🇧🇬 Study in Bulgaria from Ireland

Our database has 24 English-taught programmes in Bulgaria: 18 health and veterinary programmes at medical universities in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Pleven, Burgas and Stara Zagora, plus 6 bachelors at the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG). Published tuition for medicine runs from EUR 9,000 to EUR 10,000 per year at the first-year rate. Most medical universities use online Biology and Chemistry entry tests. AUBG has no entrance test.

How an Irish student gets in

Medical universities. No Bulgarian medical university in our data publishes a Leaving Certificate points rule. Selection is by entry test and, for some, school marks. Check the admissions page for your course (links in Sources).

• Varna: applicants with failing marks in the official language of the school (English or Irish for Irish schools) are not selected. The 65% minimum applies to non-EU applicants only. Biology and Chemistry are tested online in English, not required on the certificate. Irish citizens submit a diploma with an English grade of at least "Very good" instead of a certificate or test. IGCSE, O Level and AS Level are not accepted as the secondary diploma.
• Plovdiv: you must have attended Biology and Chemistry courses, with an average of at least 62% of the maximum mark. Online tests in Biology and Chemistry, plus an English diagnostic test only if you have no valid English certificate. English must be B1; a secondary diploma from a country where English is the official language of instruction counts.
• Sofia: the dental entrance exam is remote and tests English, Biology and Chemistry; failing any component fails the exam. The score is 3 x Biology + 3 x Chemistry + English, maximum 42. The same EU/EEA round dates apply to medicine and pharmacy.
• Pleven: Biology and Chemistry entry exams for medicine, online or face to face. The ranking score adds your official-language grade to 3 x Biology + 3 x Chemistry, maximum 42. Pleven nursing sets a 62% minimum in the official language of schooling and an online Biology exam. The Pleven medicine row does not state a Leaving Cert rule in that field, so check the page.
• Burgas and Trakia: online Biology and Chemistry tests. Neither publishes a Leaving Cert rule. English-official countries are exempt from the English test at Trakia; Burgas does not require proof from citizens of English-official countries.

Documents. Most medical universities require NACID recognition of your secondary education, a document certifying your right to continue to higher education, legalisation or apostille, and a Bulgarian translation by an authorised translator. Sofia accepts documents in person or by an authorised person, not by post or email. Varna requires apostille with wet stamps and about 1 month for the NACID certificate.

AUBG. No entrance test and an admissions interview. A GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (4.5 out of 6 on the Bulgarian scale) is recommended; no Leaving Cert conversion is published. English proof is waived for Irish citizens primarily educated in Ireland. You write an essay of about 650 words and provide one recommendation letter.

What it costs

Fees as published. Dates are the academic year the university states.

• Medicine: Sofia EUR 9,950 per year (2026/27). Varna EUR 10,000 for first-year students (2026/27). Pleven EUR 9,000 per year (2026/27), plus EUR 40 registration and EUR 200 entry exam fee. Trakia EUR 9,000 (years I-II), 7,500 (III-V), 7,000 (VI) (2026-27). Plovdiv EUR 10,000 (year I), 9,200 (II-III), 8,200 (IV-VI) from the 2025/26 table; the 2026/27 table was not found.
• Dentistry: Sofia EUR 10,000 (years 1-2), 9,000 (3-4), 8,000 (5-6) (2026/27). Varna EUR 10,000 (2026/27). Plovdiv EUR 9,000 (I-II), 8,200 (III-VI) from the 2025/26 table.
• Pharmacy: Sofia and Varna EUR 8,000 per year (2026/27). Plovdiv EUR 6,200 from the 2025/26 table.
• Nursing and physiotherapy: Pleven nursing EUR 3,500 (2026/27). Plovdiv nursing EUR 4,500 (2025/26 table). Sofia physiotherapy EUR 4,900 (2026/27).
• Veterinary: Trakia EUR 6,350 per year (2026-27).
• AUBG: 13800 EUR per year for 2026/2027, before financial support, plus EUR 320 student activity fee per semester. No separate EU rate. Tuition is set each January and may rise.
• Test fees: Plovdiv EUR 30 processing plus EUR 270 per exam date. Varna's non-EU fee is EUR 340; the EU fee is not shown.

