SDG 1. No Poverty

• Centre of Research and Innovation in Social Services, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work
• Centre for Social Policies, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work

• Diversity and Equity at the University of Bucharest- UB4all (RO: Diversitate și echitate la Universitatea din București )

The University of Bucharest has targets to admit students who fall into disadvantaged categories, as defined by legislation and the specific national context in Romania.

• Article 205 of the National Education Law no.1/2011, with subsequent amendments and additions, states in paragraph 6: “Candidates from high socio-economic risk or socially marginalised backgrounds – Roma, high school graduates from rural areas or towns with less than 10,000 inhabitants – may benefit from several guaranteed subsidised places, according to the law”. Thus, the Ministry of National Education assigns yearly places to universities for Roma candidates and rural high school graduates (ORDER No.
  434/2022 of 21 december 2022 on the correlation by transfer of the number of places between cycles of university studies and the number of places – study grants-first year- financed from the state budget for state higher education institutions, for the academic year 2022-2023) and who thus can apply separately for undergraduate degree programmes (respectively master and doctorate for Roma candidates), under the same conditions as Romanian citizens, on places financed from the state budget allocated by the Ministry of Education specifically for this category of candidates. For the undergraduate admission session 2022-2023, the University of Bucharest has obtained and made available to the two categories of candidates 103 study out of a total of 4470 places, 54 for rural candidates and 49 for Roma candidates.
  

• Roma candidates were also offered 42 study places for the Master’s entrance examination.
• It should also be mentioned that both graduates of high schools located in rural areas and Roma candidates can apply both for places subsidised from the state budget allocated specifically for these categories of candidates and places subsidised from the state budget for all Romanian citizens or European Union citizens, or fee-paying places, thus maximising their chances of being accepted to university studies. The University’s strategy is to maximise the occupancy of all available study places.
• At the same time, orphans or candidates from foster homes are exempted from the admission fee to facilitate the access of candidates at high socio-economic risk to higher education,.
• Also, the University of Bucharest, through the UB SEED project – Educational Support for Disadvantaged Students, aims to increase the chances of university admission of students from families with financial and material deprivation through actions carried out over 5 years. As of 2023, the program supported 84 students assigned as follows: SEED I: 28 students in SEED I (entered the program in 2021/2022) who are now high school students, SEED II: 26 students in SEED II 8^th grade (entered the program in 2022/2023) and 30 students in SEED III (entered the program in 2023/2024), who benefit from 4 types of activities: courses, mentoring workshops, and financial support.

The University is working with clear targets for the completion of studies, which include students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

• The Strategic Plan for the period 31.12. 2020 – 31.12. 2023 establishes the indicator IV.10.9. Graduation rate per cohort (Ratio between the number of students enrolled in the first year and the number of graduates with a degree – per cohort) and has a reference value in 2019-2020 of 72% bachelor and 80% master. The strategic plan set a 5% annual decrease in dropout per cohort compared to the previous year. Students in the categories mentioned above are considered when setting this target. To manage their needs and ensure retention in higher education, an Office for Social and Educational Inclusion has been set up and a strategy to prevent dropouts is implemented.

The University of Bucharest supports students from high-risk socio-economic or socially marginalised backgrounds. Support measures cover the following:

