Bulgaria

Basic information

The Republic of Bulgaria is situated on the Balkan  Peninsula in southeast Europe. To the north, the country  borders Romania, to the south, it shares a border with Turkey  and Greece, to the west, its neighbours are Serbia and the  Republic of Macedonia, and to the east, it looks on to the  Black Sea.  Bulgaria enjoys a moderate climate with four seasons  – fresh and rainy spring, hot and dry summer, warm and  colourful autumn and chilly and snowy winter. Sofia, its  historic capital city, is located at the foot of the Vitosha  Mountain and is home to many of the country’s universities,  cultural institutions and businesses.  Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second city, will be one of two European Cities of Culture in 2019. The Republic of Bulgaria became a member of the  European Union in 2007 and of NATO – The North Atlantic  Treaty Organisation - in 2004. Bulgaria is a parliamentary  democracy and it applies the principles of rule of the law,  open market economy and equal opportunities.  Bulgaria has a population of around 7 million and  Bulgarian is the official language of the country.   

Basic Education System

The Higher Education Act passed by the National Parliament in 1995 provides the legal framework of the country’s higher education system. The law introduces the following multiple- level structure of academic qualifications:

• Certificate of professional qualification – upon completing a three-year course at institutes and colleges;
• Bachelor’s degree – upon completing a four-year programme;
• Master’s degree - obtained after fulfilling a five year programme at a university, or 1,5 years for Bachelor’s degree holders;
• PhD - three-year post-university, research based programmes.

Under the Higher Education Law, universities, specialised institutes, and colleges are classified as higher educational institutions in Bulgaria. The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and the Diploma supplement were implemented in 2004 under the Higher Education Act. As a member of the EU, degrees awarded by Bulgarian Higher Education institutions are fully recognised in all EU member states and beyond.  According to UNESCO latest statistics, Bulgaria hosted more than 11,000 international tertiary level students in higher education institutions in 2012 – with a small but significant to the country number of internationally-mobile Indian students.

Scholarships

The Bulgarian higher education sector consists of autonomous institutions. Tuition fee waivers are granted for a number of graduate and postgraduate programmes by a resolution passed by the Bulgarian Council of Ministers or under relevant intergovernmental agreements. Apart from that, there are a number of NGOs providing full or partial scholarships to students. Depending on the course and institution, fees for graduate study can range from 200,000 to 400,000 INR per year, although living expenses are relatively inexpensive.

For Further Information

Ministry of Education and science of the Republic of Bulgaria:
https://www.mon.bg

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria:
http://www.mfa.bg/en/pages/110/index.html

National Sports Academy:
https://www.nsa.bg/en

University of Medicine, Pleven:
http://www.mu-pleven.bg/index.php?lang=en&Itemid=128

International University College:
http://vumk.eu/en/index

University of St. Kliment Ohridski, Sofia:
https://www.uni-sofia.bg/index.php/eng

South-western University Neophyte Rilski, Blagoevgrad:
http://www.swu.bg/?lang=en

St Cyril and St Methodius University, Veliko Turnovo:
https://www.uni-vt.bg

University of National and World Economy, Sofia:
https://www.unwe.bg

Angel Kanchev University, Ruse:
http://www.uni-ruse.bg/en

Thrace University, Stara Zagora:
http://www.uni-sz.bg/engl