Romania reports 33.8% pass rate in second 2026 Baccalaureate session

Examination results and candidate breakdown

Romania's Ministry of Education published preliminary results for the second session of the 2026 national Baccalaureate examination on 17 August at 08:00. The overall pass rate before appeals reached 33.8%, an increase of more than five percentage points compared to the 28.4% recorded at the initial release of the 2025 second session. This represents the highest success rate recorded for the autumn session under the organizational format governed by Law 1/2011. A total of 9,623 candidates passed the examination across all cohorts. Among current-year high school graduates, 6,700 passed, which translates to a 34.9% pass rate. Another 2,923 graduates from previous graduating classes passed, yielding a success rate of 31.6% for returning candidates. Five candidates achieved high-tier examination averages placed between 9.50 and 9.99.

Session participation and misconduct penalties

A total of 33,455 candidates registered for the second examination session across the country, with 28,481 presenting themselves to take the tests. This attendance produced an overall participation rate of 85.1% among registered applicants. Examination monitors eliminated 56 candidates across testing centers for confirmed fraud or attempted fraud during the testing period. Under national education regulations, all candidates disqualified for fraudulent activity face an automatic ban preventing them from participating in the next two consecutive Baccalaureate sessions. The national pass rate formula calculates success from the total number of candidates present at the tests, including those removed for disciplinary violations.

Appeals timeline and grading criteria

To pass the national Baccalaureate, candidates must obtain a minimum grade of 5 on each individual written examination and achieve an overall combined average of at least 6 across all subjects. Candidates who wish to inspect their written papers or challenge their initial marks can submit appeals between 19 and 20 August 2026, with an opening window on Tuesday from 14:00 to 18:00. Submission of appeals is permitted through electronic channels following procedures established by county school inspectorates. Minor candidates inspecting their exam papers must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Viewing written papers remains strictly informative, does not constitute a regrading, and does not oblige the candidate to file an appeal. Candidates submitting appeals must sign and transmit a standard declaration acknowledging that final regrading can either raise or lower the original score. Final examination results following appeals resolution will be released on Monday, 24 August 2026.

Comparison with the summer session

The second session results follow the summer 2026 Baccalaureate examination, where the final pass rate reached 76.9% after the evaluation of appeals. In that earlier summer sitting, the preliminary pass rate stood at 74.8% before climbing by 2.1 percentage points during contestation reviews. Official ministry figures show that 97,020 candidates across all cohorts passed during the summer session. Among current-year graduates sitting for the summer exams, 92,502 passed, achieving an 81.6% pass rate. Another 4,518 graduates from prior cohorts passed during that summer period, registering a 35.1% pass rate before the start of the August re-examination session.