Admission

Education Doctoral studies Doctoral schools Doctoral School of Film and Intermedial Studies Admission

Admission

ADMISSIONS METHODOLOGY FOR THE 2026-2027 ACADEMIC YEAR (IN ROMANIAN)

Number of places available for the 2026–2027 academic year:

3 tuition-free places with doctoral scholarships;
3 tuition-free places;
3 tuition-paying places.

Scholarship amount: RON 3700 per month for 12 months

Tuition fee: RON 8000 per academic year

Application fee: RON 250

The application fee must be sent at:

UNIVERSITATEA SAPIENTIA
IBAN: RO02BTRLRONCRT003922181B
Banca Transilvania SA
Transfer details: taxa inscriere

The following categories of applicants are exempt from paying the application fee:

a) applicants who have lost one or both parents, provided that they are under 26 years of age;
b) applicants who were raised in residential care institutions;
c) children of teaching and auxiliary teaching staff employed by educational institutions, including children of retired staff members belonging to these categories;
d) children of clergy members of the founding churches, including children of retired clergy members;
e) full-time employees of the Sapientia Foundation and Sapientia University, as well as their children, including in the case of retired employees.

Applicants who are exempt from paying the application fee under the conditions listed above must submit supporting documents certifying their eligibility for the exemption.

Applicants holding citizenship of a country outside the European Union may apply only for tuition-paying places.

Admission examination calendar

31 August – 4 September 2026, 2 pm.: application period;
4 September 2026: publication of the list of applicants on the Sapientia University website, in the section dedicated to doctoral studies, together with information concerning the admission examination;
7 September 2026: admission examination (Rector's Office, str. Matei Corvin nr. 4., Óváry room):
1. Written examination: 10:00–12:00
2. Oral examination (interview): 13:00–16:00
7 September 2026, 20:00: deadline for the publication of the preliminary results;
8 September 2026, 17:00: deadline for submitting any appeals;
9 September 2026, 14:00: deadline for resolving appeals and publishing the results following the appeals procedure;
10–11 September 2026: confirmation of places and signing of study agreements;
12 September 2026: publication of the final results.

Admission Requirements for the Entrance Examination

Registration for the doctoral studies entrance examination may be done regardless of the specialization obtained through the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Only graduates holding a master’s degree or equivalent are entitled to participate in the doctoral studies entrance examination.

Registration for the entrance examination is conditional upon holding a Language Proficiency Certificate for an internationally recognized language (English, German, French, Spanish), at a minimum level of B2 according to the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). At Sapientia University, this certificate can be obtained through a language proficiency examination held at the LinguaSap Centre.

Before the examination, candidates consult with a doctoral supervisor, establish the research topic, and develop the research project with the supervisor’s approval.

Documents Required for Registration for the Doctoral Studies Entrance Examination

For registration for the doctoral studies entrance examination, candidates submit the following documents to the IOSUD Sapientia secretariat in electronic format:

Registration form, (standard form), correctly completed and endorsed by the prospective doctoral supervisor.*
* For registration for the doctoral entrance examination, the doctoral supervisor’s consent is required, expressed by signing the application and registration form.
Identity card;
Birth certificate;
Marriage certificate (only in case of a name change through marriage);
Language proficiency certificate valid at the date of the examination;
Baccalaureate diploma;
Bachelor’s degree diploma and Diploma Supplement;
Master’s degree diploma and transcript/Diploma Supplement;**
** By exception, candidates who completed their master’s studies in the 2025–2026 academic year shall submit, in lieu of the diplomas, an original graduation certificate. The certificate is issued by the educational institution attended and must state the overall average grade, the grades obtained in each year of study, the number of credits obtained at graduation, the validity period, and the fact that the diploma has not yet been issued. Candidates enrolled in doctoral studies are required to replace the master’s graduation certificate, upon expiry of its validity period, with the corresponding diploma.
Medical certificate issued by the family doctor, confirming that the holder is medically fit to pursue doctoral studies;
Where applicable: the certificate of recognition of studies completed outside Romania, issued by the relevant directorate of the Ministry of Education and Research. Other documents, as required, for foreign nationals, in accordance with the Methodology for the admission and schooling of foreign citizens and Romanians abroad;
Proof of payment of the registration fee.***
*** Children of teaching and auxiliary teaching staff, as well as children of university academic staff and university employees who are currently active or retired, are exempt from paying the registration fee, on the basis of supporting documents. Likewise, persons at risk of losing the ability to meet their basic daily needs due to illness, disability, or poverty are exempt from the registration fee, on the basis of a self-declaration.
Declaration of conformity with the original documents;
Curriculum vitae (Europass) – signed by the candidate;
List of scientific publications in the field (if any); this list should also include a list of artistic works (if any) that have been presented publicly following a professional selection process (at exhibitions, festivals, creative competitions, etc.) – signed by the candidate;
RESEARCH PROJECT.****
**** The research project must be written in the language in which the candidate intends to write the doctoral thesis (Hungarian or English).

The research project includes:

a presentation of the research topic (including justification for the choice of topic, its importance and relevance in the current scientific context, and the delimitation of a corpus of films for analysis);
a brief review of the relevant literature on the topic and identification of the key research problems and the proposed theoretical approach;
a proposed work schedule: planning of the research stages across the 4 years of doctoral study;
an initial indicative bibliography.

Formal requirements for writing the research project:

the research project must be min. 5, maximum 8 pages (excluding the title page); margins: 2.5 cm; font: Times New Roman 12; line spacing: 1.5; footnotes;
the title page must include the following information: Name of the university: Sapientia University of Cluj-Napoca; name of the doctoral school: Doctoral School of Film and Intermedial Studies; study programme: cinema and media; year: 2026; candidate’s name and provisional title of the future doctoral thesis; name of the doctoral supervisor;
the bibliography must be formatted in Chicago Manual of Style: author-date format.

The Entrance Examination

The entrance examination is conducted in Hungarian, the language of instruction at Sapientia University, or in English for candidates who did not complete their studies in Hungarian.

The examination consists of two parts:

Part 1 (Written exam): the questions in the written examination test knowledge of a mandatory reading list; this reading list is the same for every candidate registered for the examination (50%);
Part 2 (Oral exam): interview – assessment of aptitude for carrying out the proposed research activity (applying the recommended reading list to the candidate’s own topic), presentation of the research project submitted at registration, and presentation of a portfolio of prior achievements in the field of doctoral studies (if applicable) (50%).

The arithmetic mean of the results obtained in the two parts of the exam constitutes the final result of the admission exam.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Admission Committee

Written examination: