{"id":5630,"date":"2025-11-20T20:31:30","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T18:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/?p=5630"},"modified":"2025-11-20T20:31:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T18:31:30","slug":"bulgarian-university-ranking-system-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/?p=5630&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Bulgarian University Ranking System 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">20.11.2025<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bulgarian University Ranking System (BURS) releases its 2025 national ranking, highlighting a stronger link between higher education and favorable labour market outcomes.<br>The ranking shows that 85% of employed graduates who completed master\u2019s programs after secondary education in the past five years are working in roles that require a higher education degree. Among those who pursued master\u2019s programs after earning a higher education degree, 70% hold similar positions. By contrast, 51% of graduates with bachelor\u2019s degrees only occupy such roles. Additionally, master\u2019s graduates tend to earn higher incomes, enjoy greater social security coverage, and experience lower unemployment rates compared to their bachelor\u2019s-degree peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On average, 61% of Bulgarian citizens who graduated from Bulgarian higher education institutions in the past five years work in positions requiring higher education degree or exercising professions by vocation\u2014a level unchanged from last year, compared to 46% in 2014. <strong>Unemployment in this group remains slightly above 2%<\/strong>, while for graduates of master\u2019s programs after secondary education it is just around 1%. The share of graduates who are not socially insured in Bulgaria remains at last year\u2019s record low level of 14%, down from over 25% in 2014. <strong>The average taxable income of graduates continues to rise<\/strong>, reaching 2,771 BGN, compared to 2,523 BGN last year and just 980 BGN in 2015\u2014nearly a threefold increase over the past decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position: relative; width: 100%; height: 0px; padding: 48.13% 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; will-change: transform;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/79015450-3496-4131-9fe8-4f1e6473b5ad?src=embed&amp;embed_type=responsive_iframe\" title=\"RSVU_2025_1_EN\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"fullscreen\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0px; left: 0px; border: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite these positive trends, <strong>the new edition of the National Ranking System again shows significant differences in income levels, unemployment, and the applicability of acquired education, depending on the completed professional field, as well as the specific higher education institution\u2014even within the same professional field<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lowest unemployment rates (below 1%) are observed among graduates in professional fields \u201cMilitary Science\u201d, \u201cMedicine\u201d, \u201cPharmacy\u201d, \u201cMetallurgy\u201d, and \u201cDental Medicine\u201d, while the highest rate is among graduates in \u201cSocial Activities\u201d (3.88%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The highest applicability of higher education<\/strong> (over 90%) is observed among graduates in \u201cMilitary Science\u201d, \u201cMedicine\u201d, \u201cTheory and Management of Education\u201d, and \u201cDental Medicine\u201d, while the lowest is in \u201cTourism\u201d (25%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The highest share of graduates socially insured in Bulgaria (over 94%) is observed \u201cTheory and Management of Education\u201d, \u201cMetallurgy\u201d, \u201cPharmacy\u201d, and \u201cMilitary Science\u201d, while the lowest (below 75%) is found in \u201cTransport, Navigation and Aviation\u201d and \u201cFine Arts\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Graduates with the highest taxable income are<\/strong> those from \u201cMilitary Science\u201d and \u201cInformatics and Computer Sciences\u201d (over 4,700 BGN), followed by graduates in \u201cNational Security\u201d, \u201cCommunication and Computer Equipment\u201d, \u201cMathematics\u201d, \u201cMetallurgy\u201d, \u201cPublic Health\u201d, \u201cMinerals Prospecting, Extraction and&nbsp;Processing\u201d, \u201cEnergetics\u201d, \u201cMedicine\u201d, and \u201cElectrical, Electronics and Automation\u201d (between 3,300 and 3,800 BGN).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the institutional level, the highest taxable income is earned by graduates of master\u2019s programs in \u201cAdministration and Management\u201d at the American University in Bulgaria (10,108 BGN), and in \u201cInformatics and Computer Sciences\u201d at Sofia University \u201cSt. Kliment Ohridski\u201d (8,568 BGN) and New Bulgarian University (7,919 BGN).