Senate eliminates supplementary high school entrance exam / Bill sent for promulgation

On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, the Senate adopted, with 104 votes in favor and three abstentions, the bill eliminating the supplementary high school entrance exam. The measure will apply beginning with the 2026–2027 school year and amends Pre-University Education Law No. 198/2023.

The bill repeals Article 101 of the law, which allowed high schools to organize, after the National Assessment, their own entrance exams for up to 50% of the places available in ninth grade. The Senate is the decision-making chamber, so the legislation will be sent to President Nicușor Dan for promulgation.

The initiative was debated in plenary on September 2, with the participation of members of the Senate’s Education Committee. USR Senator Ștefan Pălărie argued that eliminating the exam corrects an inequity and that eighth-grade students should take only one exam relevant to high school admission.

The provision on entrance exams took effect on September 1, 2026. After promulgation and publication in the Official Gazette, the law will enter into force after three days. The Ministry of Education is expected to issue a new order on the admission methodology603 related to admission methodology.

The Ministry of Education is expected to issue a new order on the admission methodology change its methodology for high school admission.