Romania is a country in the Balkan region of Southeastern Europe. The preserved medieval towns like Sighisoara, enriched with innumerable castles and fortified churches, make the architecture, traditions, culture, and history of Romania unique from the rest of Europe. Romania's modern and international education system is also praised globally. Let’s look at the detailed process of studying for a bachelor's degree in Romania.  Why Study in Romania?  More than anything, Romania is known for its affordable tuition fees. You are looking at a cost that is 50% less than in Germany, and up to 60% less than that in the UK. But beyond that, Romanian institutions are also known for their academic excellence. Two Romanian universities made it to the top 1000 list while 11 others made it into the top 1500 list of QS Ranking for 2024.  About 33,000 international students are studying in Romania from over 80 countries. The cultural diversity and the social inclusivity create a perfect academic environment.  Read more: Higher Study Opportunities in Turkey for International Students: Process, Cost Romania has a total of 49 internationally accredited universities that follow the Bologna Process. Additionally, each university has a robust ECTS system which makes it easy to pursue an exchange program while studying at a Romanian university.   Besides, the country offers up to 20 hours of work per week for international students which can be converted to full-time during semester breaks and holidays. There is a high demand for Romanian university graduates too. Top companies like Bosch, Oracle, and Microsoft regularly hire international graduates from Romanian universities.  How Can Non-EU Students Apply for Bachelor's Degree in Romania? Unlike Germany and France, Romania doesn’t have a centralized application system for bachelors. This means that students will have to individually apply to the universities and their preferred programs. Here’s a step-by-step guide to applying for a bachelor's program in Romania.  Read more: Study in Thailand: Admission process, cost for International Students Step 1: Program and University Selection The first step is to select a program and university. Like most European universities, Romania offers a diverse discipline to study bachelors. Some of the popular majors include medicine, engineering, management, and social sciences. Specialized engineering subjects like computer sciences are also in high demand.  Students can easily search for their desired programs and universities through the Bachelors Portal (https://www.bachelorsportal.com/search/bachelor/romania) and Free Apply (https://free-apply.com/en/articles/country/798549/degree/1). Note that these websites are only good for doing some basic research into the program. For a detailed guide and application process, make sure to refer to the official portal of the university.  Step 2: Organize the Paperwork  The next step is to ready the paperwork. As Romania follows the Bologna Process, you will need a high school diploma to apply for bachelors. Romania is one of the few European countries where you can study without IELTS/TOEFL (if you choose to study in Romanian). Read more: How to Register for IELTS Exam in Bangladesh Here’s a list of documents that you should prepare beforehand.  - Completed Application Form- High school diploma (SSC and HSC certificate in the case of Bangladesh) - Transcript of the diplomas - Passport and birth certificate (NID is also applicable) - IELTS/TOEFL score/MOI (Not required if you apply for Romanian-taught programs)- Proof of solvency - Letter of recommendation - Writing samples/ Motivation letter - CV/Resume - Medical Certificate. Read more: Study in Ireland: Application process, cost for international students Step 3: Application Submission  You can directly apply to the universities. Some universities accept online documents at the first stage of screening. Others might require you to send translated and notarized documents by post.  Step 4: Wait for the Decision  The last step is to wait for the admission decision. If you apply for Romanian-taught programs, you might receive a conditional offer letter where you will have to study Romanian for 1 year before the bachelor's program.  Best Universities and Popular Bachelor’s Programs in Romania As mentioned above, there are 49 accredited universities in Romania of which 13 make it to the QS ranking. Some of the top institutes and popular programs include:  Babeș-Bolyai University Babeș-Bolyai University is the oldest and largest public university in Romania. Tracing its roots back to 1581, Babeș-Bolyai currently has over 48,000 students in its bachelor's, master's, and PhD programs.  Read more: Study in New Zealand: Application process, cost for international students Bachelor's programs at UBB are taught in Romanian, Hungarian, German, English, and French. Specialized engineering, sociology, and theology-related disciplines are the most sought-after programs at UBB. Yearly tuition ranges between 3,000 to 5,000 Euros or 3,85,347 to 6,42,246 BDT depending on the discipline (1 EUR = 128.45 BDT).  University of Bucharest  The University of Bucharest is the premier advanced research and education university of Romania founded in 1864. The university offers courses in both English and Romanian depending on majors.  Currently, over 32,000 students are enrolled in the University of Bucharest with over 22,000 being undergraduate students. The faculty of Business and administration, specialized sciences, theology, and letters are prominent disciplines of the university. The tuition fee ranges between 2,500 to 4,500 Euros or 3,21,123 to 5,78,021 BDT depending on faculty.  Read more: Distance Learning: Top Universities Offering Online Courses for International Students Alexandru Ioan Cuza University  Alexandru Ioan Cuza University is another premier research-based public university that traces back its roots to 1640. With over 24,000 students, Ioan Cuza University is the third-largest university in Romania by volume. As per the Shanghai criteria, the university placed first in Romania consecutively for three years in 2008.  The university offers programs in Romanian, English, and French. The faculty of biology, computer sciences, mathematics, social-political sciences, history, and theology are some of the top disciplines in the university. The yearly tuition fee ranges between 2,800 to 4,000 Euros or 3,59,658 to 5,23,556 BDT depending on the faculty.  Technical University of Cluj-Napoca The Technical University of Cluj-Napoca is another public technical university founded in 1948 based on the Industrial College founded in 1920. With over 20,000 students, the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca is 4th largest university in Romania by volume.  Read more: Graduate Programs in the US: Guide for Bangladeshi Students The university offers courses in both English and Romanian. As a specialized technical university, the faculties of architecture and urban planning, computer sciences, automation, mechatronics, civil engineering, and environmental engineering attract the majority of the students. The yearly tuition fees range between 2000 to 3,500 Euros or 2,56,898 to 4,49,572 BDT per year.  Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iași The Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iași traces its roots back to 1937. The university currently holds over 16 thousand students across its 11 faculties and 3 departments. As a specialized technical university, all the leading sciences and engineering programs are available. However, not all of them are available in English. the yearly tuition fee ranges from 2,500 to 4,000 Euros or 3,40,658 to 5,23,556 BDT. 

