site.btaTechnical University in Sofia Has Trained 170,000-Plus Engineers in 80 Years - Rector Georgi Venkov

Over its 80-year history, the Technical University (TU) in Sofia has successfully trained more than 170,000 engineers who contribute to Bulgaria’s development, prosperity, and the well-being of the Bulgarian people, Prof. Georgi Venkov, the university’s rector, said during the opening ceremony of the 2025/2026 academic year.

TU Sofia is welcoming a new academic year for the 80th year in a row, the rector noted. Addressing the first-year students, Prof. Venkov said that they were “stepping into the largest and most prestigious technical university not only in Bulgaria but in this part of Europe.” “You are becoming part of the nation’s engineering elite,” he added.

“In just four years, when you earn your bachelor’s degree, or five years if you continue with a master’s, you will receive a diploma that I believe will play a crucial role in your professional future and success in the job market. This is more than just a university diploma, a piece of paper with a photo, signature, and stamp – it is a diploma from the Technical University of Sofia. It is highly respected and recognized by employers both in Bulgaria and worldwide,” the rector told the first-year students.

Prof. Venkov noted that students at TU Sofia study technologies of the future related to quantum computing, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, and biotechnology, to name but a few. “As future engineers, you carry a great responsibility to balance progress with humanity’s well-being, because being an engineer is not just a profession, it is a promise to the future,” the rector said.

Tuesday’s ceremony marked the official start of the 80th academic year at TU Sofia, Bulgaria’s oldest and largest technical university, which currently enrolls over 11,000 students.

Among the guests were Deputy Minister of Education and Science Acad. Nikolay Vitanov, the Ambassador of Morocco to Bulgaria Zakia El Midaoui, representatives from the German and French embassies, Technical University Sofia Board of Trustees Chair and Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association General Assembly Chair Vasil Velev, as well as rectors from Sofia University, the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, the University of Mining and Geology, the University of Forestry, and the Rakovski National Defence College, along with former TU Sofia rectors, university leadership, faculty, and students.

TU Sofia is the country’s leading technical university and a recognized European institution, sought after by students and partners around the world. Its popularity continues to grow thanks to modern, interdisciplinary programmes in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analysis, intelligent systems, information and communications technology, aviation and aerospace engineering, autonomous vehicles, digital industrial technologies, automation, electronics, mechatronics, electrical engineering and energy, and business information systems, among others. Programmes that involve collaboration with industry experts are especially valuable, giving students hands-on experience with the latest technologies in real-world settings.

TU Sofia is part of the European University of Technology, an alliance of nine universities from across Europe, united by the ambition to establish a new university, where students would study across different campuses within a shared programme structure and graduate with a single European diploma. Established under Erasmus+ in 2020, the European University of Technology encompasses some 100,000 students across its partner universities. 

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.