In 2024, Bulgaria has 15,737 foreign students, making up 8.6% of all current students in the country. By comparison, this share has doubled over the past decade. This data comes from NACID , updated annually in the Bulgarian University Ranking System. In 2024, almost 9,000 foreign students come from countries outside the European Union (EU), while nearly 7,000 are from EU member countries.
The countries of origin of the foreign students studying at Bulgarian universities are highly diverse. The majority of foreign students come from Greece (20%), followed by the United Kingdom (14%) and Ukraine (11%) in third place. The next chart shows the Top 10 countries, with EU countries in blue and non-EU countries in orange. An interesting fact is that Bulgaria hosts foreign students from all EU countries except Malta.
An interesting topic is what foreign students study in the country. There is a difference between the professional fields studied by students from the EU and those studied by students from non-EU countries.
Specifically, in the Top 5 professional fields preferred by students from the EU are the most prestigious medical disciplines: Medicine, Dental Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, and Pharmacy. Two out of three foreign students from EU countries enroll to study Medicine, and this field is the absolute favorite with nearly 4,500 foreign students. In addition to medical fields, students from EU countries also study majors in Transport, Shipping, and Aviation.
The data for students from non-EU countries shows a greater diversity of professional fields. For them, Medicine remains the favorite, with one out if three students from non-EU countries studying this field. Dental Medicine takes second place again, with 10% of students from both non-EU countries and the EU choosing the dental profession.
The difference between the two groups of students can be seen in the fields ranked in the following positions. Students from non-EU countries, in addition to studying medical disciplines, also study administration and economics (14%) and computer sciences (9%).
The cities in Bulgaria with the highest number of foreign students largely mirror those with the most students overall, namely Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna. However, due to the strong preference of foreign students for medical majors, the next cities on the list are Stara Zagora and Pleven, where there are medical universities. Another city with a significant number of foreign students is Blagoevgrad, home to the American University and the College of Tourism.
Almost all students from EU countries study at state universities (98%), while this share is 10% lower among students from non-EU countries, with just over 1,000 of them studying at private universities.
Foreign students in Bulgaria primarily study at universities that offer medical programs, with 80% of them concentrated in 10 universities.
In line with the preferences of foreign students for the fields they study, those from the EU who primarily enroll in medical sciences mostly pursue Master’s degrees immediately after secondary education (83%). In contrast, students from non-EU countries, who not only study medicine disciplines but also pursue majors in economics and computer science, are significantly more likely to enroll in Bachelor’s programs (42%). At the same time, half of them also study for Master’s degrees after secondary education, which is notably higher than the corresponding share among Bulgarian students.
Among Bulgarian students, the share of those enrolled in Master’s programs after completing higher education is significantly higher (16%) compared to foreign students (6%), regardless of their region of origin.
Among foreign students, the share of male students is higher than that of Bulgarian students, with the male-to-female ratio being nearly equal among students from non-EU countries.
For more information about higher education in Bulgaria, visit the website of the Bulgarian University Ranking System: https://rsvu.mon.bg .
