Admission information

Admission methodology for doctoral degree programmes at Babeș-Bolyai University for Ph.D academic year 2023 – 2024

Admission calendar for Ph.D academic year 2023 – 2024 

Deadlines:

• For submitting the file for the CNRED certificate: until June 15, 2023

1. How to apply for Ph.d. to Babes-Bolyai University

Admission for EU citizens

1. All candidates to doctoral studies need to have a doctoral supervisor from Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai and to receive the preliminary agreement from the future supervisor, in order to apply for Ph.D studies.

• List of faculties and domains from UBB: https://doctorat.ubbcluj.ro/eng/doctoral-schools/
• Doctoral supervisors: https://doctorat.ubbcluj.ro/documente/alte_fisiere/Conducatori_Doctorat_Dupa_Facultati.pdf
• Fields of study: https://doctorat.ubbcluj.ro/eng/the-fields-of-doctoral-studies/

2. Previous to the registration for doctoral studies, candidates which have studies in UE countries, beside Romania, must obtain, the Certificate of equivalence from the National Centre for Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas Granted Abroad, belonging to the Romanian Ministry of National Education.

Required documents by CNRED (follow the link): https://www.cnred.edu.ro/en/recognition-studies-european-citizens-admission-master-doctorate-level-in-Romania

• The Hague Apostille is requested for diplomas from countries which are parties to the Hague Apostille , issued by the competent authorities in the issuing countries. The Hague Apostille is requested for diplomas from Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Cyprus.
• List of countries for which the authentication of study documents is requested

For the recognition of studies all the candidates that have studies in UE countries (beside Romania) and want to apply for Ph.D studies must send all the requested documents by CNRED.

• All the original certified translations of the documents need to be sent by regular postal mail. The mailing address is: Institutul de Studii Doctorale, Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai, Str. M. Kogălniceanu nr. 1, 400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
• For the documents issued in Romanian, English, French, Spanish, Italian language, color scan copies will be sent together with a affidavit/self-statement regarding the accuracy / correctness of the documents sent online, to the email address: ioana.talos@ubbcluj.ro;

NOTE: The University Babes-Bolyai does not take into consideration applications received after the deadline. The last day of receiving and processing the files is Jun 15, 2023, please make sure the documents will reach our University before.

Before sending the documents it is mandatory to inform the Institute for doctoral studies at the email address: ioana.talos@ubbcluj.ro: the name of the company with which the documents were sent, a list with all the documents sent, and a statement regarding the assumption of responsibility for the documents sent by post mail or courier (ISD it is not responsible for the eventual damages to the documents received). ISD will confirm receipt of the documents.

1. ADMISSION

EU citizens have to go through the same admission process as the Romanian students. Therefore, please consult the website of the doctoral schools that interests you in order to find more information regarding the admission calendar and the admission requirements.

Documents required for the admission:

All the candidates need to submit the admission file in the period mentioned in the admission calendar. The Babes-Bolyai University does not take into consideration applications submitted after the deadline or incomplete applications.

1. Preliminary agreement
2. Consent for processing personal data
3. Statement/ affidavit signed, regarding the correctness and authenticity of the documents submitted online by the candidate.
4. Application Form generated at admitere.ubbcluj.ro
5. Certificate of Equivalency
6. Curriculum Vitae
7. List of scientific publications
8. High School graduation diploma (certified copy, if the original is written in English, or Romanian;  if the original is written in any other language, a certified translation in Romanian or English is required, together with a copy of the original document)
9. Bachelor degree diploma with the transcript of records or diploma supplement (certified copies, if the originals are written in English, or Romanian;  if the originals are written in any other language, certified translations in Romanian or English are required, together with copies of the original documents)
10. Master degree diploma with the transcript of records or diploma supplement (certified copies, if the originals are written in English, or Romanian; if the originals are written in any other language, certified translations in Romanian or English are required, together with copies of the original documents)
11. Birth certificate (certified copy, if the original is written in English, or Romanian; if the original is written in any other language, a certified translation in Romanian or English is required, together with a copy of the original document)
12. Marriage certificate (if the name changed subsequent to marriage) or any other document, relevant as a proof of current name  (certified copies, if the originals are written in English, or Romanian;  if the originals are written in any other language, certified translations in Romanian or English are required, together with copies of the original documents)
13. Copies of the Passport or the Identity Card
14. If the candidate intends to study in Romanian language, one of the following documents will be submitted: certificate of proficiency in Romanian language, or preparatory year graduation certificate, or documents proving the graduation of at least 4 years of study in an educational institution with Romanian as language of instruction.
15. Copy of the receipt for the tax paid at Babeş-Bolyai University for the Ph.D admission contest and file processing.
16. CNRED Certificate
17. Admission and file processing fee 2023-2024 