• Administrative and legal support: through the Office of Social and Educational Inclusion created with the following tasks: developing and implementing a mechanism to identify vulnerable students; developing internal institutional mechanisms to support the integration of students from vulnerable groups into the UB university community; implementing and strengthening a monitoring system for students at risk of dropping out; developing a programme to provide assistance, support, monitoring and improving access to quality education for students with special educational needs and other students from disadvantaged groups; identifying and attracting financial resources and using them to provide effective interventions that will increase access to and improve the quality of education for vulnerable groups; in collaboration with UB structures, to carry out programmes and campaigns to raise public awareness on promoting diversity and combating stigma and discrimination.
• Access to free healthcare: the University offers free medical services to all its students through the University Medical Office located in the Mihail Kogălniceanu Student Dormitory.
• Affordable food: the UB canteen offers students low-cost meals, that are affordable to all students.
• Affordable/ free accommodation: the University of Bucharest offered in 2022 students around 4,500 accommodation places in 15 student dormitories, covering approximately 80% of all requests. Additionally, students are eligible for an individual grant for private accommodation.
• Accommodation in student hostels is based on the principle of previous academic performance, but 15% of the places are awarded on social or medical criteria (about 600 places). Students who have obtained the minimum number of credits required to pass the academic year and whose families do not have an average net monthly income per family member higher than the minimum net salary in the economy in the 3 months before the application are eligible under the social criterion. For the academic year 2022/2023, the accommodation fees for budget students varied between 150 lei-210 lei (30-42 EUR). Certain vulnerable categories are exempted from paying the accommodation fee: students orphaned by one or both parents, students under social protection and students with severe disabilities and their companions (Art. 25 of the Methodology on accommodation in university hostels).
• Subsidised transport: in the academic year 2022/2023, students benefit from completely subsidized train transportation with up to 90% discount on monthly passes to the public transport network in Bucharest (bus, tram, metro). Our students benefit, on request, from full reimbursement of public transport costs in Bucharest.
• Unrestricted access to educational resources: the students of the University of Bucharest have free access to the central university library and its branches.
• Students are informed of the facilities provided by the university. To this end, a Student Guide has been created with the help of the Students’ Association of the University of Bucharest (ASUB), which includes provisions on accommodation, canteen, transport, scholarships, library, medical office, student mobility, counselling and career guidance and the UB Learning Centre. The guide was updated for the 2021/2022 academic year.

To support students from low-income families in completing their studies, the University of Bucharest offers scholarships and other necessary resources and develops support programmes. 

• Students who do not have a good financial situation (whose family has not earned in the 3 months before the beginning of the academic year an average monthly net income per family member higher than the minimum net wage), students with medical problems, orphans or those from children’s homes/family placement can benefit from a social scholarship of 750 lei. The social scholarships are intended to ensure minimum living conditions for the beneficiaries to complete the university study programmes in which they are enrolled and are awarded for the academic year. Of the scholarship funds available at the University, a minimum of 30% of the total is allocated to social scholarships. The existing methodology also provides that social scholarships can be combined with other forms of support, such as performance scholarships. The forms of support offered by the UB also include occasional social scholarships, which involve social aid for clothing, maternity, or the death of a family member. The complete list of scholarships offered by UB is available here.
• From September 2021 to May 2023, the University of Bucharest developed and implemented a project aimed at facilitating the access of students and teachers to online learning. The project- Access to online education for students with social scholarships from the University of Bucharest (AEOS), financed by the European Regional Development Fund, was launched to create the necessary conditions for online learning activities and to ensure unrestricted access to education for students. Approximately 2,200 students who met the criteria to receive social scholarships and occasional social scholarships, and the 86 teachers involved in their training got access to digital technology – tablets and laptops. Also, the project equipped classrooms and seminar rooms to enable teachers to deliver online courses in the best conditions and at a high-quality level.
• Additionally, in 2022, at the University, the project Increasing social equity for social inclusion and increasing access to higher education was implemented, with the aim of “increasing inclusiveness social inclusion and access to quality education, both within the existing academic community, and for future students, especially those from vulnerable groups”. In 2023, other projects were financed, including Diversity and equity at the University of Bucharest (UB4all) and UB students and graduates – successful entrepreneurs, sustainable entrepreneurs (SMARTBUSINESS).
• In the context of the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine and given the groups of refugees who came to Romania, the academic community supported Ukrainian refugees in various forms. The various forms of support included donation collection, providing accommodation and food for refugees, enrolling refugee students, offering educational support, and others. At the faculty level, there were also remarkable initiatives. It is worth mentioning as a good practice the development of the uni4Ukraine platform, an initiative of a team of students and teaching staff from the Master of International Public Affairs in English (MIPA) programme of the Faculty of Political Science, University of Bucharest (FSPUB), which aimed to identify, monitor and present in one place and in an easily accessible form to the public existing initiatives supporting people who have left or intend to leave Ukraine via Romania, with a focus on their educational needs. As of January 1^st 2023, 36 Ukrainian students were enrolled at the University of Bucharest (21 in preparatory studies, 5 in bachelor studies, 8 in master studies and 2 in doctoral studies).