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position: relative; width: 100%; height: 0px; padding: 66.81% 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; will-change: transform;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/1ae9c694-2196-4cec-84a1-ff85078ffebb?src=embed&amp;embed_type=responsive_iframe\" title=\"RSVU_2025_EN_2\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"fullscreen\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0px; left: 0px; border: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among bachelor\u2019s graduates, the highest income is earned by graduates in \u201cInformatics and Computer Sciences\u201d at Sofia University (7,107 BGN).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For another consecutive year, first-year students with the highest average secondary education diploma GPAs<\/strong> are enrolled in \u201cMedicine\u201d (5.73), \u201cPharmacy\u201d (5.70), \u201cDental Medicine\u201d (5.63), \u201cInformatics and Computer Sciences\u201d (5.62), and \u201cMathematics\u201d (5.60). The lowest secondary education diploma GPAs are among first-year students in \u201cMaterials and Science of Materials\u201d (4.45), \u201cMetallurgy\u201d (4.47) and \u201cLivestock Breeding\u201d (4.49). The national average secondary education diploma GPAs of first-year students remains at last year\u2019s level of 5.14\u2014the highest recorded since data on this indicator began to be collected in 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The four professional fields with the largest number of students in 2025 <\/strong>are \u201cEconomics\u201d (26,996), \u201cPedagogy\u201d (16,713), \u201cMedicine\u201d (13,485) and \u201cAdministration and Management\u201d (11,773). The field with the fewest students again is \u201cArts Theory\u201d \u2013 53 students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position: relative; width: 100%; height: 0px; padding: 56.27% 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; will-change: transform;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/c2469752-0284-488c-8858-c4906132f2ae?src=embed&amp;embed_type=responsive_iframe\" title=\"RSVU_2025_3_EN\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"fullscreen\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0px; left: 0px; border: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The higher education institution with the largest number of current students<\/strong> is Sofia University \u201cSt. Kliment Ohridski\u201d with 19,799 students, followed by the University of National and World Economy with 17,092, and Plovdiv University \u201cPaisii Hilendarski\u201d with 16,285.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position: relative; width: 100%; height: 0px; padding: 66.14% 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; will-change: transform;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/5fdff30f-311e-4b3f-a818-387469aa52cd?src=embed&amp;embed_type=responsive_iframe\" title=\"RSVU_2025_4_EN\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"fullscreen\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0px; left: 0px; border: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 12 higher education institutions, the number of enrolled students is below 1,000, including one institution with fewer than 100 students. Half of all students in Bulgaria are enrolled in the eight largest universities; the other half study in the remaining 43 accredited institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Private higher education institutions enroll 11% of students in the country<\/strong>. The highest shares of students in private institutions are in \u201cTheatre and Cinema Arts\u201d (68%), \u201cFine Arts\u201d (43%), \u201cAdministration and Management\u201d (39%), \u201cArts Theory\u201d (36%), \u201cPsychology\u201d (36%), and \u201cNational Security\u201d (32%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Over the past decade, the share of foreign students in Bulgaria has more than doubled<\/strong>\u2014from around 4% in 2013 to nearly 9% in 2025. The highest shares of foreign students are again in \u201cMedicine\u201d (59%), \u201cDental Medicine\u201d (48%), and \u201cVeterinary Medicine\u201d (33%). In five more fields, foreign students exceed 10%: \u201cPharmacy\u201d (16%), \u201cTourism\u201d (14%), \u201cTransport, Navigation and Aviation\u201d (12%), \u201cMusic and Dance Arts\u201d (12%), and \u201cTheory and Management of Education\u201d (11%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>There are 111 joint programs offered by Bulgarian higher education institutions in partnership with foreign institutions.