The state redefines the rules for granting university scholarships

Romanian students enrolled in state higher education, in full-time university study programs, will benefit from scholarships only during teaching activities, according to a new order issued by the Ministry of Education, published in the Official Gazette. The changes come through an order that updates the general criteria for granting scholarships and other forms of financial support from public funds, in the context of Law no. 141/2025, which provides for fiscal-budgetary measures to maintain the sustainability of the educational system.

• Who still receives scholarships: strict criteria and clear conditions

According to the document, only students enrolled in budgeted places, full-time, can benefit from scholarships. These are granted strictly during teaching activities - courses, seminars, laboratories, projects, practical activities and exam sessions - according to the academic schedule of each university. The granting of scholarships ceases when the student loses this status, either through expulsion or by failing to comply with the promotion criteria set out in the regulations of the institutions.

• Performance scholarships, only from the second year

A special emphasis is placed on the scholarship to stimulate performance, which can be granted starting with the second year of study, only after the recognition of academic performance by the university. However, the duration of the scholarship cannot exceed the completion of studies. The distribution of performance scholarships is left to the discretion of the universities, through their own methodologies, which must, however, respect the general legal framework.

• Scholarships equal to the net minimum wage for teaching studies

Students enrolled in teaching bachelor's programs with double specialization, as well as those in the teaching master's degree, will receive scholarships equivalent to the net minimum wage in the economy - a measure intended to stimulate the training of teachers in a context of acute personnel crisis in the education system.

• Social scholarships, capped at age 35

Social scholarships are limited to the period of teaching activities and can only be granted to students under 35 years of age, enrolled full-time in budgeted places. The value of the scholarship and social protection fund is equivalent to 10% of the minimum monthly net salary, according to the new regulation. The Ministry of Education has clearly established that the following cannot constitute criteria for granting scholarships: age, gender, religion, race, nationality, sexual orientation, citizenship, political opinions or studies previously completed in other institutions or abroad. This provision comes to ensure a fair and non-discriminatory framework in access to financial support granted by the state.

• Budgetary pressures and education reforms

The Ministry of Education motivated the issuance of this order by the need to adapt the legislation to the financial realities of the Romanian state. According to the document, it is essential to maintain the balance between the right to education and the state's financing capacity, in a restrictive budgetary context and under the terms of the commitments assumed by Law no. 141/2025. The new regulation brings more clarity and conditionality to the university scholarship system, but also limitations that may affect vulnerable students, especially those who are not attending classes full-time or who have had to temporarily interrupt their studies. For some, the measures seem necessary in a period of painful budgetary reform, while others consider them restrictive and discriminatory towards non-traditional categories of students. It remains to be seen how universities and student associations will react to these changes.