The University of Bucharest ensures that students from lower-middle-income countries receive the necessary support to complete their studies and offers them support under the same conditions as Romanian students from disadvantaged categories.

• As such, students in these categories can benefit from accommodation in university dormitories, social grants and subsidised transport. The International Relations Office offers students support in this direction.
• To facilitate the integration of international students, the International Relations Department implemented a project in 2022- “Fluid borders and transcultural interaction in today’s academic world”- that included in its objectives the academic and social integration of international students.
• In line with the efforts of the Romanian Ministry of Education to provide educational support to citizens (pupils, students, PhD students) affected by the military conflict on the territory of Ukraine, the University of Bucharest offers detailed information on the website to those interested in transferring to study at one of the programs it offers. It is also worth mentioning as a good practice the development of the uni4Ukraine platform, an initiative of a team of students and teachers from the Master programme ”International Public Affairs” of the Faculty of Political Science, University of Bucharest (FSPUB), which aimed to identify, monitor and present in one place and in an easily accessible form to the public existing initiatives supporting people who have left or intend to leave Ukraine via Romania, with a focus on their educational needs.

The University of Bucharest proposes and implements projects and initiatives to provide financial assistance to the local community and support the start-up of financially and socially sustainable businesses.

• Between December 2021 and December 2023, the University of Bucharest implemented two projects aimed at supporting entrepreneurship through the implementation and development of businesses, respectively:
• INSPIRE 2020! –Afaceri inovative pentru un mediu antreprenorial de succes! INNOTECH STUDENT / Innovative business for a successful entrepreneurial environment! INNOTECH STUDENT
• UBTECH 2020 – Program inovativ de antreprenoriat pentru afaceri de succes / UBTECH 2020 – Innovative entrepreneurship programme for successful businesses
• The activities of the two projects aim to increase the employment of higher education graduates in different fields of activity. Beneficiaries of both programmes can obtain financial support amounting to 287.000 lei for implementing the business plans for 12 months while creating at least 66 new jobs within six months after implementing the business plans.
• Between 3-10 April 2023, the University of Bucharest organized, as part of the project “#UB4friends“, supported by the Embassy of the United States of America and the American Councils for International Education, in the context of the project “4/4 for friends”, a series of activities that aim to recognize the involvement of volunteers in the service of their fellow human beings. These activities included, among others, cleaning green spaces, information sessions on gender equality, activities to prevent school drop-outs and support actions in foster care centres.
• In 2018, the University of Bucharest established the Student Entrepreneurial Society UNIHUB to offer a series of activities dedicated to developing entrepreneurial skills and initiatives. Some of these activities include support for generating new businesses by students and graduates of the UB; development of entrepreneurial skills and competences; workshops dedicated to the creation and development of professional skills and soft skills; mentoring activities for students who want to set up a start-up; meetings with entrepreneurs, on various topics related to entrepreneurship, creating a business, challenges in developing and managing a business, etc.; workshops dedicated to identifying sources of funding for start-ups; internships for students in entrepreneurial companies; working visits to companies to understand business processes; fairs of entrepreneurial companies to make students aware of their experiences; exchange of experience with entrepreneurs and students from other universities in the country and abroad; support for the establishment of a business incubator. Also, within UNIHUB, teams of students who want to launch a start-up can meet and work on their business plans while receiving advice from experts and teachers. There is also a mentoring and consultancy programme within UNIHUB. Applications for the mentoring and consultancy programme are held annually. These activities aim to connect students who aspire to have their own business (or who have already started a personal initiative) with members of the business community, professors and business specialists who have gained professional experience in this field. Through such actions, UB offers support to direct partners (students) and contributes to developing skills reflected in the wider community through job creation.
• In autumn 2021, a micro-production was established at the Faculty of Administration and Business, which aims to familiarise the students of the University of Bucharest with the means and equipment for producing promotional items. Since then, constant investments have been made to increase its activity.