The citizens of all other countries members of the European Union, of countries belonging to the European Economic Area, and of the Swiss Confederation can apply to PH.D studies like the Romanian citizens, at tuition paying program at part-time or full time program or state budget financing.

Taxes for tuition paying students for the academic year 2023-2024

• Admission exams

Admission examination will be held by the Doctoral Schools in July 2023 and in September 2023. The candidate will have to participate to the admission exams organized by the Doctoral School. Only those candidates who are declared admitted will be registered officially as PhD students.

1. Confirmations and Enrollment:

All the candidates which passed the admission exams and fulfilled all mandatory requirements in accordance with the national legislation and university regulations will be included, by the Institute for Doctoral Studies, on the list of candidates proposed for enrollment.

To enroll to Ph.d all the candidates need to submit online a copy of the study contract signed in original and the proof of payment for the candidates admitted to fee.

The Babes-Bolyai University does not take into consideration documents submitted after the deadline mentioned in the admission calendar.

Admission methodology for doctoral degree programmes at Babeș-Bolyai University for Ph.D academic year 2023 – 2024

Admission calendar for Ph.D academic year 2023 – 2024 

The admission will be made according to the regulation in force for the academic year 2023-2024:

1. How to apply for Ph.D. at UBB;
2. All candidates to doctoral studies need to have a doctoral supervisor from Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai and to receive the preliminary agreement from the future supervisor, in order to apply for Ph.d studies.

• List of faculties and domains from UBB: https://doctorat.ubbcluj.ro/eng/doctoral-schools/
• Doctoral supervisors: https://doctorat.ubbcluj.ro/documente/alte_fisiere/Conducatori_Doctorat_Dupa_Facultati.pdf
• Fields of study: https://doctorat.ubbcluj.ro/eng/the-fields-of-doctoral-studies/

1. Preliminary agreement

All candidates to doctoral studies have to obtain a Preliminary agreement (click on it) signed by a doctoral supervisor from Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai. The candidates whom cannot get in touch with a supervisor will submit the following documents to the Institute for Doctoral Studies, by email: passport, letter of intention that specifies the Faculty and the field of study for the Ph.d, a Curriculum Vitae (Resume), a short research project (1-2 pages), references, the list of scientific publications, and other documents deemed relevant for the previous studies and activity, and for the intended research project. The Institute for Doctoral Studies will forward these documents to the doctoral schools.  ISD does not assume responsibility for guaranteeing the candidate to obtain this agreement.

Contact person: ioana.talos@ubbcluj.ro

2. Letter of Acceptance

For tuition paying candidates – citizens of non-EU countries, and of countries which do not belong to the European Economic Area or Swiss Confederation, the access to doctoral studies is conditioned by the issuance of a Letter of Acceptance to Studies by the Romanian Ministry of National Education.

All the original authenticated, certified and translated documents, required for issuing the Letter of Acceptance will be sent by e-mail (ioana.talos@ubbcluj.ro) and courier in the period March 15, 2023 until June 15, 2023. Full application files will be sent by post mail/courier at the address: Institutul de Studii Doctorale, Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai, Str. M. Kogălniceanu nr. 1, 400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Documents received after the period mentioned or incomplete files will not be processed.

