site.btaSofia University Reports Major Rise in World Rankings as New Academic Year Begins

Sofia University Reports Major Rise in World Rankings as New Academic Year Begins

Sofia, October 3 (BTA) - This year, Sofia University has moved 50 notches up in the QS World University Rankings, placing among the 700 most prestigious universities in the world, Sofia University Rector Anastas Gerdjikov said on Monday, opening the new academic year.

Gerdjikov said Sofia University has also become the first Bulgarian university to be included in another authoritative world publication, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Noting that he has read some ill-intentioned comments on this, he stressed the significance of a university being ranked among the top 700 or 800 out of 20,000 universities in the world. "This means it is among the world's top 4 per cent," he said.

Sofia University enrolls 10 per cent of Bulgaria's higher-education students, the Rector said. It has 4,400 first-year students and a total of 22,000 students at all levels. "Our students can choose from more than 100 bachelor programmes and hundreds of master programmes," Gerdjikov said.

He further noted: "Chronic underfunding and the government's longtime policy of pursuing quantity at the expense of quality have undoubtedly caused the standards of Bulgarian higher schools to fall. But it is also beyond doubt that many Bulgarian universities have preserved their traditions and profiles, and their graduates have built remarkable careers in Bulgaria and have achieved success all over the world."

Education and Science Minister Meglena Kuneva said major reforms are underway across the education system, particularly in higher education. Kuneva said: "Sadly, the drive for mass education in Bulgaria's higher schools over the past two decades did not take us to the much desired goal of raising the standards. This means there has been no fair competition and we have not put our trust in the best."