Education Ministry: Number of foreigners at universities in Bulgaria increasing
The number of foreigners at universities in Bulgaria is increasing, the Education Ministry said on November 28.
The ministry said that in the 2021/2022 academic year, there were 16 525 foreign students attending universities in Bulgaria, accounting for 8.2 per cent of all students in the country.
It said that in 2013, foreign students at Bulgarian universities made up 4.1 per cent of the total.
Citing the National Map of Higher Education in Bulgaria, which has been published for public discussion, the ministry said that Bulgaria was the EU country with the highest number of students studying medical specialities.
Of those studying medicine in Bulgaria, 58.5 per cent were foreigners, the ministry said.
It said that there were 200 781 university students in Bulgaria, less than half – 48 per cent – of the total capacity of all higher education institutions in the country, according to the National Agency for Assessment and Accreditation.
Fifty-seven per cent of students in Bulgaria were women, and in some fields, women made up almost all the students. For example, 96 per cent of those doing education degrees were women.
The National Map of Higher Education was adopted by Cabinet decision in 2021.
The ministry said that it is updated annually, and the information from it is used to determine state policy on higher education, including admissions in certain fields and specialties and the opening of new universities or affiliates .
“The goal is to have a balanced development of the network of higher education institutions that meets the real needs of the regions and the forecasts for the labour market,” the ministry said.
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