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Number of foreign students at Bulgarian universities on the rise

Number of foreign students at Bulgarian universities on the rise

PHOTO BTA, archive

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The number of foreign students enrolled at public and private universities in Bulgaria increased by 5% in the 2025/2026 academic year compared with the previous year, the Ministry of Education and Science said.

A total of 17,889 foreign nationals studied at Bulgarian universities last academic year. Of these, 7,034 came from 26 European Union countries, while the remaining 10,855 came from 99 other countries.

Foreign students are enrolled in almost all fields of study. Medical programs are the most popular, with 7,861 students studying medicine and 1,694 studying dental medicine.

The state is taking various measures to attract more foreign students and increase their numbers, the Ministry of Education and Science said. One such measure is Council of Ministers Decree No. 103, which provides up to 2,000 places at public higher education institutions for people of Bulgarian nationality or Bulgarian descent.

Edited by Diana Tsankova

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov