About 4,000 pupils, students from Transnistrian region integrated into Moldova's national education system

The Government of the Republic of Moldova

About 4,000 children and young people from the Transnistrian region and the Bender municipality are enrolled in the national education system, benefiting from studies in general, technical vocational and higher education institutions. This figure also includes about 2,000 pupils from Romanian-language education institutions of the region, subordinated to the Education and Research Ministry (MEC).

In the 2025–2026 academic year, 971 pupils residing in the Transnistrian region and the Bender municipality studied in general education institutions located on the right bank of the Dniester. Most of them were enrolled in institutions from the districts of Dubasari, Anenii Noi and Rezina, being funded under the same conditions as all other pupils in the public education system, without differentiation based on place of residence or region of origin.

At the same time, 346 young people residing in the Transnistrian region are enrolled in state-funded places in technical vocational education institutions. The average annual cost for training one pupil is 26,000 lei in vocational schools and 32,500 lei in colleges and centers of excellence.

Another 674 young people from the region are pursuing their studies in state-funded places at public higher education institutions, including within the compensatory year. Expenditures of over 37.4 million lei are estimated for their training, the granting of scholarships and their accommodation in dormitories. These measures contribute to the expansion of educational opportunities and to the integration of young people into the single educational space of Moldova.

In order to facilitate the continuation of studies and the use of qualifications abroad, graduates of education institutions from the Transnistrian region can benefit from the mechanism for completing and apostilling neutral-format diplomas. By June 30, 2026, 681 such diplomas had been apostilled, 26 of them in the first semester of 2026. This mechanism does not entail the recognition of diplomas issued by non-accredited entities of the region, but provides holders with a neutral-format educational document, so that the apostille of Moldova can be applied and international educational opportunities can be provided.