Required Documents for issuing the Letter of Acceptance:

Documents required for the application file Preliminary observation: all certified copies and all certified translations mentioned in the following list will be authenticated by the Romanian embassy from the issuing country, or will have the Hague Apostille, or will be authenticated in accordance with specific treaties signed by Romania and other states. Deadline June 15, 2023.

1. Preliminary agreement signed by a doctoral supervisor from Babeş-Bolyai University (click on it);
2. Consent for processing personal data
3. Candidate’s contact data (correspondence address, phone number, e-mail address)
4. Application for the issuance of Letter of Acceptance to Studies (Annex no. 2 to OMEN no. 6368 /2020) – Click on it
5. High School graduation and transcript of records (if the original document is written in Romanian, or English, then a certified copy is required; if the original document is written in any other language, then a certified translation in Romanian or in English, together with a certified copy of the original is required).
   For residents of countries that have signed the Hague Convention, the Hague Apostille is requested: https://www.gsccca.org/notary-and-apostilles/apostilles/hague-apostille-country-list; for all the others, the documents have to be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Romanian Embassy in their homeland);
6. Bachelor’s Degree and transcript of records or diploma supplement (if the original documents are written in Romanian, or English, then certified copies are required; if the original documents are written in any other language, then certified translations in Romanian or in English, together with certified copies of the originals are required).
   For residents of countries that have signed the Hague Convention, the Hague Apostille is requested: https://www.gsccca.org/notary-and-apostilles/apostilles/hague-apostille-country-list; for all the others, the documents have to be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Romanian Embassy in their homeland);
7. Master’s Degree and transcripts of records or diploma supplement (if the original documents are written in Romanian, or English, then certified copies are required; if the original documents are written in any other language, then certified translations in Romanian or in English, together with certified copies of the originals are required).
   For residents of countries that have signed the Hague Convention, the Hague Apostille is requested: https://www.gsccca.org/notary-and-apostilles/apostilles/hague-apostille-country-list; for all the others, the documents have to be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Romanian Embassy in their homeland);
8. Copy and certified translation of the certificate attesting to the Master graduation exam for current year graduates
   For residents of countries that have signed the Hague Convention, the Hague Apostille is requested: https://www.gsccca.org/notary-and-apostilles/apostilles/hague-apostille-country-list; for all the others, the documents have to be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Romanian Embassy in their homeland);
9. Birth certificate (if the original document is written in Romanian, or English, then a certified copies required; if the original document is written in any other language, then a certified translation in Romanian or in English, together with a certified copy of the original is required);
   For residents of countries that have signed the Hague Convention, the Hague Apostille is requested: https://www.gsccca.org/notary-and-apostilles/apostilles/hague-apostille-country-list; for all the others, the documents have to be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Romanian Embassy in their homeland);
10. Marriage certificate (only if the applicant’s last name changed subsequent to marriage) or any other document relevant for the name change (if the original documents are written in Romanian, or English, then certified copies are required; if the original documents are written in any other language, then certified translations in Romanian or in English, together with certified copies of the originals are required);
    For residents of countries that have signed the Hague Convention, the Hague Apostille is requested: https://www.gsccca.org/notary-and-apostilles/apostilles/hague-apostille-country-list; for all the others, the documents have to be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Romanian Embassy in their homeland);
11. Passport copy – valid for at least 6 months after the issuing date of the Letter of Acceptance;
12. Copy of the document certifying the permanent residence abroad
13. Medical certificate (in Romanian, English) attesting the current state of health (not to be issued for more than one month);
14. Two photos (3 cm X 4 cm);
15. Curriculum vitae (Resume);
16. List of scientific publications;
17. 2 CD/DVD with all the documents required for issuing the letter of acceptance scanned

Note: Babes-Bolyai University will process your file and will send it to the Ministry of Education for evaluation (The Ministry of Education will not process documents which are not according to the requirements, or incomplete files). It may take up to 30 working days to receive a reply from the Ministry Education. Once the answer is received, UBB will inform the student about the results. During this time, candidates could be asked for supplemental or explanatory documents.

