Tuition Fees and Cost of Living for Students in Moldova
By Muntasir • Published Jun 19, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Study Abroad, Study in Europe, Country & City Guides, Money & Budgeting
State-funded places carry no tuition fee for Moldovan students, but most students, and nearly all foreign students, pay contract fees of roughly 6,000-19,000 MDL (313-990 EUR) a year for standard bachelor fields, more for medicine. Foreign students on English-taught tracks typically pay 1,500-1,850 EUR a year. Add around 300-425 EUR a month for housing, food and insurance.
💶 State-funded places: no tuition fee, covers 43-44% of public enrollment
💶 Contract bachelor fees: 6,000-19,000 MDL (313-990 EUR) a year, most fields
💶 Contract medicine fees: 20,000-55,000 MDL (1,043-2,868 EUR) a year
💶 Foreign/English-taught tracks: commonly 1,500-1,850 EUR a year
🏠 University hostel: from around 60 EUR a month
💶 Food, transport and insurance: roughly 265-365 EUR a month combined
Two ways students pay for university in Moldova
Moldova funds a share of higher education places directly from the state budget, and students who win one of these places pay no tuition fee. The rest study on a contract (fee-paying) basis. State-funded places made up 43 to 44 percent of public university enrollment between 2020 and 2023, according to Eurydice . Foreign students, including those from other European countries, generally study on the contract track rather than competing for state-funded places.
Contract tuition fees by field
| Field | Annual fee (MDL) | Annual fee (EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| Most bachelor fields, full-time | 6,000-19,000 | 313-990 |
| Medicine | 20,000-55,000 | 1,043-2,868 |
| Arts | 30,000-51,750 | 1,564-2,698 |
These figures cover programs taught in Romanian for domestic contract students. Romanian and Ukrainian citizens often pay these same domestic rates rather than foreign-student fees, per the same Eurydice data.
What foreign students typically pay
Foreign students outside those exceptions typically pay 1,500 to 1,850 EUR a year on contract terms, according to Eurydice. Medicine costs foreign students far more than other fields, Eurydice reports an average of 7,400 EUR a year for foreign medical students. Individual universities that recruit internationally set their own figures within and above this range. At Moldova State University , published 2026 fees for international students are:
| Program | Annual fee (EUR) |
|---|---|
| Preparatory year | 1,000 |
| Bachelor (Cycle I) | 1,800 |
| Master (Cycle II) | 1,800 |
Fees vary by university and program, so treat these as a reference point rather than a fixed national rate. Always confirm the current figure on your target university's international admissions page before you budget.
Monthly cost of living
Moldova is one of the least expensive countries in Europe to live in as a student. Moldova State University publishes these monthly estimates for international students:
| Item | Monthly cost (EUR) |
|---|---|
| University hostel | 60 |
| Health insurance | 65 |
| Food and transportation | 200-300 |
That puts a realistic monthly budget outside tuition at roughly 325 to 425 EUR if you live in university housing, before personal spending. Private rentals push this higher, and city center apartments in Chisinau cost more than shared rooms further out. See our housing guide for rental price detail by property type.
Budgeting across an academic year
Combine a full academic year of tuition with nine to ten months of living costs to estimate your total. A foreign student on a 1,800 EUR bachelor program living in university housing, for example, faces roughly 1,800 EUR tuition plus 2,900 to 3,800 EUR in living costs across the year, before travel, books and personal expenses. Confirm exact tuition and hostel availability directly with your university, since both vary by program and by year.