Over 36,000 Romanian students to receive 925 lei social scholarships in 2026-2027

Scale and funding

The Ministry of Education and Research (MEC) announced on Wednesday, 28 October, that more than 36,000 students will receive social scholarships in the 2026-2027 academic year. The programme is co-financed from the state budget and European funds, with UEFISCDI, the executive unit for higher education, research, development and innovation financing, implementing it in partnership with the ministry. Each grant is worth 925 lei. According to Digi24, the sum is paid in full for each month regardless of how many teaching days that month contains, although the announcement does not say how many months of payments will be made in 2026-2027. The same report says the number of beneficiaries will be at least the level reached in 2025-2026.

Who qualifies

Eligible students must be between 18 and 29 years old, enrolled in a bachelor's or master's programme in full-time study, and hold a place financed from the state budget. They must also be enrolled at a civil state higher education institution selected for the project. Age is assessed on the date of enrolment in the project's target group. Meeting these conditions does not by itself guarantee a grant. Universities apply the general criteria set out in the education minister's order no. 6.463/2023, with its later amendments, alongside their own methodologies. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds and groups are the target of the support.

Applying through universities

Universities carry out the selection, so students must submit their grant applications and the required documents to the institution where they are enrolled, following the notices each university publishes. Digi24 reports that universities will run a new selection that also includes students who received the grant in 2025-2026. Interested students should therefore check their institution's calendar and procedure rather than contact the ministry directly. Beneficiaries will also have access to complementary support, including online webinars and workshops on time management, managing academic stress and developing learning skills.

Project framework

The scholarships are delivered under the project Interventions for tertiary education, with measures to prevent and reduce university dropout, carrying the SMIS code 322473. The project is co-financed from the European Social Fund Plus through the Education and Employment Programme 2021-2027, and from the national budget. The 2026-2027 round continues support that the same partnership has provided in previous academic years, and the ministry frames it as a systemic measure against students leaving university early.