In Bucharest, the title of “most sought-after faculty” does not have a single answer. It depends on how we measure it: by the total number of candidates, by competition per state-funded place, by the traditional prestige of the field or by the specialisations that have grown suddenly in recent years.

Data published by universities shows several clear directions. Medicine, Law and Automatic Control and Computers remain strong landmarks for candidates in the capital and across the country. At the same time, at the University of Bucharest, programmes such as Applied Modern Languages, Psychology – Cognitive Sciences, Marketing, Business Administration, Information Technology and even Pharmaceutical Chemistry have risen spectacularly.

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An important clarification: universities do not always report their data in the same way. Some use “candidates”, others use “applications”, and one candidate may submit several options. That is why the figures must be read carefully and compared only within the context of each institution.

University of Bucharest: languages, psychology, business and IT

At the University of Bucharest, recent years have brought several clear surprises. In the July 2025 admission session, the highest competition for bachelor’s programmes was recorded at Applied Modern Languages, a programme of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures: 32.2 candidates per state-funded place. In second place was Psychology – Cognitive Sciences, from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, with 26.35 candidates per state-funded place. They were followed by Business Administration, from the Faculty of Administration and Business, with 15.34 candidates per state-funded place, and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, from the Faculty of Chemistry, with 14.12 candidates per state-funded place.

Also in 2025, the University of Bucharest reported competition rates of more than 12 candidates per state-funded place for Universal and Comparative Literature – Modern Language and Literature / Latin Language and Literature, with 12.71, Psychology, with 12.58, Medical Chemistry, with 12.53, Marketing, with 12.43, Technological Biochemistry, with 12.28, and Information Technology, with 12 candidates per state-funded place.

The year 2024 was even more spectacular in terms of competition for certain programmes. At the University of Bucharest, Applied Modern Languages reached 61.9 candidates per state-funded place, Marketing 36.07, Economic Cybernetics 24.34, Information Technology 19.44, Pharmaceutical Chemistry 18.68, and Psychology – Cognitive Sciences 18.28 candidates per state-funded place.

For 2023, the University of Bucharest’s self-evaluation report indicates a different configuration at the top: Psychology – Cognitive Sciences had 36.89 candidates per state-funded place, Spanish, at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, had 18.72 candidates per state-funded place, and Information Technology, at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, had 18.41 candidates per state-funded place.

These figures show that, at UB, interest is no longer concentrated only on the classic fields. Psychology remains highly attractive, but interdisciplinary programmes, applied languages, business and IT are increasingly present at the top.

Medicine: traditional competition remains strong

The “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy remains one of the institutions with the highest number of candidates in Bucharest. In 2024, UMF “Carol Davila” announced a record: 4,204 candidates registered for 1,795 places, of which 1,260 were state-funded and 535 tuition-based.

Also in 2024, 2,743 candidates registered for the Faculty of Medicine for 737 state-funded places, while Dentistry had 877 candidates for 201 state-funded places. Pharmacy had 105 candidates for 100 places, and the Faculty of Midwifery and Nursing had 479 candidates for 222 places, according to the UMFCD press release.

In 2025, interest remained high, even though the total number of candidates decreased compared with the record year of 2024. UMF “Carol Davila” reported 3,877 registered candidates: 2,480 for Medicine, 763 for Dentistry, 96 for Pharmacy and 538 for the Faculty of Midwifery and Nursing. For Medicine, there were 735 state-funded places and 250 tuition-based places, while Dentistry had 194 state-funded places and 80 tuition-based places.

Medicine does not always appear with the most spectacular “candidates per place” figures when compared with smaller programmes, where a small number of places can artificially increase competition. But in terms of total number of candidates, it remains one of the strongest university options in Bucharest.