<\/strong> Of these, 43 are active, meaning they have at least one current student. In 2025, active joint programs exist in 20 professional fields, enrolling 2.5% of all current students in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A new feature of the 2025 edition of the National Ranking System is the inclusion of indicators measuring students\u2019 assessments of lecture and seminars attendance, as well as their perception of whether these classes are mandatory<\/strong>. Survey results show that almost 70% of students \u201c<em>Strongly agree<\/em>\u201d or \u201c<em>Agree<\/em>\u201d that \u201c<em>Most of my colleagues attend practical exercises regularly<\/em>\u201d, while 50% say the same about lectures. Regarding whether attendance at seminars is mandatory, 72% respond positively, whereas only 40% consider lecture attendance to be mandatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>There are significant differences among professional fields in students\u2019 perceptions of how regularly their colleagues attend practical classes<\/strong>. Fields with the highest perceived attendance\u2014over 90%\u2014include \u201cPharmacy\u201d, \u201cForestry\u201d, \u201cDental Medicine\u201d, \u201cVeterinary Medicine\u201d, \u201cBiological Sciences\u201d, and \u201cMedicine\u201d, with nearly all students in these fields perceiving practical classes as mandatory. By contrast, the lowest perceived attendance is in \u201cFine Arts\u201d, \u201cPhilosophy\u201d, \u201cSociology, Anthropology and Culture Studies\u201d, \u201cMusic and Dance Arts\u201d, \u201cNational Security\u201d, and \u201cEconomics\u201d, where around 50% give confirming responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Similar differences are observed regarding lecture attendance.<\/strong> Fields with the highest perceived attendance (over 80%) include \u201cMilitary Studies\u201d and \u201cReligion and Theology\u201d, while the lowest\u2014below 30%\u2014are in \u201cVeterinary Medicine\u201d and \u201cSports\u201d. Motivations also vary: in \u201cMilitary Science\u201d, nearly 95% of students see lectures as mandatory, while in \u201cReligion and Theology\u201d, only about half do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In the overall predefined rankings of the 2025 edition<\/strong>, Sofia University \u201cSt. Kliment Ohridski\u201d ranks first in 22 out of 29 professional fields in which it participates. Technical University \u2013 Sofia ranks first in 6 out of 11 fields. Medical University \u2013 Sofia leads in all 5 of its fields. The University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy achieves 3 first places out of 6, while Agricultural University \u2013 Plovdiv and Trakia University \u2013 Stara Zagora each lead in two fields. Another 13 institutions top one ranking each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The ranking system compares the performance of 51 accredited higher education institutions offering majors in 52 professional fields, based on dozens of indicators<\/strong> measuring different aspects of the teaching process, science and research, learning environment, social well-being and equity, prestige, regional significance, and labour market realization of graduates. The 2025 indicators are based on information from multiple sources, including HEIs, the National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency (NEAA), National Centre for Information and Documentation<strong> (<\/strong>NACID), National Social Security Institute(NSSI), National Statistical Institute (NSI), international bibliographic databases Scopus and Web of Science, and sociological surveys among employers, students, academic and administrative staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The aim of the Ranking System is to support prospective students in making informed choices<\/strong> and navigating the wide range of study opportunities offered by Bulgarian higher education institutions. Through the interactive BURS website (<a href=\"https:\/\/rsvu.mon.bg\/\">https:\/\/rsvu.mon.bg<\/a>), users can view <em>Predefined rankings<\/em> by professional field or create their own <em>Custom rankings<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The system also provides information on the most common professions of graduates<\/strong> from different professional fields and a list of available majors at each higher education institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Since 2024, the platform has also published the electronic edition of the National Map of Higher Education in Bulgaria<\/strong>. The 2024 edition is currently available, and upon approval of the 2025 edition by the Council of Ministers, it will also be published on the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Ranking System is available online at: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/rsvu.mon.bg\/\"><strong>https:\/\/rsvu.mon.bg<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The 2025 edition of the Bulgarian University Ranking System was updated and the data revised under commission from the Ministry of Education and Science by the OSI-S Consortium, comprising the Open Society Institute \u2013 Sofia and Sirma Group.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bulgarian University Ranking System (BURS) releases its 2025 national ranking, highlighting a stronger link between higher education and favorable labour market outcomes.The ranking shows that 85% of employed graduates who completed master\u2019s programs after secondary education in the past five years are working in roles that require a higher education degree. Among those who pursued [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3007,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[112],"tags":[308],"class_list":["post-5630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ranking-of-universities-news","tag-university-ranking"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}