The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) has opened applications for its annual scholarship program for non-Euroepan Union (EU) students looking to study in Romania during the 2024-2025 academic year.
A Total of 500 Scholarships Available
This year’s program offers 500 fully funded scholarships covering tuition, accommodation, medical insurance, and a monthly stipend.
The scholarships aim to strengthen ties between Romania and students’ home countries, as well as promote Romanian universities internationally.
Fully Digitalized Application Process
MAE has digitized the entire application process, implementing a multi-device online platform for submitting and evaluating candidates.
MAE collaborates with Romania’s Ministry of Education in selecting scholarship recipients.
Over 50,000 students applied last year for 500 openings.
“Students as Bridges Between Countries”
“Foreign students represent a bridge between Romania and their home countries,” said Janina Sitaru, Secretary of State for Institutional Relations.
She added that the program’s success has made it a model for improving global access to education.
The scholarship program seems to provide an excellent opportunity for non-EU students looking to study in Romania.
The fully funded program covers all major expenses for recipients looking to serve as cultural bridges between Romania and their native countries.
Access Still Limited for EU Students
While the MAE scholarship program opens Romanian university doors to 500 non-EU students annually, options remain limited for short-term EU visitors hoping to study abroad.
Until the EU’s ETIAS visa waiver program launches in May 2025, non-EU citizens cannot freely attend Romanian universities.
ETIAS aims to simplify travel for EU visitors through a streamlined online application.
Until then, EU students must navigate a still complex Romanian system requiring long-term visas.
Inching Toward an International Campus Model
Romania’s scholarship assault comes as the country continues wrestling with broader immigration policy questions.
On one hand, MAE’s program ushers in hundreds of global students each year. This seems a step toward the American “international campus” model focused on recruiting diverse, foreign talent.
However, Romania remains a relatively strict immigration system compared to Western European counterparts.
The MAE initiative suggests a recognition that education can seed longer-term immigration through valuable professional networks — hence the targeting of future “intellectual elites” from emerging economies.
While limited in scope, the effort highlights the recognition that students offer unique immigrant potential.
Bridging Cultural Divides
The fully funded Romanian scholarship program provides more than just financial support. It fosters lasting bilateral ties at an individual level.
By bringing non-EU students to study alongside locals, the program facilitates meaningful cultural exchange and understanding. As Secretary Sitaru noted, these students serve as bridges between distant lands.
The bonds built in lecture halls and dormitories can blossom into professional collaborations and friendships that span borders. This “good practice” of academic inclusion embodies Romania’s commitment to intercultural connectivity.
Far more than a cost of education, it is an investment in shared humanity across diverse geographies.