
Uploading in a format other than PDF
All documents must be uploaded as PDF files. Photographs of documents (JPEG, PNG), Word files, or scanned image files in non-PDF formats are not accepted.
What to do: Scan all physical documents to PDF before the portal opens. If you receive apostilled or translated documents in paper form, scan them immediately. Keep all PDFs named clearly and organized before you start the upload process.
Mistakes in the application process
Submitting more than one application
Only one application is permitted per cycle. Attempting to submit a second application — even if you regret the first — will cause both to be disqualified. Think carefully about your university preferences and document completeness before hitting submit the first time.
Not researching university choices before selecting
You select two universities in the application and cannot change them after submission. Many applicants pick the first or most recognizable options without checking whether those universities have their preferred programme, have dorm availability, or are in a city within their budget. Research both choices carefully before submitting.
Not checking the portal account for results
Results are published in your scholarship portal account. Email notifications may also be sent, but they are not guaranteed to arrive or to avoid your spam folder. Students who rely solely on email often miss the results notification window. Log into your account directly, at least weekly, from July onwards.
Missing the acceptance confirmation deadline
After results are published, selected students must confirm acceptance within a specified window. Missing this confirmation deadline means forfeiting your scholarship place. If you are not monitoring your portal account, you may not even know you were selected until the window has already closed.
Mistakes PhD applicants make
Starting the supervisor search in February
The supervisor agreement letter is required for submission by March 31. Starting the search in February leaves roughly 6 weeks — which is often not enough time, especially if professors are on research travel or sabbatical. Professors also tend to ignore cold emails, and you may need several rounds of contact. Start in November or December at the latest.
Generic supervisor emails
Mass-emailing every professor in a department with an identical generic message rarely works. Romanian academics, like academics anywhere, respond much better to specific emails that demonstrate you have read their work and have a clear research idea that fits their interests. One well-targeted email to a professor whose research closely matches yours is worth more than fifty generic messages.
Assuming English is always available for PhD
PhD programmes may be conducted in Romanian or another language, but only where the doctoral school has approved it. Not all doctoral schools offer English-medium programmes, and even those that do may have restrictions by field. Confirm the language of instruction with both your supervisor and the doctoral school's administrator before applying.
Mistakes after winning the scholarship
Underestimating the living cost gap
The single biggest mistake scholars make isn't in the application — it's in financial planning after winning. Students arrive believing the scholarship is "fully funded" (as many websites claim), and then discover that €65/month covers less than two weeks of modest living. Students who arrive without savings or an income plan face a genuine financial crisis in their first semester. Budget €300–500/month above the stipend — more in Bucharest or Cluj-Napoca — before you accept.
Delaying the visa application
Results come out in July (often late July). The academic year starts in October. Romanian embassy appointment slots in busy countries fill up fast — sometimes weeks in advance. Students who don't book their visa appointment immediately after results often find themselves scrambling to arrive in time. Book the appointment as soon as you confirm acceptance and receive the Letter of Acceptance from the Ministry of Education.
Not contacting the university about dormitory
Dormitory availability is not guaranteed, and spaces go to scholarship students who contact the university first. Don't wait to see whether a room will appear — email the international office at your assigned university the same day you confirm acceptance and ask specifically about dormitory availability for MFA scholarship holders.
Pre-submission checklist
Go through this before clicking submit: