Universitatea pentru Științele Vieții „Ion Ionescu de la Brad” din Iași

About Universitatea pentru Științele Vieții „Ion Ionescu de la Brad” din Iași

The university’s origins lie in the Agricultural Sciences section created within the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Iași in 1912. It later developed into an independent agronomic institute, added Veterinary Medicine in 1961 and passed through several institutional names. A government decision in 2021 established the current Romanian name, commonly rendered in English by the institution as “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iași University of Life Sciences. Today it is a public institution in Romania’s national higher-education system. Its four faculties are Agriculture, Horticulture, Food and Animal Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine. This structure makes it a specialized choice: teaching and research are concentrated in plant and animal production, food systems, environmental management, rural development and animal health rather than distributed across unrelated disciplines. The university reports bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral education and maintains facilities for both classroom study and applied work. The national Study in Romania portal describes a main campus of about 15 hectares on Copou Hill, together with three production and research farms and additional practical-training centers. Prospective students should compare the language, duration and professional outcome of individual programs carefully. Most study options are in Romanian, while Veterinary Medicine is also offered in English. The focused subject range can benefit students with a clear life-sciences or agricultural objective, but it offers less flexibility for those who may want to move into fields outside the university’s specialization.

Admission procedures depend on study cycle, citizenship and instructional language. The university’s 2026 online admissions portal provides separate routes for bachelor’s and master’s applicants, including available places, required documents, selection conditions and fees. Candidates should use that live portal for the final 2026 schedule because older methodology documents and archived pages may no longer govern the current intake. International applicants are divided into EU/EEA/Swiss and non-EU categories. The university requires prior studies to be recognized through the applicable Romanian process. Common file components include the qualifying diploma, academic transcript, identity and civil-status documents, a medical certificate and evidence of language proficiency. Documents not originally issued in Romanian, English or French may require certified translation, while legalization or apostille requirements depend on the issuing country. EU/EEA/Swiss candidates may need recognition through Romania’s CNRED; non-EU applicants follow the ministry and university procedure applicable to foreign credentials. For English-taught Veterinary Medicine, candidates should consult the current international methodology for the selection formula, interview arrangements, calendar and confirmation payment. Applicants to Romanian-taught programs must demonstrate the required Romanian competence; those who cannot may need a preparatory language year and would not enter the chosen degree directly in that session. Because program capacity and document rules can change, applicants should not rely solely on previous-year guides and should confirm requirements with the appropriate faculty or International Relations Office before submitting originals or non-refundable payments.

Academic provision spans three recognized cycles: bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral study. The four-faculty structure covers Agriculture, Horticulture, Food and Animal Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine. Official undergraduate listings include fields such as agronomy, biology, agricultural engineering and management, food engineering, horticulture, landscape design, environmental engineering, agricultural biotechnology, animal sciences and veterinary medicine. Applicants should use the current admissions catalogue to confirm which specializations actually recruit in a given year. Program length varies by field. The university’s academic regulations state that most engineering-oriented bachelor’s programs last four years and carry 240 ECTS, Biology lasts three years, and Veterinary Medicine lasts six years with 360 ECTS. Master’s programs are generally presented as two-year specializations. Doctoral education is available through the university’s doctoral-study organization in areas connected to its institutional profile, including agronomy, horticulture, animal husbandry, agricultural management and veterinary medicine. The instructional language is a decisive constraint for international applicants. The university’s international admissions material states that Veterinary Medicine is available in Romanian and English, while the other three faculties’ programs are taught in Romanian. Students without the required Romanian proficiency may need to complete a Romanian-language preparatory year before entering a Romanian-taught program. Academic work is supported by laboratories, veterinary facilities, teaching farms and field-practice locations. This applied infrastructure suits programs in which clinical, biological, production or environmental practice is integral, although the precise practical schedule and placement arrangements depend on the faculty and curriculum.

Key Highlights

• Public university in Romania’s national higher-education system
• Agronomic higher education in Iași dates to 1912
• Current life-sciences name was adopted in 2021
• Organized into four specialist faculties

Student Life & Environment

Student life is centered on the university’s Copou campus rather than dispersed across Iași. The national Study in Romania portal reports five university hostels with more than 1,750 places, while the university’s campus map identifies residence buildings, the library, faculty facilities, veterinary clinics, laboratories, greenhouses, a café and administrative services. Accommodation is therefore available, but the university does not promise a room to every applicant; students should verify allocation rules, room standards and 2026/2027 prices directly with the social services or admissions office before budgeting. The campus also includes sports infrastructure. The university describes indoor sports halls, tennis and handball courts, an athletics track and a stadium, alongside opportunities to participate in organized sporting activities. A university canteen operates in the Copou area, although service arrangements and prices can change by academic year. Academic and social integration may be particularly important for international students because most programs operate in Romanian. The International Relations Office says it assists international students with arrival, integration and practical guidance. The university also provides information about scholarships, student societies, Erasmus+ mobility and career guidance through its student pages. Students considering the English Veterinary Medicine program should still expect daily life beyond the classroom to take place largely in a Romanian-speaking city and campus environment.

Location & Surroundings

The university is in Iași, a major university and cultural center in northeastern Romania, near the border with Moldova. Its principal campus occupies approximately 15 hectares on Copou Hill in the northern part of the city. Copou is an established academic district, giving students access to other universities, parks and city services while keeping the university’s teaching, housing and specialist facilities relatively concentrated. The national Study in Romania portal places Iași about 394 kilometers from Bucharest and approximately 144 kilometers from Chișinău. Students traveling internationally should plan connections carefully because journey time and available routes vary. Local transport is needed for movement between the campus, railway or airport connections and the rest of the city. Some practical education occurs away from the main campus. The university reports production and research farms at Ezăreni, Adamachi and Rediu, as well as training sites elsewhere in Romania. This is academically relevant for agriculture, animal and environmental programs, but it also means that fieldwork may involve travel beyond central Iași. Applicants should ask their faculty how transportation and accommodation for off-campus practice are organized.

Costs & Career Outcomes

Costs vary substantially by citizenship, funding status, language and field. No single database tuition figure was supplied for this record, so applicants need an individual budget based on the current university fee schedule. The international admissions page last updated in February 2025 listed a €100 application fee and €5,950 per academic year for English-taught Veterinary Medicine, with the same stated tuition for EU and non-EU students. It also listed monthly euro rates for self-funded non-EU students in Romanian-taught programs. These are 2025-published figures, not verified 2026/2027 prices, and should be treated only as planning references until the university releases or confirms the applicable schedule. EU/EEA/Swiss students entering Romanian-taught programs are directed to the fees approved for Romanian citizens. Some places may be state-funded, while fee-paying places follow Senate-approved rates. Housing, meals, transport, books, insurance, residence formalities and travel to practical-training locations should be budgeted separately. Current hostel tariffs and a guaranteed-housing policy were not found in the reviewed 2026 material. Career preparation is closely tied to the university’s specialist disciplines. Its programs lead toward areas such as agricultural production and consulting, horticulture and landscape work, food processing and quality control, environmental management, animal production, rural business and veterinary practice. Teaching farms, laboratories and veterinary facilities provide settings for applied training. However, professional recognition is separate from graduation: international Veterinary Medicine applicants in particular should check licensing and degree-recognition rules in the country where they intend to work. The reviewed sources do not provide current graduate employment rates, employer outcomes or salary data.