In Bulgarian universities, students from the Republic of North Macedonia may get their higher education entirely free of charge. They might not have to pay for both the application fee and the tuition. The modifications suggested in Government by Acting Minister of Education Prof. Sasho Penov.
Until now, students approved under the decree of (300 per year) have paid the same fees as Bulgarian students. Amount based on their particular course.
The Ministry of Education and Culture shall coordinate the candidate students’ admission with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the same committee. Depending on the speciality applied, it will be done through paperwork and one or more competitive exams. The Ministry of Education and Science will be in charge of assisting with the tests.
Doctoral applicants will be admitted based on their documentation. The committee will rank the schools after receiving approval from the relevant higher schools. The Ministry of Education and Culture will give a certificate of enrollment to those candidates who are accepted as students.
Up to five students can register as PhD students each year, and the state covers the costs of their studies through the budgets of the individual higher education institutions.
According to Minister Penov, in his report to the Council of Ministers, suggested modifications are planned to normalise the process by which Macedonian students are admitted to our nation. There are currently two decrees in effect: No. 228 (adopted), under which they pay tuition on par with their Bulgarian counterparts, and No. 103 (adopted), under which they are granted free admission and education.
Students from North Macedonia will have their higher education tuition costs covered by funding from the state budget. For 2023, 2024, and 2025, BGN 345.0 thousand, BGN 390.0 thousand, and BGN 390.0 thousand will be required as additional funding for three hundred students each year.