site.btaBurgas Branch of National Academy of Art Opens Academic Year

The Burgas branch of the National Academy of Art opened its 8th academic year with a solemn ceremony in the coastal city on Thursday. The branch team told BTA that 49 students will begin their studies in Burgas this autumn.

The National Academy of Art Rector, Prof. Georgi Yankov, welcomed the academic community and emphasised the importance of the branch for the cultural life of Burgas. "Dear first-year students, it is a privilege to study in this city because the sea is not only a landscape but also an eternal bearer of freedom and dreams," he said, adding that "talent is limitless when accompanied by hard work and perseverance."

Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov recalled the beginning of the initiative to establish the branch and expressed his joy that the Academy is now "an integral part of the educational and cultural map of the city." He wished the students a "fruitful creative and academic year, filled with new friendships and positive emotions."

Regional Governor Vladimir Krumov noted that the presence of the National Academy of Art in Burgas is "the missing link in the cultural life of the region" and emphasised the regional administration's readiness to assist with future projects. "Culture is much more than material things, it is what makes us happy and smiling," he said.

The Rector of the Prof. Dr. Assen Zlatarov State University of Burgas, Prof. Sotir Sotirov, noted that the first day of university always remains in the hearts of students as the beginning of "something new and exciting that is never forgotten."

The Rector of the St. Ivan Rilski University of Mining and Geology, Prof. Ivaylo Koprev, wished the students "to enjoy the freedom that the sea gives them and to change the world through art." 

The head of the Regional Education Administration in Burgas, Valentina Kamalieva, congratulated the lecturers and students, emphasising that the branch of the National Academy of Art is "a symbol of high academic standards and a place where personalities are created who, through art, contribute to the spiritual growth of society."

Among the guests at the ceremony were the newly elected director of the Prof. Pancho Vladigerov National School of Music and Dance Arts in Burgas, Dimitar Madzharov, as well as Alexander Mandzhukov, head of the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts branch in Burgas.

In the 2024/25 academic year, 16,995 foreign students, including from EU Member States, enrolled in Bulgarian universities. The largest number of international students came from Greece (3,277), the United Kingdom (2,235), Ukraine (2,151), Germany (1,532) and Italy (990). A growing number of international students and doctoral candidates, including from Western Europe, are choosing to study in Bulgaria, with 779 additional enrolments in 2024/25 compared with the previous academic year. BTA has signed indefinite agreements for ongoing collaboration with 45 of Bulgaria's 51 universities to provide copyright-cleared materials and student internship opportunities.