OBS. The representatives of the candidates must present/submit a power of attorney in original stating that he/she is empowered by the student to represent him/her in the admission process.

II. Admission procedures and admission exams

All the candidates that received the letter of acceptance must submit the admission documents in the admission period mentioned in the calendar.
Documents received after the period mentioned or incomplete files will not be processed, please try to send all the documents in the period mentioned in the calendar.

Required documents for the admission:

In the admission period the candidates must submit the following documents:

1. 1. Application form (form provided by the Institute for Doctoral Studies) generated from online platform
   2. Letter of acceptance
   3. Preliminary agreement signed by a doctoral supervisor from Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai (form provided by the Institute for Doctoral Studies);
   4. Consent for processing personal data (click on it)
   5. Statement/ affidavit signed, regarding the correctness and authenticity of the documents submitted online by the candidate.
   6. High School graduation and transcript of records (if the original document is written in Romanian, or English, then a certified copy is required; if the original document is written in any other language, then a certified translation in Romanian or in English, together with a certified copy of the original is required).
      For residents of countries that have signed the Hague Convention, the Hague Apostille is requested: https://www.gsccca.org/notary-and-apostilles/apostilles/hague-apostille-country-list; for all the others, the documents have to be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Romanian Embassy in their homeland);
   7. Bachelor’s Degree and transcript of records or diploma supplement (if the original documents are written in Romanian, or English, then certified copies are required; if the original documents are written in any other language, then certified translations in Romanian or in English, together with certified copies of the originals are required).
      For residents of countries that have signed the Hague Convention, the Hague Apostille is requested: https://www.gsccca.org/notary-and-apostilles/apostilles/hague-apostille-country-list; for all the others, the documents have to be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Romanian Embassy in their homeland);
   8. Master’s Degree and transcripts of records or diploma supplement (if the original documents are written in Romanian, or English, then certified copies are required; if the original documents are written in any other language, then certified translations in Romanian or in English, together with certified copies of the originals are required).
      For residents of countries that have signed the Hague Convention, the Hague Apostille is requested: https://www.gsccca.org/notary-and-apostilles/apostilles/hague-apostille-country-list; for all the others, the documents have to be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Romanian Embassy in their homeland);
   9. Copy and certified translation of the certificate attesting to the Master graduation exam for current year graduates
   10. Birth certificate (if the original document is written in Romanian, or English, then a certified copy is required; if the original document is written in any other language, then a certified translation in Romanian or in English, together with a certified copy of the original is required);
   11. Marriage certificate (only if the applicant’s last name changed subsequent to marriage) or any other document relevant for the name change (if the original documents are written in Romanian, or English, then certified copies are required; if the original documents are written in any other language, then certified translations in Romanian or in English, together with certified copies of the originals are required);
   12. Passport copy – valid for at least 6 months;
   13. Copy of the document certifying the permanent residence abroad
   14. Two photos (3 cm X 4 cm);
   15. Curriculum vitae (Resume);
   16. Medical certificate (in Romanian, or English) attesting the current state of health (not to be issued for more than one month);
   17. List of scientific publications (optional);
   18. Language certificate. If the candidate intends to study in Romanian language, one of the following documents will be submitted: certificate of proficiency in Romanian language, or preparatory year graduation certificate, or documents proving the graduation of at least 4 years of study in an educational institution with Romanian as language of instruction.
   19. Receipt attesting the payment of the processing fee and the admission fee (only for tuition paying students). The account info: RO 16 RNCB 0106026604700008, opened at Banca Comerciala Romana, branch Cluj-Napoca, str. George Bariţiu nr. 10 – 12, RO – 400027 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, SWIFT CODE: RNCBROBU).

Admission exams will be held by the Doctoral Schools in July and September 2023. The candidate will have to participate to the admission exams organized by the Doctoral School. Only those candidates who are declared admitted will be enrolled officially as PhD students.

III. Enrollment

All candidates that received the letter of acceptance, submitted the admission file and passed the admission exams and fulfilled all mandatory requirements in accordance with the national legislation and university regulations will be included, by the Institute for Doctoral Studies, on the list of candidates proposed for enrollment.