Accommodation. University prices: Pleven hostel EUR 75 to 95 per month (2026/27; availability of places not stated). Varna hostels BGN 100 per month on an undated page, with electricity paid separately. Burgas hostel BGN 180 per person per month in a shared room, BGN 250 in a private room, citing a 2023 order. AUBG residences EUR 925 to 1,700 per semester (2026/27). Not university prices: Pleven private rental apartment EUR 300 to 400 per month and room in a private apartment EUR 150 to 300, from the university guide; Varna private apartment EUR 250 to 550 per month, per apartment. We found no current price for Sofia, Plovdiv, Trakia or the University of Forestry.

Deadlines

2026/27 cycle (latest published); 2027/28 dates are not published for most.

• Sofia EU/EEA: documents 27 July to 31 August 2026, exam 3 September, results 11 September.
• Sofia nursing: applications 27 July to 11 September 2026, exams 17-18 September.
• Plovdiv: documents 2 March to 11 September 2026. Exams on 15 April, 15 May, 16 June, 17 July, 18 August, with a re-sit on 4 September 2026.
• Varna EU applicants: tests on 4 April, 16 May, 13 June, 16 July and 3 September 2026.
• Pleven nursing, February 2027 intake: online application closed 10 September 2026. Exams 16 September and 1 October 2026. Hard copies of documents due 26 October 2026.
• Burgas medicine: documents by 28 July, 18 August or 6 September 2026.
• Trakia: documents by 21 August 2026.
• AUBG, Fall 2027: priority 15 January 2027, early 15 March 2027, regular 15 May 2027.

Health courses

Pleven nursing is fully verified. The other rows were checked once against official sources; Burgas and Trakia are only partly verified. Three rows are not tabled: Sofia nursing (Faculty of Public Health, online written test and oral interview, partly verified), Trakia veterinary medicine (EUR 6,350 per year, partly verified) and University of Forestry veterinary medicine (Biology and Chemistry grades of at least 62%, online Biology test, partly verified).

Other courses

All AUBG, Blagoevgrad, English, 4 years, 13800 EUR per year (2026/2027), verified. Fall 2027 deadlines: 15 January, 15 March and 15 May 2027. No entrance test; SAT or ACT is optional.

Things that catch Irish students out

• NACID recognition, legalisation or apostille and an authorised Bulgarian translation are required. Allow time: Varna says the NACID certificate takes about 1 month.
• Sofia does not accept documents by post or email.
• Varna does not accept IGCSE, O Levels or AS Levels as the secondary diploma.
• Plovdiv's published fees are the 2025/26 table. The 2026/27 table was not found.
• Varna's non-EU fee (EUR 340) is stated but the EU fee is not shown.
• Hostel prices for Burgas cite a 2023 order and Varna's page is undated.
• A failing mark in English or Irish at Varna removes you from selection.

FAQ

Do I need an entrance exam for medicine in Bulgaria? For medicine, Varna, Plovdiv, Pleven, Burgas and Trakia use Biology and Chemistry tests. Sofia's dental exam covers English, Biology and Chemistry. Plovdiv nursing can be decided on documents alone.

How much is medicine in Bulgaria? First-year fees are EUR 9,000 at Pleven and Trakia, EUR 9,950 at Sofia and EUR 10,000 at Varna and Plovdiv (Plovdiv from the 2025/26 table). Fees fall in later years at Plovdiv and Trakia.

Do Irish students need an English test? Varna accepts the diploma with an English grade of at least "Very good" from Irish citizens. Pleven and Trakia exempt applicants from English-official countries. Sofia's dental exam includes an English component.

Does AUBG require an entrance exam? No. AUBG has no entrance test, SAT or ACT is optional, and there is an admissions interview. English proof is waived for Irish citizens primarily educated in Ireland.