Romania briefly scrambled military jets and neighboring Moldova temporarily closed its air space Tuesday after authorities in both countries reported mysterious weather balloon-like objects traversing their skies. The incidents occurred at around midday local time and briefly raised concerns in the two Eastern European countries, both which border Ukraine and have been affected by Russia’s war. Romania’s defense ministry said it deployed two jets that are under NATO command to its southeastern skies to seek an aerial object it described as being small with “characteristics similar to a weather balloon.” It had been detected initially by radar systems in Romanian airspace at an altitude of about 11,000 meters (36,000 feet). “The crews of the two aircraft did not confirm the presence of the aerial target, neither visually nor on the onboard radars,” a ministry statement said, adding that the two MiG-21 LanceR aircraft stayed in the vicinity for about 30 minutes before returning to base. Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York that “the Romanian fighter jets did not find any object, even if it was spotted on the radar … so no threat for the Romanian airspace.” It was unclear whether the two incidents were related, and neither country said where they believed the objects had come from. The events follow a string of comparable incidents this month in the U.S., in which objects detected and shot down by warplanes included a high-altitude Chinese balloon that traversed American airspace. China said it was a weather balloon that had accidentally drifted off course. Read more: China's Xi expresses support for Iran amid Western pressure The incident in Moldova triggered widespread travel disruption and brief panic when authorities temporarily closed the country's airspace over what they later described as an object “similar to a weather balloon” spotted near the northern border with Ukraine. Scores of flights in the country of about 2.6 million people, one of Europe’s poorest, were canceled or rescheduled. Some were diverted to Romania. “Given the weather conditions and the impossibility of monitoring and identifying the object as well as its flight path … the decision was taken to temporarily close the airspace,” Moldova's aviation authority said in a statement. Romania has been a NATO member since 2004 and a European Union member since 2007. Moldova is militarily neutral and thus not a potential NATO member. It's looking to forge closer ties with the west and was granted EU candidate status last June, the same day as Ukraine. On Monday, Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Russia of plotting to overthrow her country's government and derail it from its EU accession path. Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed Sandu’s claims on Tuesday as “absolutely unfounded and unsubstantiated.”

Romania is likely to issue visas to more than 15,000 Bangladesh citizens from March to September this year, said a foreign ministry spokesperson Thursday. Last year a consular team from Romania stayed in Dhaka for three months and issued around 5,400 visas. As the mission was run successfully, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen sent a letter to his Romanian counterpart requesting him to operate another consular mission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) spokesperson Seheli Sabrin said during a weekly briefing. "After that, Romania showed interest in running a consular mission in Dhaka for six months from March to September to facilitate the issuance of visas to Bangladeshis," she added. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is making all the arrangements for the operation of the consular mission of Romania in Dhaka, Seheli said.

