Bulgaria

Country in Europe

Capital: Sofia
Dialing code: +359
Currency: Bulgarian lev
President:: Rosen Plevneliev
Official language: Bulgarian

Bulgaria is a Balkan nation with diverse terrain encompassing Black Sea coastline, a mountainous interior and rivers, including the Danube. A cultural melting pot with Greek, Slavic, Ottoman, and Persian influences, it has a rich heritage of traditional dance, music, costumes, and crafts. At the foot of domed Vitosha mountain is its capital city, Sofia, dating to the 5th century B.C.

The Republic of Bulgaria is situated in the north-eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. In the north, the country borders Romania, in the south, it shares a border with the Turkish Republic and the Greek Republic, in the west, its neighbours are Serbia and Macedonia, and in the east, it looks on to the Black Sea. Bulgaria has a population of around 9 million. Its capital city is Sofia. Bulgarian is the official language.

Higher Education System

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The higher education system in Bulgaria was changed in 1995 following the passage of the Higher Education Law. Under this law, universities, specialised institutions and colleges are all considered part of the higher education system.

Universities in Bulgaria

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There are 51 universities in Bulgaria, which are well-respected internationally. Academic institutions in Bulgaria offer various programs taught in English, French or German, which are popular among foreign students, and some universities also offer programs which are jointly accredited. English-taught courses are common at master’s level and becoming increasingly common for medical degrees. PhDs usually take three years to complete.

Higher education in Bulgaria follows the Bologna process, which ensures compatibility with the qualifications on offer across European universities. This means that higher education follows the usual stages of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate. Undergraduate degrees take four years to complete, while master’s programs take one or two years (or five years if you directly after graduating from high school).

Three Bulgarian universities appear in the QS University Rankings: EECA 2016, a ranking of the top 200 institutions in Emerging Europe and Central Asia. These are:

Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski

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Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski is the only Bulgarian university to feature in the QS World University Rankings 2016/17®, in the 651-700 range. It’s also ranked within the top 50 of the QS University Rankings: EECA, in 46th place. Also known simply as Sofia University (SU), Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski was established in 1888, and is both the oldest and largest university in Bulgaria, with several campuses spread across capital city Sofia. Offering degrees spanning a broad range of subjects in the fields of humanities, sciences, law, IT, medicine and economics, the university is well-known for its research, including contributions to Antarctic exploration. In commemoration of the university’s centennial in 1988, a group of mountains on Alexander Island in Antarctica were named the Sofia University Mountains.

American University in Bulgaria

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Ranked 151-200 in the EECA ranking, the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) is a private university which was founded in 1991. As the name suggests, it offers courses taught in English, and it has an international faculty and student body, with 39 nationalities represented on campus out of 939 students as of spring 2016. The American University in Bulgaria is located in the city of Blagoevgrad in southwestern Bulgaria, which is home to a large student population. Baccalaureate degrees from AUBG are accredited both in Bulgaria and the US.

Trakia University

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Also ranked 151-200 in the EECA table, Trakia University is located in the city of Stara Zagora in Southern Bulgaria and was established in 1995. It was named after the historical region of Thrace and mainly teaches in Bulgarian, but recently began offering a small number of programs in English, including medicine. Trakia University has around 8,200 students enrolled from Bulgaria and abroad, and students can take part in Erasmus exchange programs and international research projects.