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Oct-Jun Academic Year
4 Listed Institutes
1 Ranked Universities
13,000 Int. Students
285,000 Students
7,045,259 Population

Study in Bulgaria

In spite of Bulgaria being a less popular study destination, students receive high-quality education. Increasing mobility and links between Bulgarian higher education systems and universities around Europe provide great diversity and lead to a strong foundation for a future career.

Bulgaria´s higher education system was reorganized in the mid-1990s, after the fall of the communist regime. Between 1995 and 2002, the number of university graduates increased from 33,000 to 50,000. In 2002, 42 institutions of higher learning were available in the country, with 215,700 students enrolled. Since 2007, Bulgaria is a member of the European Union and Bulgarian Higher Education degrees are fully recognised in EU member states.

Presently, higher education institutions include Universities, Colleges and Specialized Education Schools. All institutions of Higher Education in Bulgaria are autonomous and responsible for programme design and quality. Almost all universities in the country have Bulgarian accreditation and some have double accreditation from foreign institutions.

Find the best information about what it’s like to study in Sofia, including degree course offers, career opportunities, student life, living costs, and more.

Higher education degrees

Higher education in Bulgaria provides applicants with the following degrees options:

College degree – obtained after three years of studies;
Bachelor’s degree – obtained after three to four years of studies;
Master’s degree – obtained after one year with a completed Bachelor’s degree (or 5 years if taken directly after graduating high-school);
PhD or Doctorate degree – obtained after three years of studies, only available for applicants with a Master’s degree.

General application requirements

Documents required for a Bulgarian university application include:

A completed application form;
A validated copy and a certified translation of the applicant’s high-school diploma;
Applicants for Master’s degree courses should present a validated copy and a certified translation of a diploma (Bachelor’s or Master’s) accompanied by a transcript of study records;
A medical certificate issued not earlier than one month before the application procedure;
A photocopy of the applicant’s passport/identity card;
Four recent photographs of the applicant;
Certificate of English, French or German proficiency for those wishing to study in an international language. If you have good command of the language and you do not have an international certificate, you may take a language test at a Bulgarian high education institution.

Admission criteria vary between Bulgarian universities. In most cases, admission is based on application file documents, without an entrance exam. The only exam is for prospective European students who need to apply for a Bulgarian scholarship.

For more information visit: http://www.studyinbulgaria.com/application-documents/

Study courses

Bulgarian study courses are available in various fields such as medicine, mathematics, computer sciences, engineering, chemistry, biology, linguistics, etc. Students choosing to complete a medical degree in Bulgaria are free to take internships in countries throughout the EU.

International students wishing to study in Bulgarian must follow a preparatory one-year course. These are designed for students who require additional knowledge of language of instruction or who need to review basic science subjects for university studies. Citizens of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, who would like to receive financial assistance from the Bulgarian Government, must learn Bulgarian.

Teaching methods

Courses are career-focused and lectures interest-driven. Classes take place in compact study groups. Extracurricular activities allow students to gather helpful life experience while enjoying their free time. Tutoring is a common practice in Bulgaria, supporting personal and professional improvement.

Assistance

Consultation services assist international students looking to study in Bulgaria by providing information and help with the application process and moving to the country. Students receive personalized counselling for choosing a Bulgarian university that is right for them. Comprehensive continuous support services are available throughout the academic year.

Credit transfer from previous studies is possible.

Grading

The grading scale in Bulgarian high education institutions is based on grades from 2 to 6. Grades below 3 are failing grades. These grades are used when calculating Grade Point Average (GPA).

Language of instruction

Bulgarian universities have more than 20 years of experience in teaching international languages such as English, French or German. Some Bulgarian universities offer classes taught in English, French or German and provide double degrees through partnerships with universities abroad. Some universities offer programmes fully taught in English.

English language preparation courses for studying in Bulgaria

Develop your academic English language skills in order to meet the English language requirements at Bulgarian universities offering degree studies for international students. Choose an English language school anywhere in the world and pick your preferred English exam preparation course from diverse language course options.

Living in Bulgaria

Low costs for living, accommodation and student tuition fees.
Minimum cost of living in Bulgaria for a foreign student, including dormitory at the campus (double share basis), food, transportation and other miscellaneous is in the range of 310-430 EUR/month (without tuition costs)
Depending on the University and the education speciality chosen, the tuition fee varies from around 2,500 Euro/year to 8,000 Euro/year. For those who will attend Bulgarian or English language preparatory course the general fee is 1,500 Euro to 4,000 Euro per year.
Bulgaria is ideal for retirement because of Bulgarian low prices, good health care facilities and mild climate.
Outdoor activities include: going to the beach in summer, skiing in the winter, golf, hiking, horse-riding, fishing, football, photography, bird-watching, etc.
Most tourists choose a summer vacation on the Black Sea coast.
Locals are very hospitable.
Most universities offer student hostel accommodation. The monthly student hostel accommodation rent varies from 35 to 70 Euros per months.
International students prefer to rent or share a private flat close to the University grounds. The monthly rent costs 200 to 300 EUR.
Signing a contract with the landlord/landlady is mandatory for non-EU students.
A two-person dinner costs around 10 EUR. A bottle of Bulgarian wine costs about 3 EUR.
Bulgarians are famous for growing many kinds of roses. Roses grown in Bulgaria’s “Rose Valley” produce 70-85% of the world’s rose oil used in perfumes.
Bulgaria is one of the world’s biggest winemakers producing 200,000 tonnes a year.
Bulgarians shake their heads to mean yes and nod for no.

About Bulgaria

The Republic of Bulgaria is located in South-Eastern Europe on an area of 110,910 sq. km. Bulgaria occupies a portion of the eastern Balkan peninsula and shares a border with Turkey and Greece to the south, Macedonia and Serbia to the west, Romania to the north, and the Black Sea to the east. The coastline has a length of 354 kilometres. The most notable geographic features include the Danubian Plain, the Balkan Mountains, the Thracian Plain and the Rhodope Mountains.

The capital, Sofia, lies in the western region of the country. Other major cities include Plovdiv and Varna.

The first unified Bulgarian state dates back to 681 CE, which functioned as a cultural hub for Slavs during the Middle Ages. With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1396, its territories came under Ottoman rule for nearly 500 years. In 1946, Bulgaria became a single-party socialist state. In December 1989, Bulgaria transitioned from a communist to a democratic state. Bulgaria entered the EU on 1 January 2007. In contrast to some Euro-zone states, Bulgaria does not have huge international debts. The country still ranks as the poorest member state of the EU, but standards of living have started to rise. Unfortunately Bulgaria has been affected by high profile corruption scandals especially regarding the Interior Ministry, which is severely hindering Bulgaria's progress and development.

Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic with a high degree of political, administrative, and economic centralisation. The strongest sectors of the economy are heavy industry, power engineering, and agriculture. The national currency is the Leva.

Bulgaria has a dynamic climate, at the meeting point of Mediterranean and continental air masses. This results in continental-mild summers and cold, snowy winters.

Bulgaria gave the world the Cyrillic alphabet, the second most-widely used alphabet in the world, which dates from tenth century AD.