• All candidates need to confirm the place: tuition paying students must submit the the proof of payment for at least 25% of the annual fee (monthly fee x 9/10 months of study = annual fee), state founded students must submit the last diploma obtained in original.
• For the enrollment must be submitted the study contract signed in original in 4 copies

The students who don’t submit all the necessary documents for confirmation of the place and enrollment in the specified period in the admission calendar won’t be enrolled to Ph.D. 

Observation: The academic year starts on October 2, 2023.

FEES for citizens of non-EU countries, and of countries which do not belong to the European Economic Area or Swiss Confederation

1. The admission fee and processing fee for the file
2. The taxes for tuition-paying doctoral students for the academic year 2023-2024 study fees (the monthly fee, and the public defense fee) are subject to approval by the Senate of Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai. (monthly fee x 9/10 months of study = annual fee)

The taxes can be paid by bank transfer at the account info: RO 16 RNCB 0106026604700008, opened at Banca Comerciala Romana, branch Cluj-Napoca, str. George Bariţiu nr. 10 – 12, RO – 400027 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, SWIFT CODE: RNCBROBU). On the receipt it is mandatory to be mentioned the faculty and the academic year (example: Faculty…, 1^st payment 2023-2024).

LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE PROCEDURES FOR THE ADMISSION OF NON-EU CITIZENS, 2023-2024

For the candidates to doctoral studies, the Romanian language competence certificate (mentioned by art. 6, paragraph (c) of MD no. 3473/2017) will be obtained from the specialized department of the Faculty of Letters, and will have to certify a minimum B1 level. The candidates to doctoral studies, who declare (to the potential doctoral supervisor) their intention to pursue at least one part of the doctoral studies in a foreign language, will carry out at least one component of the doctoral studies admission contest in that foreign language. The mentioned component has the role to prove (to the potential doctoral supervisor) the possibility to communicate on the intended topic of the doctoral thesis, will have an eliminatory character, will be marked with pass/fail, and will represent the test of foreign language mentioned by art. 7 of MD no. 3473/2017. For the candidates to doctoral studies, the internationally acknowledged certificates of linguistic competence, mentioned by art. 7 (2) of MD no.3473/2017. They are exempt from this test the persons that are coming from countries where the official language of the state is the language in which the courses are being conducted and which prove, with school documents, that they have attended the courses in that language.

Scholarships offered by the Romanian State to foreign citizens through the MFA – follow the link and contact MFA for more details: https://www.mae.ro/en/node/10251

Romanians abroad:

Admissions Methodology

Under the provisions of Law no. 299/2007 on providing support to Romanians from abroad, republished, with subsequent amendments and supplements, citizens of Romanian origin include: People who freely assume the Romanian cultural identity, persons of Romanian origin, persons from the Romanian linguistic and cultural area living outside Romania’s borders regardless of how they are denominated (armâni, armânji, aromâni, basarabeni, bucovineni, cuţovlahi, daco-români, fărşeroţi, herţeni, istro-români, latini dunăreni, macedoromâni, macedo-români, maramureşeni, megleniţi, megleno-români, moldoveni, moldovlahi, rrămâni, rumâni, valahi, vlahi, vlasi, volohi, macedo-armânji) and all other related forms of the above. Romanian emigrants, whether they kept or not the Romanian citizenship, and their descendants as well as Romanian citizens residing abroad.”

Depending on the language of the doctoral programme, candidates can pursue doctoral studies as follows:

1. In Romanian
   • tuition-free, with scholarship;
   • tuition-free, but no scholarship;
   • payment of tuition fees in lei.
2. In other languages
   • payment of tuition fees in lei;
   • payment of tuition fees in foreign currency.

