Approximately 4,000 children and young people from the Transnistrian region and the municipality of Bender are enrolled in Moldova’s national education system, according to data released by the Bureau for Reintegration Policies.
The figure includes nearly 2,000 students attending Romanian-language schools in the region that operate under the authority of Moldova’s Ministry of Education and Research.
During the 2025–2026 academic year, 971 students residing in Transnistria and Bender attended general education schools on the right bank of the Dniester River. Most were enrolled in schools in the Dubăsari, Anenii Noi, and Rezina districts and received public funding under the same conditions as all other students in Moldova’s education system.
In addition, 346 students from the region are studying in state-funded vocational education institutions. The average annual cost of training is estimated at 26,000 lei per student in vocational schools and 32,500 lei per student in colleges and centers of excellence.
Another 674 students from Transnistria are enrolled in public universities in Moldova through state-funded places, including those attending a compensatory academic year. The Ministry estimates that more than 37.4 million lei has been allocated to cover their tuition, scholarships, and accommodation in student dormitories.
Graduates of educational institutions in the Transnistrian region can also benefit from Moldova’s neutral diploma certification and apostille mechanism, which allows them to continue their studies or have their qualifications recognized abroad. As of June 30, 2026, a total of 681 neutral-format diplomas had been apostilled, including 26 during the first half of this year.
The Ministry emphasized that the mechanism does not constitute recognition of diplomas issued by unaccredited institutions in the Transnistrian region. Instead, it provides graduates with a neutral-format educational document that can be officially apostilled by the Republic of Moldova.