In the latest iteration of the Pre-University Education Act, which will take effect in the market from September 2023, new pensions will be introduced for a wide variety of students, regardless of whether they are active in state or private schools.
The most important financial change for Romanian students starts from the fact that, from now on, the effective value of the scholarships will no longer be established by a Government decision, but by an Order of the Minister of Education, at the proposal of the National Council for the Financing of Pre-University Education, significantly simplifying the updating of the granted amounts.
What scholarships will be introduced in Romania, how much money will the children receive
According to the new education legislation, from September 3, 2023, in Romania there will be merit scholarships, social scholarships, technological scholarships and Olympic excellence scholarships I or II for pre-university students. Punctual, the merit one encourages performance, while the social one supports students from socioeconomically disadvantaged or vulnerable backgrounds. The technological one, newly introduced, stimulates students following technological education.
The values established for the 2023-2024 school year in the case of the three scholarships, according to Avocatnet.ro, are:
- merit scholarship – 450 lei/month;
- social grant – 300 lei/month;
- technological scholarship – 300 lei/month.
Regarding the regulations for the Olympic Excellence Scholarships I and II, they have the following criteria behind them:
- the Olympic Excellence Scholarship I is awarded to students who obtain distinctions, i.e. I, II, III and mention prizes, at the international school Olympiads, respectively the international school sports championships recognized by the Ministry of Education and at the Olympic Games in partnership with the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee;
- the scholarship of Olympic excellence II is awarded to students who obtain distinctions, respectively the I, II and III prizes at the national school Olympiads organized and financed by the Ministry of Education.
As a beneficial detail for Romanian students, according to the new law, social and/or technological scholarships can be combined with any type of scholarship. Another novelty consists in the fact that students from private and denominational schools benefit from scholarships from the state budget.
The monthly value of the I/ international and II/ national Olympic excellence scholarships is differentiated according to the level of distinction obtained:
- for the 1st place – the equivalent of the gross minimum basic salary per country guaranteed in payment;
- for the 2nd place – the equivalent of 75% of the gross minimum basic salary per country;
- for the 3rd place – the equivalent of 50% of the minimum gross salary per country;
- for mention – the equivalent of 25% of the minimum gross salary per country;
- the Olympic II/national excellence scholarship is in the amount of 700 lei/month and can be updated annually by decision of the Government.
