58.5% of Medical Students in Bulgaria are Foreigners

The number of foreigners studying higher education in Bulgaria is increasing. In the academic year 2021/2022, their number is 16,525, which is 8.2% of all students in the country, reported the press center of the Council of Ministers. In 2013, their share was twice as small - 4.1%. This is shown by data from the National Map of Higher Education in the Republic of Bulgaria, which was updated today by decision of the Council of Ministers.

According to the document, Bulgaria is the leader in the entire EU in terms of the share of foreign students in medical specialties. 58.5% of those studying "Medicine" in the country are foreigners.

The total number of students in Bulgaria is 200,781. This is less than half (48%) of the total capacity of all higher education institutions in the country, which have places for 415,472 students, determined by the National Agency for Assessment and Accreditation (NAAA). Last year, active students occupied 53% of the capacity determined by NAAA.

The average social security income of university graduates in Bulgaria has almost doubled over the last 10 years. In 2013, it was BGN 868 per month, and this year it is BGN 1,646. Only 2.5% of university graduates in the country in the last 5 years are now unemployed, and in 2013 their share was 4.15%. However, there are significant differences in terms of realization by vocation in individual professional areas. For example, 95% of Medicine graduates work in their specialty, while in Tourism only 21% of graduates take up positions corresponding to their education.

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