site.btaLatest Edition of Bulgarian University Ranking Shows Growing Success of Graduates on Labour Market, Share of Foreign Students

The 2024 Ranking of Higher Education Institutions in Bulgaria registers upward trends in the success of graduates on the labour market and the share of foreign students in Bulgarian universities. The data were presented at a news conference on Tuesday by caretaker Education and Science Minister Galin Tsokov and Georgi Stoychev of the OSI-S Consortium, which consists of the Open Society Institute - Sofia and Sirma Group Holding and operates the Bulgarian University Ranking System.

The annual ranking compares 51 higher education institutions that offer hundreds of programmes across 52 professional fields.

The data show that the share of foreign students in Bulgarian universities doubled in the last ten years, from some 4% in 2023 to nearly 9% in 2024. This share is the most significant in the professional fields of Medicine (58% of all students), Dental Medicine (47%) and Veterinary Science (31%). Their share is over 10% of all students in the fields of Pharmaceutics (14%), Transport, Navigation and Aviation (13%), Music and Dance Art (12%), and Tourism (11%).

Unemployment among Bulgarians who have graduated here in the last five years, remains just above 2% but is just around 1% for those with Master's degrees. The share of graduates who do not pay social insurance in the country remains at last year's record-low level of 14%, compared to over 25% in 2014. The share of employed graduates who in the first five years after graduation work at a position requiring a higher degree, grew to 61% from 59% in 2023 and 46% in 2014. The average taxable income of the graduates grew as well, reaching BGN 2,523 in 2024 from BGN 2,2200 in 2023 and just BGN 980 in 2015.

Despite these positive trends, the latest edition of the university ranking shows yet again that there are significant differences between the average levels of incomes, unemployment and application of the higher education acquired by the graduates depending on the professional field and the specific higher education establishment in one and the same field.

The lowest unemployment level - under 1% - was registered among those who studied in the fields of Military Affairs, Mathematics, Pharmaceutics, Dental Medicine, Metallurgy, and Education Theory and Management. The highest unemployment level was observed among graduates of Social Activities, 3.8%.

The most applicable degrees (over 90%) were those in the fields of Military Affairs, Medicine, Dental Medicine, and Education Theory and Management, compared to Tourism with 26%.

The graduates with the highest average taxable income hold a degree in the fields of Military Affairs and Computer Science (over BGN 4,500), followed by Mathematics, Metallurgy, Communication and Computer Equipment, National Security, Exploration, Extraction and Processing of Mineral Resources, Energy, Public Health, and Electrical Equipment, Electronics and Automation (between BGN 3,000 and 4,000).

The 14th edition of the university ranking also shows that higher degree holders have a greater chance at success on the labour market. In 2024, over 85% of Master's programme graduates after secondary education and nearly 70% of those after a Bachelor's degree have jobs that require higher education, compared to just 51% of Bachelor programme graduates. Those with a Master's degree get paid more, are ensured and have a lower unemployment rate compared to those with a Bachelor degree.

For the first time, the Bulgarian University Ranking System includes indicators measuring the share of first-generation students, i.e. students who are the first in their family with a higher education. Nearly 37% of students who filled out a survey for the System said neither of their parents have a degree higher than secondary, and under 2% come from a family where the parents have primary education or less.

The three professional fields with the biggest number of students in 2023 are Economics (25,383), Pedagogy (16,448), and Medicine (13,265). On the other end of the spectrum is Art Theory, 54.

The higher education establishment with the biggest number of students is the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia (18,988), followed by the Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv (15,801) and the University of National and World Economy (15,671). Twelve higher education institutions in Bulgaria have under 1,000 students, and one of them has under 100 students. The nine biggest universities teach half of the students in Bulgaria; the other half are studying in the remaining 42 accredited higher education establishments.

Private higher education establishments teach nearly 12% of the students in the country, with the highest number studying in the professional fields of Theatre and Film Art (70%), Fine Art (45%), Art Theory (43%), and Administration and Management (41%).

Bulgarian higher education establishments over 103 joint programmes in partnership with foreign universities. This year, 2.8% of students are enrolled in such programmes.

The Bulgarian University Ranking System compiles information and data for more than 100 indicators, which measure different aspects of university activities, including teaching and learning, university environment, welfare and administrative services, science and research, prestige, as well as career relevance to the labour market  and regional engagement. The indicators have been developed based on statistical data collected from different sources, including sociological surveys, the higher education establishments themselves, relevant Bulgarian institutions, and the international bibliographical data bases Scopus and Web of Science.