This week, the government approved a plan developed by the relevant ministry for admissions to higher education institutions and doctoral programs, with a budget of over 1.1 billion lei. The budget allocation for the 2026–2027 academic year will cover 9,013 state-funded spots.
The “Higher Education” subprogram will receive 1,103,036.9 thousand lei (state-funded quotas, bachelor’s and master’s programs), 30.9 thousand lei for doctoral studies, and 103,600.0 thousand lei for the “Postgraduate Studies” subprogram (postgraduate residency and clinical secondary education).
How the State Quota Is Determined
The state’s need for highly qualified personnel is determined based on “the volume of appropriations and commitments to external partners regarding EU accession.” The Ministry of Education and Research does not cite any other reasons in the draft regulatory act, but it does explain the rationale behind this statement.
The commitment to increase funding for additional state-funded spots to 25% of all students at higher education institutions studying STEAM and ICT disciplines is linked to the country’s European integration aspirations. “In accordance with the reform program linked to the Republic of Moldova’s Growth Plan for 2025–2027, which is scheduled for completion by December 2027,” the ministry explains.
The goal of increasing the proportion of IT students—as one of the conditions for EU accession—is not explicitly stated. Therefore, the question of why, and more importantly, for whom there is a need to train such a large number of professionals remains open. It is quite possible that the government is focused on building the IT sector’s export potential rather than on training specialists at the request of European partners.
European experts highly value Moldova’s potential in the IT sector, calling it an important digital hub and a driver of European integration. The training of Moldovan IT professionals is viewed through the lens of pan-European digital programs and market expansion.
European officials emphasize that the Moldovan IT sector already accounts for up to $1 billion of the country’s exports. As part of expanding cooperation with the European Commission, the Smart Moldova programs are being implemented, providing Moldovan researchers with access to internships at the JRC (Joint Research Center).
“More than 4% of Moldova’s economically active population already works in the IT sector, and they generate nearly 6% of the country’s GDP,” the German publication DW quotes Marina Bzovyi, administrator of the Moldovan technology park, as saying.
“Moldova’s universities offer excellent training, but the problem is the small number of students who will attend them. There’s another problem as well. Whereas four years ago it took us time to find the right specialist, now many IT professionals are out of work, and clients don’t want junior-level employees. “New technologies are currently transforming the IT sector; there is uncertainty about the future, and it’s not entirely clear how much demand there will be for workers in five years,” Ion Gyrlianu, a manager at the international company Stefanini Group, told the same publication.
Who else is a priority?
“When formulating the order, proposals from higher education institutions and ministries regarding staffing needs in relevant fields were also taken into account, as well as the results of admissions for the 2025–2026 academic year,” according to the Ministry of Education and Research, which specified the list of fields that received special attention when formulating the state quota.
The state quota for the first cycle (bachelor’s degree) and the second cycle (master’s degree) provides for state-funded spots in the following fields:
– educational sciences (1,800 spots—about 20.5% of the total number of state-funded spots),
– engineering and engineering specializations, manufacturing technologies, and architecture and construction (1,427—about 16.25%),
– information and communication technologies (870—about 10%),
– healthcare (1,019 (+residency and secondary education)—11.6%),
– agricultural sciences, forestry,
– veterinary medicine and environmental sciences (380 – about 4.3%).
The state quota for the first cycle of higher education, bachelor’s programs, and integrated higher education (admissions) is set at 5,380 students across 25 general education majors.
A Perpetual Shortage of Teachers
In this context, given the staffing crisis in the general education system, 1,365 state-funded spots are allocated for: educators (201), math teachers (147), Romanian language teachers (81), physical education teachers (61), elementary school teachers (89), music program directors (45), and teachers of physics, chemistry, and foreign languages.
Approximately 20.5% of state-funded spots are proposed to be allocated to teacher education programs for the next academic year.
“This year, teacher education remains a priority area of the state budget. The education system needs well-trained teachers. By maintaining the largest share of state-funded spots in this field, we are investing in schools’ most important resource—teachers. Teacher training is a strategic investment in the quality of education and in the future of the Republic of Moldova,” stated Dan Perchun, Minister of Education and Research.
A total of 5,380 state-funded spots are allocated for higher education, bachelor’s programs, and integrated higher education. Of these, approximately 20.5% are allocated to the field of educational sciences. At the same time, the number of state-funded spots has been increased in fields where there is high demand for specialists, such as biology, chemistry, and physics; engineering; architecture and construction; forestry; and veterinary medicine.
For the 2026–2027 academic year, the number of state-funded spots for dual education programs has also been increased in fields such as journalism and information technology, economics, and engineering.
Government officials have also become a rarity
At the same time, state-funded spots have been allocated for the first time in the fields of forestry and public service. “This measure is aimed at adapting university education to the demands of the labor market and expanding employment opportunities for graduates,” the ministry states, apparently believing that there should be more foresters and civil servants to address the staffing shortage in government agencies.
This year, for the first time, state-funded spots have also been allocated for distance learning programs designed for people with severe or significant disabilities who are unable to attend in-person classes. The authors of the state order were inspired by the successful results of the “pilot implementation of distance learning in the 2025–2026 academic year,”
The state quota continues to include separate spots for young people from the diaspora to facilitate their access to higher education in the Republic of Moldova. State-funded spots are also provided for young people from the Roma ethnic group to support their access to higher education.
At the same time, this year the number of special-purpose state-funded places for graduates of educational institutions in the administrative-territorial units on the left bank of the Dniester and in the Bender Municipality was increased from 262 to 280.
In addition, 133 state-funded spots have been reserved for foreign citizens in accordance with the obligations assumed by the Republic of Moldova under bilateral agreements in the field of education.
Insert: Atotalof 2,771 state-funded spots are available for master’s degree programs. For the first time, only candidates with an admission average of at least 7.00 will be eligible to compete for state-funded spots in the second cycle of higher education.
There are 504 state-funded spots allocated for residency programs and clinical secondary education: 489 for residency programs and 15 for clinical secondary education. The number of spots has been increased by 69 due to the growing number of graduates from integrated higher education programs in the field of healthcare and the need to ensure mandatory professional training for doctors and pharmacists.
There are 225 state-funded spots available for doctoral studies, which will be distributed across the fundamental fields of science, culture, and technology, with an emphasis on national priorities in research and innovation.
Admissions to higher education institutions in the Republic of Moldova will begin on July 27 and, as in recent years, will be conducted entirely online via the national platform eAdmitere.gov.md, using an electronic signature or, if one is not available, with the assistance of representatives from the higher education institutions.
The results of the preliminary exams will be published on August 8, and admitted candidates will confirm their enrollment by submitting original documents between August 8 and 12. The final results will be published on August 14. An additional round of exams will be held for the remaining spots between August 15 and 24.
Through the platform www.eAdmitere.gov.md, each applicant may simultaneously apply to a maximum of three universities and select up to three degree programs for each institution, depending on their preferences.
