Students with poor performance will lose budget-funded places

Any student studying on a contract basis who will make effort to obtain a high average grade in the exams will be able to get a budget-funded place, while the students on budget-funded places risk losing them if they have a poor performance, Info-Prim Neo reports. Minister of Education Mihai Shleahtitski said that starting with the 2011-2012 academic year, the budget-funded places and state awards will be redistributed after the summer session, while from the 2012-2013 academic year, the redistribution contests will take place after the winter session as well. “The move is aimed at increasing competition in universities. The grades in the Baccalaureate exams will be taken into account on admission only. I discussed the matter with university rectors and they agreed with such an approach,” said the minister. He also said that students who entered the university with a low average grade often are more successful and perseverant during the year than those with higher average grades. “Emphasis will be now put on performance throughout the year,” said Mihai Shleahtitski. The minister informed that the next academic year about 9,800 places at universities will be available on a contract basis, while 5,400 places will be funded from the budget, but the figures are not definitive yet. The average grade that will allow the students to obtain budget financing differs from faculty to faculty and will depend on the places allocated and the number of applicants.