Some English speakers might think of summer school as where you go when you failed the year in high school. In Europe, however, summer schools are attended by adults who wish to continue their education. (Those for teenagers are often called “Junior Summer Schools.”)
The ages of students at Transylvanian Culture and Romanian Language Summer School ranged from recent university graduates to recent retirees. Students at these summer schools tend to be at least 20, with half of the students in language classes being 30 or older. There is often a minimum age of 18.
You just missed the deadline for the Transylvania Experimental Neuroscience Summer School. We doubt Dracula will be there, but Doctor Frankenstein might. (If you apply today, they might still take you if there is space left.)
While most admit graduates and non-students, there are summer schools in Europe that exist exclusively for registered students at another university.
The junior summer schools, in countries like Portugal, are exclusively for high school students or recent graduates. These look like fun summer camps where students can meet each other before starting university. In America, these might be called “summer programs” or a summer semester.
In Romania, however, a summer school might even be a camp for preschool children! Just as “college” can mean a primary school, the English phrase “summer school,” when surrounded by Romanian words, is as flexible as “Black Friday.” It might be a language school, a university, a summer camp, or almost anything.
Of course, a Junior Summer School in Romania usually takes on the Portuguese meaning of a course for pre-university students. There is a Junior Summer School in Babes Bolyai in Cluj that looks like it might be fun for teenagers.
Sometimes summer schools are used to advertise the university to potential master’s and PhD students. We even saw a summer school exclusively for PhD students (but that wasn’t widely advertised).
So, how do you choose a summer school? You might start with what you want to study or where you wish to go.
Hungary and Denmark have good databases for their summer schools, which are part of their educational databases. Romania’s educational website appears to be out of date.
International schools (under 16)
International school of Oradea, and Questfield (an international school in Bucharest), International British School of Bucharest, and others have summer programs for children. Most of those in English are run by International schools, so I would check the international school in your area. (The ones in Cluj do not appear to run them). There are also summer courses, including coding camps, in Cluj.
Romanian language classes for children
The Romanian language studio offers classes to teach children the Romanian language, all year round, including in Summer. We have not tried this, so we do not know how good they are (just found it on Google). They also seem to run classes for adults in the year. So we do we even mention them? Well, they are based in Cluj.
Junior Summer School (16-18)
Cluj’s UBB has a fun-looking summer school for high school students called “Junior Summer University.
Is your teenager fluent in Romanian? Then there are more options.
Also in Cluj (in Romanian) is the Junior summer med school, for those young people who aim to become doctors. And an emergency medical school (in Romanian). There is another one, in Romanian, for aspiring lawyers. These also seem like something a teenager would enjoy.
The University of Craiova’s Open 4 tech doesn’t seem to be something to cry over either.
Private providers
Interested in game design? Gameloft and Echo have a summer school for “young” designers over 16. Perhaps it is a junior summer school? We do not know anyone who attended it, so if you look at the website, you’ll know as much as we do.
Rolangschool and the Romanian Language Institute of Sibiu have summer courses to teach foreigners Romanian. They aren’t in Cluj itself, but Sibiu is not very far, and it is worth visiting.
Universities (18+)
Integrated
Iasi advertises its Jassy Summer schools on a single page. Programs range from tour guiding to biology, from finance to HR. The application deadline is early June, and the school itself is scheduled from the 14th to the 20th of July, 2025. From the photos, the participants seem to be younger than 30, perhaps under 25, but it does not specify itself as a Junior Summer School. You can also find them in the Summer Schools in Europe directory.
Learning the Romanian language
The Universitate de Babes Bolyai (UBB) holds a number of Summer Schools. Each department tends to work on its own, so those who take Romanian will not meet those who are registered with the medical college. The “Transylvania International Summer Courses of Romanian Language and Civilization ” are run by the Center for International Cooperation.
Timisoara has a similar program to Babes Bolyai. While we have not attended their “Romanian Language, Culture, and Civilization Summer School,” we assume that there will be a balance of ages, with 30 being the mean.
The University of Bucharest has its own summer course in Romanian language and culture. running from the 21st of July to the fourth of August. The format in the morning seems very similar to UBB’s in Cluj, with three courses (A1-A2 as beginners, B1-B2 as intermediate, and B2-C1 as advanced), but while in Cluj the workshops involve all levels (and sometimes cost extra) the Bucharest workshops seem to be different depending upon the student’s language level.
Hydrobiology
The environmental department at UBB has a field-based biology summer school. Applications do not appear to be open yet, but last year it was held in the first week of August. (Is hydrobiology scientific code for sweat? August sure is hot in Cluj, and you’ll need to hydrate to keep your biology working.)
Computer science
Information for 2025’s Very Large Databases summer school (yes, in Cluj, at the Technical university) is not yet available, but you can check last year’s website in the meantime.
Violence and injury prevention
Well, SCOPE had a summer school in Cluj last year. They have a base in UBB. It is unclear whether there will be a 2025 summer school.
Neuroplasticity and Neuroscience.
Sorry, we missed the 2025 deadline for the Transylvania Experimental Neuroscience Summer School. They extended the deadline once, so maybe Doctor Frankenstein is still looking for brains, uh, minds, to take the class.
The Foundation for the Study of Neuroplasticity and Neuroprotection seems to have discontinued their international summer school for neurology, unfortunately. Perhaps they just didn’t advertise? Just as your brain can change over time, so can the offer of summer courses.
Travelling summer schools
Some summer schools were in Cluj one year, and somewhere else the next. And others may come to Cluj again. A lot of these only have Facebook or Twitter/x pages. If our readers have a strong interest in certain areas, we might put more info, for now we recommend checking Summer Schools in Europe.
For students only
Some courses seem to be only for students, or primarily for enrolled students (including PhDs and Master’s students) like EPG’s European Green Deal environmental science summer school.