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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Support measures for learners in higher education

Bulgaria

12.Educational support and guidance

12.5Support measures for learners in higher education

Last update: 27 November 2023

The students and the PhD students have the right to use campuses, canteens, medical cares, discount at travel with public town and inter-settlement transport, as well as the whole base of the higher education establishment for study, scientific-research, sport and cultural activity and other benefits for normal life and study under conditions, determined by the state and the higher education establishment.

Definition of the Target group(s)

This category includes representatives of socially excluded groups, as well as:

  • orphans;
  • people with sensory disabilities and others with durable damages and reduced ability to work 70 and over 70 percent 
  • military disabled and victims of war; 
  • persons who, at the moment of reaching legal age, are under the protection measure pursuant to the Child Protection Act - placement in a foster family, social service of a resident type or specialized institution;
  • mothers of children below the age of six;
  • people in need of direct clinical observation.

Specific Support Measures

The first support measure that the Higher Education Act regulates is: higher education institutions to accept students under reduced conditions and admission order. This measure applies to the disabled people with durable damages and reduced ability to work 70 and more than 70 percent, military disabled and victims of war, full orphans, mothers with three and more children, twins when they have applied in one and the same professional branch and higher education establishments and one of them is accepted. Applicants who are winners of national and international competitions, graduating secondary school in the year, in which the Olympiad is conducted, winners of medals from Olympic, world and European championships, shall be admitted without competition examination and out of the annual number of students. The competition examination for the speciality, wished by them must correspond to the subject of the Olympiad or the discipline of the championship. 

The students, the PhD students and the post-graduate students - orphans, people with sensory disabilities and others with durable damages and reduced ability to work 70 and over 70 percent, military disabled and victims of war and persons who, at the moment of reaching legal age, are under the protection measure pursuant to the Child Protection Act - placement in a foster family, social service of a resident type or specialized institution, mothers with children up to 6 years of age and dispensarised, shall have the right to special alleviations, provided in the regulations of the higher education establishment.

Exempt from fees in the state higher education establishments are full orphans, persons with permanent damages and reduced ability to work 70 and over 70 percent, military disabled and victims of war, persons towards whom, at the time of reaching legal age, has been taken a measure of protection under the Child Protection Act - placement in a foster family, social service of a resident type or specialized institution, the cadets in the higher military schools, the PhD students during the last two years of the doctor studies. Students being trained in professional fields and protected specialties with the highest expected future shortage on the labour market, according to a list adopted by the Council of Ministers on the proposal of the Minister of Education and Science don’t pay fees too.

Unmarried students without two parents, students with permanent disabilities, students with two parents with permanent disabilities, students with one parent who is permanently disabled, students who at the time of reaching the age of majority have a measure of protection taken in accordance with the Child protection Act - placement in a foster family, a residential-type social service or a specialized institution, and student mothers with a child up to the age of 6 are entitled to receive scholarships, regardless of their success.

Foreign students admitted under acts of the Council of Ministers - for the first year of study, if they are citizens of the Republic of Albania, the Republic of Kosovo, the Republic of Moldova, the Republic of North Macedonia, Ukraine and the Republic of Serbia, as well as foreign students admitted under intergovernmental educational agreements, scientific and cultural exchanges are also eligible for scholarships, regardless of their success. Students - fathers with a child up to the age of 6, are entitled to a scholarship, when the mother is not a student, has died or the exercise of parental rights has been granted to the student father. The rest of the students are supported by the state with scholarships their GPA from the previous two semesters, and for the first academic year - from the first semester, not lower than a good 4.00.

Without ranking, the following are accommodated in the campuses:

1. families with a minor child, if one spouse is in full-time education during the current school year

2. Bulgarian students - unmarried, divorced or widowed, who take care of the upbringing and education of their minor child; students with an unknown or deceased parent; unmarried - members of large families, if one of the brothers or sisters is a doctoral student, specialist, student or student; students with 70 and over 70 percent reduced working capacity and military disabled; persons towards whom, at the time of reaching legal age, has been taken a measure of protection under the Child Protection Act - placement in a foster family, social service of a resident type or specialized institution

3. foreign students who study in the Republic of Bulgaria on the basis of intergovernmental agreements, acts of the Council of Ministers, intergovernmental agreements, when they provide for the use of a campuses.

Persons accommodated in campuses who have unknown or deceased parents, mothers with three or more children, students with 70 and over 70 percent reduced work capacity, has been taken a measure of protection under the Child Protection Act - placement in a foster family, social service of a resident type or specialized institution, as well as military disabled persons pay a reduced rent throughout the year - 30 percent of the monthly rent, as well as 30 percent of the due semester deposit.

For socially excluded and disadvantaged groups, universities provide preferential arrangements for admission. They provide additional incentives for persons raised at orphanages until they become of age, disabled persons with long-term disabilities and reduction of the ability to work by 70 percent or more, orphans and mothers of children below the age of six. There has been a consistent and targeted policy in recent years aiming to improve the conditions for training of students with special educational needs, which has already yielded positive results.

Some of the specific measures are: designed and specially equipped places for students with disabilities of the musculoskeletal system, reduced hearing or visually impaired; easier access to buildings and others. Nationally representative associations of the disabled persons provide specialist advice and information for students with special educational needs related to additional opportunities for financial and social support.

A milestone in the Bulgarian legislation is the adopted in 2010 Act for crediting undergraduate and graduate students. It aims to create conditions for improving the quality and facilitating access to higher education in Bulgaria.