The interim Government approved the admission plan for doctoral studies for the 2015-2016 academic year. There are 320 budget-funded places available for doctoral studies, by 17 more than a year before. Of the total number of places, 307 are intended for scientific doctorate, while 13 for professional doctorate, IPN reports.

According to acting minister of education Maia Sandu, a significant change was made to the approved admission plan compared with the period before the approval of the Education Code. The places for doctorate are no longer allocated for institutions and specializations, as last year, but for large areas of science. These will be distributed by the competent central public authorities, based on scientific performance criteria, to the universities that provide doctoral programs in competition with the doctoral schools authorized temporarily by the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Professional Education.

The number of contract-based places, with payment of tuition, will be set by the temporarily authorized doctoral schools, by informing the Ministry of Education about this.

At the next stage, the Government is to approve the list of doctoral schools authorized temporarily. A number of 18 universities, consortiums and partnerships with research and innovation institutions have so far filed 45 applications for authorizing doctoral schools.