Student life in Cluj-Napoca
Language
During your time in Cluj-Napoca, you will be able to get by in your day-to-day life by speaking English. Young people speak very good English, often better than the English spoken in Spanish-speaking countries. Therefore, you will be able to practice your English on a daily basis and become an advanced speaker in a very short period of time.
English is the language used throughout the degree programme – classes, exams and study materials are all in English. Your results will never depend on your ability to speak Romanian.
After your first year, you will take a Romanian course for beginners in order to achieve a basic knowledge of the language, as you will need it during your internships at the hospital. This is one of the easiest subjects in the degree programme. However, we would like to stress that the official language of the degree programme is English.
Accommodation
The city of Cluj-Napoca offers a wide range of accommodation options at affordable prices. A two-bedroom apartment costs between 100 and 150 euros a month and a single room can be found for 50 to 100 euros a month. If you prefer, you could choose to stay in Halls of Residence, which are even cheaper.
Remember that we will help you find appropriate accommodation.
Expenses
Living in Cluj-Napoca is very cheap. All of the international students that are currently studying or have studied at the university find that the city is much cheaper than their home countries. To give you an idea of what things cost, take a look at the following list of prices:
| Underground, bus or train ticket (one way) | 0.40 EUR |
| Cup of coffee in a bar | 1 EUR |
| Alcoholic dring in pub/club | 1 – 1.50 EUR |
| Pack of cigarettes | 1.50 EUR |
| Drink from vending machine | 0.30 EUR |
| Newspaper | 0.50 EUR |
| Cinema ticket at the weekend | 3 EUR |
| Average precio of flight to the capital (Bucarest) | 70 EUR |
Transport
Cluj-Napoca has its own international airport, with WizzAir offering direct flights to Spain (Zaragoza, Madrid, Valencia). You will also find countless flight connections to other European capitals.
Or you could choose to travel to Romania via Bucarest, which has a wider range of flight options.
The city’s public transport system consists of 25 bus routes, 7 trolleybus routes and 3 tram lines, all operated by the company RATUC (Regia Autonoma de Transport Urban Calatori). Information on available routes can be found on the company’s website. Timetables are not available online – however, public transport in the city centre is fairly frequent, meaning that you never usually wait for more than 15 minutes. Tickets can only be purchased with cash in the special cabins found in most stops, which can be identified by the RATUC logo and the expression “Bilete si Abonamente” (which means “short term and long term tickets”). You can also use taxis to get around the city.
Transport in the metropolitan area of Cluj-Napoca is operated by a number of private bus companies. One of the most important companies is called FANY, which provides numerous daily connections to nearby towns.
Free time
Cluj offers a wide range of leisure and cultural activities, including cinemas, theatres, clubs, shopping centres, museums and gymnasiums. The city has everything you could possibly need.
The most popular places among students for going out at night are: La Gaceta, Crema, Obsesión and Oscar Corvinus. Cluj-Napoca’s nighlife is waiting for you with open arms!
You can organise day trips to some of the many castles found in the region of Transylvania. You can even visit the legendary Bran Castle, more commonly known as Dracula’s Castle.