• Romanian language preparatory year:
  1. Romanians from abroad who do not know Romanian, who have been admitted to undergraduate, master’s and doctoral studies will complete the Romanian language preparatory year in accordance with the applicable legal provisions.
  2. The higher education institutions conducting the Romanian language preparatory year for the 2017-2018 academic year are listed in Addendum 1.
  3. Romanians from abroad who have acquired Romanian language skills in non-formal or informal contexts may have these skills certified and assessed (minimum level B1) as defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Language Learning. Assessment and certification can be conducted, using transparent processes, in accredited higher education institutions in the country that run a Romanian language preparatory year for international citizens or Romanians abroad, through the Romanian language teaching departments of the Romanian Language Institute or the Romanian Cultural Institute.
  4. Higher education institutions that do not run a Romanian language preparatory year shall apply to the Ministry of National Education, hereinafter referred to as MEN, to request that the candidates admitted to their studies be assigned to a preparatory year. The persons who submit Romanian study documents pertaining to study programmes taught in Romanian (diplomas and certificates) or education documents, school reports attesting at least four consecutive years of study in Romanian in an educational unit/institution within the state education sector in Romania or abroad, as well as certificates or proficiency certificates for language skills level B2 minimum, issued by the Romanian Language Institute, are exempt from the obligation to submit assessment results for Romanian language skills when applying for degree programmes in Romanian.
• Documents required to apply for a doctoral degree:
  1. Initial agreement signed by the prospective doctoral supervisor
  2. Application form (template form) and addendum – generated by the Online Application Platform
  3. Curriculum Vitae
  4. List of published papers (if applicable)
  5. Birth certificate (copy and certified translation in Romanian or in an international language; for studies pursued in Romania submission of original documents in order to establish conformity with the original as per Emergency Ordinance no. 41/2016)
  6. Baccalaureate diploma (copy and certified translation into Romanian)
  7. Bachelor’s Degree Diploma with related addenda as applicable: transcript of records and diploma supplement (copy and certified translation into Romanian)
  8. Master’s Degree Diploma with related addenda as applicable: transcript of records and diploma supplement (copy and certified translation into Romanian)

For studies completed in Romania, original documents must be submitted in order to establish conformity with the original as per Emergency Ordinance no. 41/2016.

1. 9. Master’s degree certificate for students graduating in the 2022-2023 academic year (copy and certified translation into Romanian);
   10. Original certificate of authenticity for all diplomas issued before 2008 in the Republic of Moldova (the certificate of authenticity is issued by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova)
   11. Marriage certificate – only for change of name by marriage (copy and certified translation into Romanian or an international language)
   12. Name change official document (copy and certified translation into Romanian or an international language)
   13. Certificate of equivalence of qualification. The education completed abroad is attested by a certificate of equivalence issued by the National Centre for the Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas (CNRED);
   14. Copy of passport/ID card (not certified);
   15. An applicant for degree programmes conducted in Romanian must submit a certificate attesting to their Romanian language proficiency or submit certificates confirming at least 4 consecutive years of study completed in Romania. Without this, completion of the Romanian language preparatory year is compulsory (see the Romanian language preparatory year section)
   16. For degree programmes in international languages, candidates must submit a Certificate of Language Proficiency in an international language or a document/record of an interview accepted by the doctoral school, attesting to a minimum level of proficiency in an international language as per Addendum 1.
   17. Statement of cultural identity duly filled in, signed and authenticated by the Diplomatic Missions of Romania in the country of residence or by the Department for Romanians Abroad (postal address 17 Muzeul Zambaccian Street, 011871, Bucharest)
       Romanian: https://www.edu.ro/sites/default/files/Anexa%20nr%203%20Declaratie%20apartenenta.pdf
       (Romanian citizens living abroad and citizens of the Republic of Moldova are not required to submit a statement of Romanian cultural identity)

Admission fees:
According to OM 4017/06.07.2018 candidates who apply for scholarships offered by the Romanian state: Romanians from across the border, foreign citizens who comply with bilateral cooperation documents, applicants who comply with the unilateral proposal of the Romanian state, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism and the Ministry of Education are exempt from registration fees, document processing fees, enrollment fees, assessment of Romanian language skills fees, fees for the doctoral entrance exam and fees for the assessment of specific professional skills.