Romanian Ambassador to Bangladesh Daniela-Mariana Sezonov Tane has called upon the Bangladeshi business representatives to visit the southeastern European country to boost bilateral business ties. Daniela paid a courtesy call on Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) President Md Jashim Uddin on Monday. The ambassador said her country has progressed a lot in chemical products, machinery, energy, clean energy, and solar power production. "We will conduct gas exploration in the sea by 2026." However, she also said: "Most of the people from Bangladesh with Romanian visas disappear from the airport to move to other European countries. The Romanian government suffers financial losses for paying the agencies." Read more: Momen thanks Romania for issuing visas from Dhaka The FBCCI president said more skilled people could be sent to Romania from Bangladesh if job opportunities with good salaries are ensured. "The concerned ministries would provide the necessary support in this regard." "Bangladesh has huge potential in the IT sector along with readymade garments, textile, food processing, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, plastic products, jute and jute products," he added. "About seven lakh people are involved in freelancing. If these freelancers get more work orders, the sector will get a boost. The hiring companies will also get benefitted." Jashim also urged the envoy to work for strengthening business-to-business (B2B) engagements between Romania and Bangladesh, according to a media release issued by FBCCI. Read more: 50 Years of Relations: Romania keen to deepen ties with Bangladesh  

The European Union (EU) created more than 1.37 million jobs in sports, 0.7 percent of its total employment, in 2021. The number of people working in sports in the EU recovered after falling during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns (1.37 million in 2019; 1.31 million in 2020), according to the EU's statistical office Eurostat. Employment in sports includes sports-related occupations (professional athletes, professional coaches in fitness centres), non-sports occupations (receptionists in fitness centres), and sports-related jobs outside the sports sector (school sports instructors). In recent years, several European plans and programmes gave sports a significant profile. The EU countries with the highest share of people working in sports were Sweden (1.4 percent of total employment), Finland (1.3 percent), Spain and France (1.1 percent).

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has thanked the Romanian government for issuing visas for Bangladeshis from Dhaka. The Romanian Embassy in Delhi issued 580 visas for Bangladeshis in 2020, 2,869 in 2021 and 1,180 in 2022 (January to April 16). Now Romania is issuing visas from Dhaka. Also read: FM inaugurates Bangabandhu Gold Cup football tournament in Sylhet "We are thankful to the Romanian government for their effective initiative of taking Bangladeshis after my fruitful meeting with Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu in October 2021," Momen said on Monday. A good number of Bangladeshis are also going to Romania from the Middle East and Malaysia with valid work visas, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also read: No chance of Chinese debt trap: FM

A consular team from Romania is expected to arrive Dhaka on April 15. They are likely to start providing visa services from April 17, according to Bangladesh Embassy in Romania. Also read:Romania to send Consular team to Dhaka for 3 months Interested applicants have been advised to submit visa files to the designated desk at the BMET building in city's Kakrail. The Romanian Foreign Ministry is sending the Consular team to Dhaka for three months to issue about 5000 visas including 3400 pending visas. "They need some local assistance. This is the first time that they are sending such kind of consular mission abroad," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said on Monday.  Also read:Romanian ambassador presents credentials to President Hamid amid hope of growing Dhaka-Bucharest ties Following the bilateral consultation held in October 2021 between the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the two countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania approved opening of the temporary Consular office in Dhaka and sending a delegation for three months.

