Higher education is organized in universities, academies of studies, institutes, schools of higher studies, hereinafter referred to as higher education institutions or universities, which have obtained provisional operating authorization or accreditation.

Higher education institutions are education providers that carry out teaching activities based on programs of studies authorized to operate provisionally/accredited according to the law, for initial and continuing university-level training, programs that operate on the principle of quality and the correlation of the educational offer with the labor market.

The national higher education system includes all accredited higher education institutions. An institution of higher education authorized to operate provisionally, according to the legal procedures in force, becomes part of the national higher education system only after accreditation. For more information, you can also visit the website of the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education - www.aracis.ro.

Higher education institutions can be state, private or confessional. These institutions have legal personality, are non-profit, and are apolitical. Higher education institutions are legal persons under public law or, as the case may be, legal persons under private law and of public utility.

University autonomy is guaranteed by the Constitution. Academic freedom is guaranteed by law. Public responsibility is also regulated for any higher education institution, whether state or private.

Through an annual government decision, the following are validated:

• The nomenclature of fields and specializations/university study programs per union
• the structure of accredited or provisionally authorized state and private higher education institutions, with:
  • fields of bachelor's university studies and specializations/accredited or provisionally authorized study programs,
  • geographical locations,
  • number of transferable study credits for each university study program,
  • form of education and teaching language,
  • maximum number of students that can be enrolled

The mission of higher education is to generate and transfer knowledge to society both through initial and continuing training at university level, in order to achieve personal development, professional integration of the individual and meeting the competence needs of the socioeconomic environment, and through scientific research, development, innovation and technology transfer, through individual and collective creation, in the field of sciences, engineering sciences, arts, letters, by ensuring performance and physical and sports development, as well as the capitalization and dissemination of their results. All these are carried out in compliance with the following principles:

a) the principle of university autonomy;

b) the principle of academic freedom;

c) the principle of public responsibility;

d) the principle of quality assurance;

e) the principle of equity;

f) the principle of managerial and financial efficiency;

g) the principle of transparency;

h) the principle of respecting the rights and freedoms of students and academic staff;

i) the principle of scal independence from ideologies, religions, and political doctrines;

j) the principle of freedom of national and international mobility for students, teaching staff, and researchers;

k) the principle of consulting social partners in decision-making;

l) the principle of student-centered education.

Structure of the academic year (according to Law no. 1/2011 – art. 136)

• The academic year usually starts on the first working day of October, includes two semesters, and ends on September 30 of the following calendar year.
• A semester usually lasts 14 weeks of teaching activities followed, as a rule, by at least 3 weeks of exams.
• The structure of the academic year is approved by the university senate.
• When assigning transferable study credits for a semester, a period of at least 17 weeks is taken into account.
• The university senate of each higher education institution approves annually, at least 3 months before the start of the academic year, the regulations regarding the professional activity of students, as well as the calendar of educational activities specific to academic study semesters.