The 2026 admissions season brings the highest number of applicants Bucharest has seen in years, driven by a graduating high school class nearly 20% larger than previous years, new programs tied to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, and growing pressure on young people to secure a solid position in the job market early. At the University of Bucharest, ASE, Politehnica, and "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, competition for state-funded seats exceeds, in many programs, anything seen in the past five years.

University of Bucharest: Psychology tops the list

The most sought-after faculty at the University of Bucharest in 2026 is Psychology, with a record 21 applicants per state-funded seat. Next come Foreign Languages, at 18 applicants per seat, and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, at 17.

Journalism remains a steady point of interest, with three growing specializations: Communication and Public Relations, 400 applicants (+14% versus 2025, +54% versus 2024); Journalism, 382 applicants (+6%); Advertising, 351 applicants (+11%). Total applications to the faculty: 973, up from 837 in 2025, a rise of over 16%.

Law draws 1,685 applicants for close to 300 state-funded seats — over 5.6 applicants per seat, up 38% from 2025. Admission runs on a 100-point multiple-choice test covering grammar, economics, and critical thinking, with a minimum passing score of 50. Tuition for fee-paying seats is the highest in the university, at 8,800 lei in the first year, tapering down to 7,550 lei by year four.

One of the sharpest percentage increases across the university belongs to Political Science: the Faculty of Political Science's International Relations and European Studies program, taught in English, climbed from 220 to 323 applicants (+47%), while Security Studies rose from 221 to 292 (+32%).

Similar momentum shows up in the life sciences: Biochemistry, from 505 to 707 applicants (+40%); Biology, from 626 to 868 (+39%) — competition above 10 applicants per seat in both. At the Faculty of Chemistry, total applications climb from 1,033 to 1,213, and Pharmaceutical Chemistry alone draws 419 applicants, nearly 17 per seat, one of the steepest ratios in the entire admissions cycle.

The reduced annual tuition, applicable to most programs: 5,500 lei, against a standard rate of 8,000. Exceptions: Law (tapering rate, see above), Biology (5,700 lei in the first two years), Computers and Information Technology (a flat 5,900 lei), and Political Science programs taught in foreign languages (6,250 lei).

ASE: the strongest season in years

At the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE), Law is the most contested program, with 14 applicants per state-funded seat. Marketing follows at close to 7 applicants per seat, and Artificial Intelligence, in its first admissions cycle, at nearly 4.3 per seat. University leadership describes this as the strongest season in the institution's recent history, with ASE drawing 13% of all high school graduates nationwide.

Politehnica: Computer Science, still the most coveted technical track

At the Politehnica University, most applicants head for Computer Science, with competition at 10 applicants per single seat — the admission average nearly half a point higher than the previous season, a sign of a rising entry threshold. Strong interest also shows at the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology, where the Computers and Information Technology track is the first choice for hundreds of applicants competing for only a few dozen seats.

"Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy: Bucharest's biggest jump

The season's sharpest increase belongs to "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy: 6,916 applicants for 1,947 seats (1,291 state-funded, 656 fee-paying) — over 3,000 more than in 2025 and 2,712 above the 2024 level, gains of 78% and 64% respectively over the two prior years.

Breakdown by faculty: Medicine, 2,727 applicants for 725 state-funded seats (20 of them already filled by national and international olympiad winners admitted without exam); Dentistry, 800 applicants for 190 state-funded seats, the highest competition in the university for a program with a written exam; Pharmacy, 107 applicants for 94 seats; Midwifery and Nursing, 3,282 applicants. The most sought-after specialization within Medicine admissions: Dentistry.

Tuition for fee-paying seats: 19,000 lei for Medicine and Dentistry, 10,000 lei for Pharmacy, 8,000 lei for Midwifery and Nursing, plus a 500-lei application fee across all specializations.

Where the University of Bucharest stands globally

Beyond admissions figures, the University of Bucharest remains the country's top-ranked institution in the QS World University Rankings 2027, placing in the 801-850 band globally, slightly down from the previous edition's 761-770. Its strongest indicators: graduate employability (rank 233 globally) and employer reputation (rank 465). Romania has eight universities in the 2027 edition, down from ten in 2026 and thirteen in 2025 — a sign of Romania's shrinking footprint in international rankings, even as domestic interest in higher education keeps growing.

How admission cycles are structured

Most Bucharest faculties run admissions in one or two main rounds, typically in July, followed by a supplementary round in September for any seats left unfilled. Criteria vary by faculty: written multiple-choice exams (Law, Medicine, Mathematics and Computer Science), a motivation essay or letter of intent (Sociology, Geography, History, Business Administration), or simply an average calculated from high school and Baccalaureate grades.