About AIST

The American International School of Transylvania Association (AIST) is a non-profit organization founded by a team of young, creative people passionate about education—teachers and parents alike. Our primary goal is to be “The Open Gate to the World!”, supporting the extraordinary potential of children and youth in North-Western Romania to succeed in life as adults of exceptional human value and internationally recognized professionals.

Through the educational activities we implement, we aim to invest in the younger generation so that children have healthy foundations to succeed in any field they choose and wherever their steps may lead them around the world.

In everything we do, we promote excellence in education and highlight its role in increasing everyone’s well-being. Thus, we support the proactive participation of children, youth, and citizens in community life, as well as the multicultural dimension and diversity they can benefit from amidst today’s challenges.

Using interactive methods, our team inspires children to learn foreign languages in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, opening their horizons toward Romanian culture as well as cultures and civilizations from other parts of the world. We serve both typical children and children with disabilities, from urban and rural environments, from foster care centers or traditional families, as well as youth and adults with programs tailored to their needs and abilities.

Our association organizes foreign language courses for children starting from age 3, general knowledge competitions, workshops promoting European cultures and civilizations, environmental greening actions, anti-drug and volunteering awareness campaigns, and events marking global holidays.

We are the only operational unit in Maramureș for The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award personal development program for youth, and one of the youth organizations accredited by the European Commission for the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programs. To date, over 300 young people from 25 countries have shared our vision of education, bringing an international spirit to all our programs.

We are proud to be partners of the British Council in conducting preparation courses and hosting all exams in the Cambridge English cycle, and in 2016 we organized for the first time in Baia Mare an independent assessment of children’s real English proficiency level. All our courses conclude with independent evaluations confirming our high quality standards.

We aim to support education in kindergartens, schools, high schools, and universities in Baia Mare, adding value to the formal education that children and youth from urban and rural Maramureș receive, regardless of their parents’ social status, ethnic origin, or religious affiliation.

The desire for self-improvement is the engine that drives the performance of the American International School of Transylvania, achieved through hard work, perseverance, creativity, and continuous learning. Having supported the progress of over 35,000 children and youth, we firmly believe that only by investing in them can we hope for a better life for us all and fulfill our mission of being The Open Gate to the World!