Bulgaria's state medical universities teach medicine in English to international students. The Medical University of Sofia and the Medical University of Plovdiv both teach Medicine, Dental Medicine and Pharmacy in English, alongside nursing and other health programmes, and both select students by entrance examination rather than on school grades alone.
Fees for 2026-27 are set in euros. At the Medical University of Sofia, Medicine in English costs EUR 9,950 a year, Dental Medicine EUR 10,000 and Pharmacy EUR 8,000. At Plovdiv, first-year Medicine and Dental Medicine cost EUR 10,000 and Pharmacy EUR 6,200. Exam fees are charged separately: EUR 55 plus EUR 210 in Sofia, and EUR 300 per exam date in Plovdiv.
The entrance exams test biology and chemistry, and English either through the university's own test or, at Plovdiv, through an accepted certificate at B1 level. Both universities score the exam out of 42. Exams are held online. Plovdiv ran five dates between April and August 2026 with a re-sit in September, while Sofia accepted non-EU documents from late July and, after an extension, until 25 September 2026, with its exam on 2 October.
For a student from outside the EU, admission leads to a certificate from the Ministry of Education and Science, which the university requests through the national register kept by NACID. With that certificate the student applies for a long-stay D visa at the Bulgarian embassy or consulate for their permanent residence; the interview is mandatory and the fee is EUR 100, not refunded on refusal. After arrival the student applies to the Interior Ministry's Migration Directorate for a long-term residence permit of up to a year, or 18 months in the final year, showing means of at least the national minimum monthly wage, minimum scholarship or minimum pension, and mandatory medical insurance. Full-time students may work up to 20 hours a week during the academic year, and during official vacations, once the employer registers the job with the Employment Agency. A graduate who registers as a job seeker within seven working days can get a permit of up to nine months to look for work.