International Students Comprise 8.5% of Bulgarian University Enrolments

According to the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute (NSI), international students accounted for 8.5% of total enrolments in higher education in Bulgaria during the 2025/26 academic year. This marks a 3.9% increase from the previous year, indicating a positive trend in international enrolments for the second consecutive year.

Growth in International Enrolments

In total, 16,787 foreign students were enrolled in bachelor’s and master’s programs at Bulgarian universities, out of approximately 197,000 total students. This increase follows a decline in enrolments to 15,093 in the 2023/24 academic year, highlighting a recovery in the number of international students.

Source Markets

Greece continues to be the largest source of international students, representing 17% of foreign enrolments. Other significant contributors include the United Kingdom (13.6%), Ukraine (12.4%), Germany (8.9%), and Italy (5.7%).

Popular Fields of Study

Health-related courses are particularly appealing to international students, with 59.8% of them studying in this field. Notably, medicine alone accounts for 46.1% of all foreign enrolments, making it a highly sought-after program among international students.

Postgraduate Studies

In addition to bachelor’s and master’s programs, 715 international students were pursuing doctoral studies by the end of 2025, which represents 12% of Bulgaria’s total PhD student population. The leading source countries for PhD students include China, Germany, and Greece.

This data underscores Bulgaria's growing appeal as a destination for international students, particularly in the medical field, and highlights the importance of maintaining strong educational ties with neighboring countries and beyond.