Romanian Scholarship Mistakes That Get Applications Rejected

Mistakes with documents

Missing or expired passport

The most immediately disqualifying error is applying without a valid, current passport. The platform requires copies of the first three pages, and the passport must be valid when you submit.

What to do: check your passport expiry date now. If it expires within 6 months of your expected arrival in Romania, renew it. If you don't have a passport yet, apply immediately — processing takes from weeks to months.

Diploma without an apostille

Diplomas and transcripts must be apostilled before submission. Many applicants upload clean, official copies and assume that is enough. It isn't. The apostille must come 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 fairly straightforward procedures; non-Hague countries need multi-step legalisation that can take months. Don't leave it for February.

Using an online or machine translation

Documents not in English, French, Spanish or Romanian need an authorised (sworn) translation. DeepL, Google Translate or a bilingual friend's version is not accepted, even if it is accurate.

What to do: find a certified translator in your country who provides sworn translations with their stamp and credentials. Budget €20–60 per page and plan 1–2 weeks for turnaround.

Getting the medical certificate wrong

Under the current official rules, the medical certificate (fit for studies, free of contagious diseases) is presented when you enrol at your university, not uploaded with the application. Older advice — including earlier versions of this guide — told applicants to get it within a month of submitting. The real risk now is arriving at enrolment without one, or with one that has no authorised translation.

What to do: get the certificate shortly before you travel, on official letterhead with the doctor's stamp, and have it translated into English, French, Spanish or Romanian if needed.

Uploading in a format other than PDF

Every document must be a PDF. Photos of documents (JPEG, PNG), Word files or image scans in other formats are not accepted.

What to do: scan every document to PDF, one file per document, before the platform opens. If you receive apostilled or translated documents on paper, scan them straight away, and name and organise your files before you start uploading.

Mistakes in the application process

Submitting more than one application

Only one application is allowed per call, and you cannot edit it after you submit. Think carefully about your university preferences and document completeness before you submit the first time.

Not researching your university choices

You pick your universities and cannot change them after submission; later requests to change university or field are not considered. Many applicants pick the first or best-known options without checking whether those universities offer their programme, have dorm places, or sit in a city within their budget. Research both before submitting.

Not watching for the results

Results are announced by email, and emails can land in spam or go missing. Students who don't keep an eye on their inbox and their platform account often miss the response window. From July onwards, check both at least weekly.

Missing the acceptance deadline

Selected students must confirm acceptance within a set term. Miss it and you forfeit your place. If you are not watching your email and account, you may not even know you were selected until the window has closed.

Mistakes PhD applicants make

Starting the supervisor search in February

The tutor agreement letter must be in your application by the deadline (31 March in the 2026 call). Starting in February leaves roughly six weeks — often not enough, especially if professors are travelling or on sabbatical. Cold emails get ignored, and you may need several rounds. Start in November or December at the latest.

Generic supervisor emails

Mass-emailing every professor in a department with the same message rarely works. Romanian academics, like academics anywhere, respond to specific emails that show you've read their work and have a clear research idea that fits their interests. One well-targeted email is worth more than fifty generic ones.

Assuming English is always available for a PhD

PhD study can be in Romanian or in a foreign language, but only one set by the doctoral school. Not every doctoral school offers English-medium programmes, and those that do may restrict them by field. Confirm the language with both your supervisor and the doctoral school's administrator before applying.

Mistakes after winning the scholarship

Underestimating the living-cost gap

The 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, then discover that €65 a month covers less than two weeks of modest living. Those who arrive without savings or an income plan face a genuine financial crisis in their first semester. Budget €300–500 a month on top of the stipend — more in Bucharest or Cluj-Napoca — before you accept.

Delaying the visa application

Results are due around mid-July (and may come later) and the academic year usually starts on 1 October. Embassy appointment slots in busy countries fill up weeks ahead. Students who don't book straight after results often scramble to arrive on time. Book your appointment as soon as you confirm acceptance and receive the Letter of Acceptance from the Ministry of Education and Research.

Not contacting the university about a dorm

Dormitory places are not guaranteed, and scholarship holders are expected to contact the host university themselves. Don't wait to see whether a room appears — email your university's international office the day you confirm acceptance and ask specifically about dorm places for MFA scholarship holders.

Pre-submission checklist

Go through this before you click submit:

• My passport is valid and I've uploaded its first three pages.
• My diplomas and transcripts are apostilled (or legalised for non-Hague countries).
• Every document not in English, French, Spanish or Romanian has an authorised translation.
• Every document is a separate PDF.
• I have chosen my universities and researched each one.
• If PhD: I have the signed tutor agreement and my letter of intent.
• This is my only application in this call.
• I understand the €65/month stipend and have planned my finances, including visa paperwork costs.
• I know I'll need a medical certificate when I enrol.

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