„Celebration at the Palace, hunger in the dorms,” students chant in front of the Government

Numerous students demonstrated nationwide against the new scholarship calculation formula approved by the Government, which would lead to significant reductions.

Although many students are already on holiday or have left university towns, and despite the scorching heat, several hundred gathered in Bucharest, joined by thousands more in other cities.

Among the messages on the protesters’ placards were: “You don’t build fortunes from scholarships!”, “How many scholarships can you make from a minister’s salary?”, and “Cut corruption, not education!”

Here is the message they conveyed before the protests began:

“According to the new formula proposed by the Government, the scholarship fund will no longer be calculated based on the gross minimum wage, but on the net minimum wage. This would significantly reduce the amount allocated per student – from 405 lei/month to approximately 257 lei/month, on average. The measure comes as part of the new coalition’s governing program and is reinforced by Emergency Ordinance No. 156/2024, which froze the fund at the November 2024 level, preventing scholarship updates based on minimum wage increases in 2025,” the students say.