Education in Moldova: school stages, the Bacalaureat and university entry
A guide to schooling in the Republic of Moldova, the gymnasium and lyceum, the Bacalaureat, how marks work, university admission and vocational colleges.
In short
Education in the Republic of Moldova is organised by the ministry responsible for education and research, and the national school-leaving exam is the Bacalaureat. Children start school at about six or seven, and compulsory schooling covers primary school and lower secondary school (the gymnasium). Students who stay on for upper secondary education, mostly in a lyceum, finish with the Bacalaureat exams and receive a diploma that is used to apply to universities. Colleges and vocational schools offer a second route into skilled work or higher education.
School stages
- Early education: Kindergartens take children from a young age, and the year before primary school prepares children for the first grade.
- Primary school: The first four grades. Pupils learn the state language, mathematics, a foreign language, science and social subjects, arts, music and physical education.
- Gymnasium: Grades five to nine, the lower secondary stage. Students study a wider list of subjects, such as history, geography, biology, chemistry, physics and several languages. It ends with a national exam at the end of the gymnasium, after which students choose between a lyceum, a vocational school or a college.
- Lyceum: Usually three years, grades ten to twelve. Lyceums offer profiles such as real sciences, humanities, arts or sport, and students prepare for the Bacalaureat.
The language of teaching is mostly Romanian, and some schools teach in Russian, Gagauz or other minority languages.
The Bacalaureat and grading
The Bacalaureat is the national exam that closes upper secondary education. Students take several exams in the summer after the last lyceum grade, with a second session for those who need to retake. The set normally includes a test in Romanian language and literature, a test in a subject linked to the profile of the lyceum, often mathematics or history, and a test in a subject chosen by the student. The exact list of subjects, the format of each paper and the rules for oral parts are set by regulations that the ministry may change, so always read the current rules before you register.
Marks are given on a ten-point scale, and the regulations set the lowest mark that counts as a pass in each exam. Students who pass receive the Bacalaureat diploma, which shows the marks for each subject and an overall average. Those who do not pass may retake the exams in a later session.
For Romanian language and literature, the programme includes the main authors and works of Romanian literature, such as Eminescu, Creangă, Caragiale, Rebreanu and Blaga, and also questions of grammar and text analysis. For history, students study the history of the Romanians and of the world, and the history of Moldova, with topics such as the Principality of Moldavia, Bessarabia and the Republic of Moldova.
University and college entry
Universities in Moldova admit students mainly on the basis of the Bacalaureat diploma. Applicants choose a faculty and a study programme, and places are of two kinds: places financed by the state, which are filled by competition, and places paid for by the student. Admission is ranked on the average marks of the diploma and, for some programmes, on marks in chosen subjects. Programmes such as music, art, architecture or sport may add an extra test or a practical examination, and medicine and some other fields can have their own entry rules. Each university publishes its admission plan every year, so use the official pages of the university.
Higher education follows the Bologna structure: a first cycle (bachelor, called licență), a second cycle (master) and a third cycle (doctorate). Well-known institutions include Moldova State University, the Technical University of Moldova, the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, the State Pedagogical University in Chișinău and the state university in Bălți.
Colleges and vocational education
Some students leave the gymnasium for a vocational school or a college. These institutions teach trades and technical professions, such as construction, agriculture, cooking, computing, nursing or teaching in primary schools, and they give a professional qualification. Graduates of a college can look for a job or apply to a university, and in many cases the college studies are recognised when the student continues in the same field.
Studying in Moldova as an international student
Students from other countries need documents that show completed secondary education, the right visa or residence permit and, for programmes taught in Romanian or Russian, proof of the language of teaching. Rules for recognising foreign diplomas are set by the ministry, and each university's international office can explain what it needs.
Practising on GetMyMockTest
These are practice questions we wrote for study. They are not the official exams, and we do not claim they match an exam's current format. Free practice for Moldova:
- Bacalaureat: mathematics, Romanian language and literature, and history of Moldova, with timed tests and flashcards, written in English.
- Examen Auto: driving theory questions covering road priority, traffic signs, signals, and vehicle safety under ASP regulations, with timed mock tests and flashcards.
- Moldovan general knowledge: history and politics, geography and nature, and science, arts and culture.
- IELTS, Cambridge A-Level and IB Diploma: international exams that some Moldovan students take when applying to universities abroad.