Where can I find student housing prices? Pleven hostel is EUR 75 to 95 per month (2026/27). AUBG residences are EUR 925 to 1,700 per semester. Several cities have no current published price in our data.

Sources

Medical University - Sofia: https://mu-sofia.bg/en/admission/admissions-of-foreign-citizen/ ; https://mu-sofia.bg/en/admission/faculty-of-dental-medicine/ ; https://www.fdm.mu-sofia.bg/en/students/administrative-service/tuition-and-administrative-fees/ ; https://mu-sofia.bg/en/admission/faculty-of-medicine/ ; https://mu-sofia.bg/en/admission/faculty-of-pharmacy/ ; https://mu-sofia.bg/en/admission/faculty-of-public-health/ ; https://mu-sofia.bg/en/ranking-and-enrollment-of-students-in-nursing-programme-at-medical-university-sofia/

Medical University of Plovdiv: https://mu-plovdiv.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SpravocnikAEO_2026_EN_print_compressed.pdf ; https://mu-plovdiv.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/TUITION-FEES-2025-2026.pdf

Medical University of Varna: https://press.mu-varna.bg/showpdf/pdf/Adm2027en.pdf ; https://www.mu-varna.bg/EN/Admission/Pages/non-eu-how-to-apply.aspx ; https://www.mu-varna.bg/EN/Admission/Pages/eu-eea-citizen-how-to-apply.aspx ; https://www.mu-varna.bg/EN/Admission/Pages/tuition-fees-cost-living.aspx ; https://www.mu-varna.bg/EN/Admission/Pages/accomodation.aspx

Medical University - Pleven: https://www.mu-pleven.bg/index.php/en/admission/specialty-medicine/6434-admission-guide-3 ; https://www.mu-pleven.bg/index.php/en/admission/specialty-medicine/643-requirements ; https://www.mu-pleven.bg/index.php/en/admission/specialty-medicine/5546-entry-exams ; https://www.mu-pleven.bg/index.php/en/admission/specialty-medicine/5547-faq ; https://www.mu-pleven.bg/index.php/admission/specialty-medicine/641-fees?lang=en ; https://www.mu-pleven.bg/index.php/en/admission/specialty-nursing/644-admission-guide ; https://www.mu-pleven.bg/index.php/en/admission/specialty-nursing/647-requirements ; https://www.mu-pleven.bg/index.php/en/admission/specialty-nursing/6541-entry-exam ; https://www.mu-pleven.bg/index.php/en/admission/specialty-nursing/6542-faq ; https://www.mu-pleven.bg/index.php/en/admission/specialty-nursing/1875-fees-2013-2014

Burgas State University: https://btu.bg/index.php/en/admission/medicine/common-terms ; https://btu.bg/index.php/en/admission/medicine/deadlines ; https://btu.bg/index.php/en/admission/medicine/entry-exams-and-fees ; https://btu.bg/index.php/en/admission/medicine/ranking-score ; https://btu.bg/index.php/en/admission/medicine/enrollment ; https://btu.bg/index.php/en/education-m-bg-en/students-2

Trakia University: https://trakia-uni.bg/en/admission/international-students/euapplications/ ; https://trakia-uni.bg/en/admission/international-students/englisheducation/ ; https://trakia-uni.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Tuition-fees-and-bank-accounts-2026.pdf ; https://trakia-uni.bg/en/admission/international-students/foreigninfo/

University of Forestry: https://ltu.bg/en/admission/foreign-language-education/ ; https://ltu.bg/en/about-the-university/faculties/faculty-of-veterinary-medicine/

American University in Bulgaria: https://www.aubg.edu/admissions/bachelors/how-to-apply/ ; https://www.aubg.edu/admissions/bachelors/cost-aid/ ; https://www.aubg.edu/academics/bachelor-degrees/

Our database does not cover other Bulgarian universities, and has no current housing price for Sofia, Plovdiv, Trakia or the University of Forestry.

Details can change. Check the official page before you apply.