Automatic Control and Computers: the magnet for candidates who want IT

The Faculty of Automatic Control and Computers at Politehnica University of Bucharest has remained, for many years, one of the most desired options for graduates with a science-oriented background. In 2024, TVR Info reported that Automatic Control and Computers had 17 candidates per place, according to the latest calculations, while the faculty dean said there were 805 places after an increase in tuition-based places.

The data published in ACS admission guides shows the structure of these places: for 2024, Systems Engineering had 250 state-funded places and 70 tuition-based places, while Computers and Information Technology had 330 state-funded places and 155 tuition-based places, meaning 580 state-funded places and 225 tuition-based places, 805 in total.

In 2025, interest remained high from the early admission stage. TVR Info reported that the Faculty of Automatic Control and Computers had 8 candidates per place in the early admission session, an important indicator of the constant pressure on the IT field.

However, a distinction must be made: early admission data is not identical to the final data from the summer admission session. Still, it confirms the trend: Automatic Control and Computers remains one of the faculties with the greatest appeal for candidates aiming for careers in technology, software, automation or artificial intelligence.

Law remains a stable choice

The Faculty of Law at the University of Bucharest does not, in recent data, show the spectacular competition rates reported by smaller UB programmes, but it remains one of the capital’s stable and strong options.

For the 2025 admission session, the Faculty of Law at UB announced 1,304 candidates registered for the exam-based admission and 17 candidates registered through file-based admission, meaning Olympiad candidates.

The number of places for 2025 shows the scale of the competition: 284 state-funded places, plus separate places for Roma candidates, graduates from rural high schools, candidates from the social protection system and people with special educational needs or disabilities. The same document also includes 294 tuition-based places for full-time studies.

Law has a different kind of appeal compared with psychology, applied languages or IT. It is a field with a very clear professional identity, associated with advocacy, the judiciary, public administration, legal consultancy and careers in public or private institutions.

The surprising rises: not only the “classic faculties” attract candidates

If we look strictly at data from the University of Bucharest, the most interesting rises are in areas that combine professional usefulness with flexible specialisation. Applied Modern Languages had 61.9 candidates per state-funded place in 2024 and 32.2 in 2025, showing steady interest in programmes with openings towards communication, translation, business and international environments.

Psychology – Cognitive Sciences is another strong example. The programme had 36.89 candidates per state-funded place in 2023, 18.28 in 2024 and 26.35 in 2025. These values show a clear attraction towards fields at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, education, behaviour and technology.

At the Faculty of Administration and Business, Marketing reached 36.07 candidates per state-funded place in 2024, while Business Administration had 15.34 candidates per state-funded place in 2025. Economic Cybernetics, also in the Administration and Business area in the UB data, had 24.34 candidates per state-funded place in 2024.

There are also surprises coming from the exact and applied sciences. Pharmaceutical Chemistry had 18.68 candidates per state-funded place in 2024 and 14.12 in 2025, while Information Technology, at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, had 18.41 candidates per state-funded place in 2023, 19.44 in 2024 and 12 in 2025.

Conclusion: who actually leads the ranking

If we talk about competition per state-funded place, the University of Bucharest provides the clearest recent examples: Applied Modern Languages, Psychology – Cognitive Sciences, Marketing, Economic Cybernetics and Information Technology have been among the programmes with the highest admission pressure in recent years.

If we talk about tradition and a large volume of candidates, UMF “Carol Davila”, the Faculty of Law at UB and the Faculty of Automatic Control and Computers at Politehnica University of Bucharest remain major landmarks. Medicine had more than 4,200 candidates in 2024 across the entire university, Law had more than 1,300 candidates registered for the exam in 2025, and Automatic Control and Computers was reported in 2024 with 17 candidates per place.

The overall picture is clear: Bucharest no longer has only a few “star” faculties, but several poles of attraction. Candidates continue to choose medicine, law and IT, but programmes that promise new combinations are also growing strongly: psychology with cognitive sciences, applied languages, business, marketing, technology and interdisciplinary specialisations. For the capital’s universities, this is the essential change of recent years.