Speakers at a dialogue on Tuesday said that establishing a diplomatic mission of Romania in Dhaka will foster bilateral trade and investment as well as exporting of skilled workforce from Bangladesh to the East European country. Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) organized a dialogue on “Exploring Trade and Investment Opportunities between Bangladesh and Romania” in the capital. Read:Suspicious Transaction Reporting up by 43.67%: BFIU Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh was present as chief guest while the Mayor of Bucharest, Romania Robert Negoita was present as special guest at the function.   Taposh urged the government of Romania to establish their diplomatic mission in Dhaka that will foster bilateral trade relations to a new height. He also hoped for an intense trade relationship between Bangladesh and Romania but for that exchange of visit of the business community is more important, he added. Mayor of the 3rd District of Bucharest, Romania Robert Negoita called for a reciprocal relationship among the business community of both the countries. In that case, the exchange of business delegation will enhance the communication, he said. Romania can be the gateway to Europe for Bangladesh, and to avail this opportunity investing in Romania will boost Bangladesh’s export to Europe, he added. He said that they can provide agriculture products and technology to Bangladesh. “Textiles products of Bangladesh have a good opportunity in Romania. The Romanian textile sector needs skilled workforce that Bangladesh has an opportunity to export,” he added. DCCI President Rizwan Rahman said that the government of Bangladesh is now emphasizing on intensifying economic diplomacy and prioritizing global integration. He said that the cross-border trade link of Bangladesh is in good shape with Europe, USA, Africa and Middle East. Romania has been a proven export destination of Bangladesh for a long. “The bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Romania hovers around $49.97 million of which Bangladesh imports only $27.39 million. The trade needs to grow with a win-win situation exploiting new opportunities to expand economic cooperation in many dimensions,” he added. He requested Romanian businessmen to source furniture, plastic, pharmaceutical, ship, jute, leather products and RMG from Bangladesh at a relatively competitive price. Read:Bangladesh keen to sign FTA with South Korea, Tipu Munshi tells Ambassador Bilateral Investment Treaties (BIT), signed in 1987, can be implemented to allow Romanian investors to invest in Bangladesh rewarding and competitive economic zones in the aforesaid sectors including the automobile sector, Rizwan said. DCCI and the Romanian private sector can play pivotal roles to harness mutual potentials, he also said. To steer all potential economic cooperation, he later urged the Romanian government to resume its diplomatic mission in Dhaka. Benjir Ahmed MP, Former President, BAIRA, Mansoor Ahmed, Senior Vice President of BKMEA, Md. Nurul Amin, Member of National Skills Development Authority (NSDA), among others, spoke at the function.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Saturday said 28 crew members of Bangladeshi ship "Banglar Samriddhi" will soon return home as they have safely crossed the border leaving war-ravaged Ukraine.  “They’ll soon return to Bangladesh,” he told reporters at a programme held in the Jatiya Press Club. Bangladesh Ambassador to Poland Sultana Laila Hossain said the 28 crew members were on the way to Romania from Moldova and scheduled to reach there within few hours. The government has made necessary arrangements for their return as their relatives are eagerly waiting to get reunited at home.  Earlier, the crew had been taken to a relatively safe place from the ship that came under attack leaving its third engineer dead on Wednesday. The Foreign Minister, however, could not tell about the progress over bringing back the body of Engineer Hadisur Rahman who was killed during a rocket attack on the ship. Expressing deep condolences to the near and dear ones of deceased Hadisur Rahman, the Russian Embassy in Dhaka on Thursday said the Russian side "bends every effort" to ensure safe departure of the Bangladeshi ship from the port. The Command of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, relying on the objective monitoring data, has repeatedly stated that, during the retreat, the Ukrainian nationalists open indiscriminate fire and deliberately capture hostages, use them as a “human shield”, resorting to the well-known terrorists’ tactic, said the Embassy. The BSC ship was positioned in the inner anchorage of Olvia port (Ukraine), when Hadisur was killed due to a missile attack. Also read: Trying to shift stranded sailors from Ukraine to Romania, says Foreign Secy

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Friday said efforts are underway to bring 28 crew of Bangladeshi ship "Banglar Samriddhi" to Romania from war-ravaged Ukraine. Talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he also said around 600 Bangladeshis have so far reached Poland from bordering Ukraine fleeing the strife. Read:Bangladeshi crew in Ukraine: Govt trying to evacuate them to Poland, says Shahriar In a video message earlier on Thursday, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said the Bangladeshi crew members had already been taken to a relatively safe place from the ship that came under attack leaving its third engineer dead on Wednesday. The ship had also been declared abandoned. The government initially tried to move the crew members to Warsaw, Poland. The sailors are also carrying with them the body of deceased Hadisur Rahman, a 47-year-old Bangladesh national. The state minister said the government, in consultation with the Shipping Ministry, will bring back the 28 sailors along with the body of the third engineer if they can safely leave Ukraine. Bangladesh Ambassador to Poland Sultana Laila Hossain talked to the captain of the ship.