Admission to higher education institutions begins on July 21 and ends on August 31. In the 2014 session, admission will take place at 175 specialties of the First Cycle (bachelor’s degree) and at about 500 specialties of the Second Cycle (master’s degree). The admission session will cover 19 state universities and 11 private universities, IPN reports, quoting a communiqué of the Ministry of Education.

Under the admission plan, 19,500 places are available at universities for the First Cycle, including 6,400 budget-funded places, while 8,600 places are available for the Second Cycle, including 3,500 budget-funded places.

A number of 483 budget-funded places were allocated for graduates of secondary schools and lyceums from Transnistria and Bender municipality, while 325 budget-funded places (First and Second Cycles) – for foreign students, based on bilateral cooperation protocols.

This year, 90% of the total places in universities will be occupied by holders of Baccalaureate diplomas, while the other 10% by holders of vocational education diplomas.

Such categories of applicants as orphans, disabled persons and young people whose parents are both invalids will be entitled to 15% of the total places available. Groups that will study in Russian will be created depending on demand and specialties.

Three new specialties are now available at the State University of Moldova, for the First Cycle: Technology of communication in info-documents area; Information and socio-cultural services, and Biopharmaceutical chemistry.

The applicants will again be able to take part in the admission contest simultaneously at several specialties at one or several universities. But they will be enrolled only at one specialty of a university.

The admission session is held based on the own methodologies of universities, approved by their senates. They have their own application and result announcement times and own admission formulas, which are mainly based on the average grade in the Baccalaureate exams, the average grade in the three years of high school studies and the average grade in the specialty subjects. Some of the universities will also give aptitude tests.