Pleven Medical University is one of the five medical universities in Bulgaria. It was established in 1974; expanding the horizons, size and reputation of the City Hospital, founded in 1865. Combining traditions of the past with the present possibilities, the university incorporates educational and therapeutic facilities, with a contemporary pre-clinical base, Institute Hospital.

With more than 1000 beds, the hospital provides in all major medical fields. As well as having a large number of specialized clinics, research units with modern diagnostic and therapeutic equipment are also available. These are efficiently used for research, treat patients, train students, trainee doctors and post graduates.

Currently, there are 2044 students. 275 of these are foreigners; including 78 of Indian nationality – the biggest community of foreign students at the university. Other international students are from Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, Greece, Turkey, Nigeria, Albania, Cyprus, Congo, Syria, Algeria, USA, Japan, Great Britain and France.

835 young doctors from Bulgaria and abroad are taking postgraduate courses at the different specialized clinics of the University Hospital.

Highly qualified lecturers, with comprehensive academic experience, are employed. The course of instruction is carried out in 24 departments by more than 60 professors.

Around 300 are assistant professors. Most of them are members of national and international scientific and medical societies and authors of research studies.

Various modern teaching methods are applied in the academic process. These include theoretical lectures, small group practical tutorials and seminars. Additionally, the students may join extracurricular teaching courses and scientific circles functioning at these departments. Training groups are composed of a maximum of 6 students.

Key Information

Course Duration: 6 Years
Fees: 8,000 Euro / Year
Student Loan: Yes (?)

Medicine

The English medicine program lasts 6 years. Medicine in Bulgaria is typically structured so that the first 2 years focus on theory, with the majority of the next 3 years focusing on clinical study. Finally, the programme is completed with an internship year of medical rotations before graduation.

During the final year of their studies, students are required to take the state exam (anyone who has studied medicine in Bulgaria must take), in order to receive their license to practice. At the end of the six years, students receive the professional qualification of Physician or Doctor of Medicine (MD), and are awarded a Master’s Degree.

The Degree and license is accredited in many countries around the world and allows you to go back and practice in the UK. Bulgarian standards through the duration of the course meet EU requirements.

Key Information

Course Duration: 6 Years
Fees: 8,000 Euro / Year
Student Loan: Yes (?)

Living in Bulgaria:

General life in Bulgaria

Bulgaria is a rapidly developing Eastern European country bordered by turkey, Romania, Greece, Serbia and Macedonia, it favours a temperate climate, reaching 30-40 degrees in the summer and upto -10 in the winter; this plethora of climates makes Bulgaria an ideal tourist hotspot, whether it be for the sandy beaches and water sports in Varna, ski slopes In Sofia or the rich history and culture in pleven and Plovdiv. The population of Bulgaria is relatively small when compared to other countries of similar size, due to its ottoman rule, it boasts a trove of different cultures and religions, although Christianity is the predominating religion of Bulgaria. The people of Bulgaria are generally very friendly and accepting of foreigners, making it an ideal place to live and study for foreign students.

In comparison to the UK, the living standard in Bulgaria is lower, meaning you are able to find good quality accommodation a lot cheaper compared to its equivalent in the UK. Have a look at our price table below to compare for yourself!

Find some useful links below to help you learn more about life in Bulgaria:

http://bulgariatravel.org/

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/bulgaria

http://www.visitbulgaria.com/about-bulgaria

Health Insurance:

Healthcare in Bulgaria is provided by the National Health Insurance Fund. It is compulsory for all residents to contribute to this fund and is essential for obtaining a National Health Insurance card. The cost of  Healthcare of individuals is normally split between the state, the employer and the individual.

European nationals are therefore qualified to receive free healthcare from state owned institutions in Bulgaria. For this, an EHIC (european health insurance card) is required. This card is used by the hospital in the case of claiming payment for treating you, sometimes you may have to pay yourself and reclaim the money afterwards.

See link below for more information and to apply! (UK residents)

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx

Student visa (non eu applicants)

Bulgarian id card:

‘Foreigners who wish to reside in Bulgaria on a long-term basis (in any case more than three months within each six-month period) should apply for and obtain a residence permit.

European citizens who intend to stay in Bulgaria longer than three months are issued residence certificates.

It is advised to make a bulgarian ID card for all eu students studying in bulgaria on a long term basis.

Will I be able to come back and practice in the UK upon completion of my degree?

ALL of the courses we offer in medicine and dentistry are GMC/GDC approved, meaning that upon returning to the UK, you are fully qualified to apply for a job, essentially placing you in the same position as medical and dental graduates from the UK.

If I am from the UK, will I have to sit an exam when I have completed my degree and return to the UK?

No. ALL of the courses we offer and universities we work with are approved by the GMC/GDC and hence you will not be required to sit extra exams that other international graduates normally sit (eg PLAB test)

How quickly will I need to learn the language of the country?

The fact that you are doing an English course means you are not expected to know the language. All lectures and labs will be taught in English. However you will have separate language lessons as part of your degree to learn the new language. It is normally required to have a basic understanding of medical terms in the countries native language by the time you reach your clinical years. (3rd year onwards). This has never been a problem for international students from the UK.

How does the style of teaching compare to that of medical schools in the UK?

The first 2 years of your education will be heavily theory based (classroom teaching and lectures).The reason for this is to build a strong base and thus allow for your learning in the clinical years (3rd year onwards) to be as effective as possible. In general, the clinical years are a lot more hands on when compared to clinical years in the UK.

Will I be able to take a loan for my tuition fees?

Many of our universities offer a student loan and we can assist you with the relatively simple process of taking one if required. Please refer to our university info section for more information about which universities offer a loan.

Will I be able to take a maintenance loan to cover my living costs?

European universities currently do not provide a maintenance loan to international students. 

What kind of accommodation do most students stay in?

The vast majority of international students stay in private accommodation/ apartments. Support with securing accommodation is included in our transition support. We work exclusively with legitimate estate agents to help you find the highest quality and cheapest accommodation. (see: accommodation support)

How long will my application take to process?

Once you have provided us with the required documents, we will deal with your entire application. We liaise closely with the admissions departments at our partner universities to ensure you will have an offer from the university within 3-6 weeks of submitting your documents!

How challenging are the entrance tests that are required by some universities?

The entrance tests are considered very much do-able if you prepare beforehand. Not only do we offer for you to sit your entrance test in the UK (as opposed to sitting in the country of your chosen university), we also exclusively offer preparatory courses tailored specifically to the content of the entrance tests. Our pass rate among students who have undertaken the preparatory course is 100%.