Higher Education

    There are 51 accredited Higher Educational Institutions in Bulgaria and most of them are concentrated in the big cities. From those, the majority are public – 37 institutions and 14 private ones. The types of the higher education institutions are – Higher Education Colleges (as non-university higher education institution), universities, specialized Higher Education Institution equivalent to universities and academies. The degree options are:
-    College degree – three years of study
-    Bachelor’s degree – three to four years of studies
-    Master’s degree – five in total; for Bachelor’s could be one to one year and a half
-    PhD or Doctorate degree – three years, for students who hold Master’s degree
The Bulgarian HEI’s are highly attractive for foreign students, because of the low-cost fees for education and the living expenses. Higher education is seen as good quality by local people and that’s why despite the demographic crisis, the proportion of people with higher degrees is increasing. The tuition fees in most of the public universities are reasonable – for a Bulgarian student the average cost for a Bachelor’s degree could be 4000 euros in total. For foreign students, the fees can vary, depending on the higher institution.
If you are a foreign student and would like to have your Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Bulgaria, you must prepare some of the following documents:
-    Application form – according to the HEI where you are applying
-    A validated copy and a certified translation of your high-school diploma + Bachelor’s diploma (if you are applying for a Master’s programme)
-    A medical certificate issued not earlier than one month before your application
-    Certificate of the language of instruction of the course you are applying (English, German, French or Russian).
-    And of course, some photocopies
Many of the universities offer education in foreign languages as English, German, French and Russian. International students have to pass a preparatory course in Bulgarian (if they want to study in Bulgarian) or any other language offered for the major they choose. Also, the European Credit Transfer System (also known as ECTS) has been adopted under the necessary legislation and has been implemented in the country since 2004.
Some of the biggest universities in Bulgaria are as follows:
-    Sofia University ‘St Kliment Ohridski’ – the oldest and biggest. It is ranked as one of the top 50 Universities according to QS University Rankings. The offered degrees are in humanities, sciences, law, IT, medicine and economics.
-    University of Economics – Varna – established in 1920 is the oldest higher educational institution in the field of Economics on the Balkans. The degrees offered are in Business & Social Sciences and Science & Technology.
-    American University in Bulgaria – founded in 1991, it offers courses taught in English. It is good to know that the baccalaureate degrees are being accredited both in Bulgaria and the US.
-    New Bulgarian University – It is the biggest private university in Bulgaria. The major degrees vary from – Arts * Humanities, Business & Social Sciences, Language & Cultural, Science & Technology
-    Medical University Sofia – considered one of the best medical universities in the country.
-    Plovdiv University – having many campuses around Bulgaria, the university is one of the biggest. The degrees offered are in Arts & Humanities, Business & Social Sciences, Language & Cultural, Engineering and Science & Technology.