The University of Bucharest implements programmes to improve access to basic services for all. These initiatives can start either from the centralised level or at the initiative of academic community members, including students.

• A concrete action aimed at supporting groups in financial difficulty is the UB SEED (Educational Support for Disadvantaged Students) programme. As of 2023, the program supports 84 students assigned as follows: 28 students in SEED I (entered the program in 2021/2022) who are now high school students, SEED II: 26 students in SEED II 8^th grade (entered the program in 2022/2023) and 30 students in SEED III (entered the program in 2023/2024), benefit from 4 types of activities: courses, mentoring, workshops, and financial support.
• The Entrepreneurship Week 2023 offered young people with entrepreneurial initiatives access to various workshops and learning opportunities while allowing interaction with experienced entrepreneurs.
• Another form of involvement is represented by the activities organised by the student circle Business, Ethics and Social Responsibility (AERS), which implements social responsibility projects that result in numerous donations for those in need.

The academic community members get involved through research that fundaments certain policies and projects that promote concrete change or by initiating or participating in dialogue with policymakers. Some examples for the 2022-2023 include:

• Researchers from the University of Bucharest conducted a study on The access of refugees and migrants to essential social services (health care and education) in Romania, part of a collaboration on a  CIVIS Open Lab addressing Transnational Project on Migration and Civic Engagement in CIVIS Universities. In this CIVIS Open Lab, six member universities of the alliance collaborated to develop initiatives to help people in vulnerable situations. Those six alliances were: the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aix-Marseille Université, Sapienza Università di Roma, Universitatea din București, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid și Université Libre de Bruxelles.
• The Carousel Association and the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work of the University of Bucharest organized the twelfth edition of the Summer School “Risk Groups and Social Support Services“, from 23 to 29 July 2023, in Eforie Nord, Bucharest. The event, which brought together students from various fields such as sociology, social work, psychology, and others, aimed to better understand current social phenomena and environmental challenges and promoted a proactive response to disasters. Kaufland Romania sponsored the event.
• The University of Bucharest is a partner in the Erasmus + Evidence Informed Practice for School Inclusion – EIPSI 2020-1-ES01-KA201-082328 project with a three-year running period (October 2020-September 2023), aims to design and test innovative solutions for teachers and stakeholders – such as school counsellors, inspectors, policy makers – to improve equity and inclusion in schools through the use of evidence-based practices. UB coordinated a work package to develop a development and coaching plan for schools to implement evidence-based inclusion practices. The target group are schools in disadvantaged areas with a high number of immigrant pupils, pupils with special educational needs, and pupils from low socio-economic backgrounds. In each school, the coordinators (management team members, working group coordinators, and school counsellors) participate in the coaching plan, being REIPA promoters in their institution.
• In November 2022, UB hosted the launch of the first results of the studies of the “Romania Agenda 2050” project. This project, which brings together experts from academia and the private sector, aims to kick-start a national conversation on key public policies for Romania’s long-term future based on Romanians’ opinions gathered through a series of national opinion polls. Specific topics discussed include:
  • Society of the future: education, health, population/demographics, pension system, migration, values, identity.
  • Infrastructure of the future: mobility, urbanization, connectivity
  • Environment and resources for the future: climate change, pollution, resources and raw materials, clean energy
  • Economy and business of the future: globalization and localization, taxation, rural economy, debt challenge
  • Technologies of the future: jobs of the future, value of technology, digitalization, people, machines, artificial intelligence
  • Romania’s place in the world of the future: type of republic, country brand, diaspora.