Students in Romania will be able to take study loans of some EUR 10,000 from the state, through the Loan Agency for Students, starting the next academic year.

“When it comes to the Loan Agency for Students, we are planning a EUR 50 million project over a period of seven years, which means EUR 7 million per year. That means we can offer study loans with an average value of EUR 10,000 to 700 students in Romania,” said Education Minister Sorin Cimpeanu, cited by local Agerpres.

The loans will be available starting the next academic year, and only for students who attend local universities.

The minister also talked about the foreign students who study in Romanian universities, saying that their number is low compared to other countries with similar education levels.

“Foreign students represent less than 5% of the total number of students, which is below Romania’s potential. There are countries in Europe that have an education system with the same quality and where the number of foreign students exceeds 10%, "Cimpeanu said.

He recommended universities to introduce study programs in English, French, and German, to attract more foreign students.

The 2015/2016 academic year started on October 1. Almost 500,000 students are enrolled in Romanian universities this year, including those that attend Master and PhD programs. In 2007/2008 there were one million students.

Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, and Timisoara are the country's biggest university centers.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com