Foreign nationals can apply to study at Bulgarian higher education institutions in Europe under the same terms and conditions as those for Bulgarian nationals, provided that they:

• Hold a permanent residence permit
• Have a refugee status
• Are of Bulgarian origin, certified in accordance with the 1993 Council of Ministers Decree No. 103 regulating the education of Bulgarian expatriates

All documents must be translated and certified by the authorities in the applicant’s country by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or by the Bulgarian Consular Office in the applicant’s country (if the translation of the documents was made there), or by the Consular Office of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sofia. All degrees and education certificates must be legalized at Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science.
 
University authorities forward approved applicants’ documents to the Ministry of Education and Science, so that D-type* visa can be issued.

Bulgarian citizens or citizens with permanent residence permit who want to study abroad have three main options:

• To apply directly to the university they have chosen
• To apply for some of the scholarships allocated for Bulgarian students under various programs
• To participate on an exchange educational program

After Bulgaria’s joining to the European Union on 1st January 2007, it become easier for Bulgarian citizens to enroll in universities in other EU countries, as the students are considered EU residents. The main benefits for the students are the reduced annual fees and less complicated enrolment procedures.

Applicants from Bulgaria have equal rights and study conditions as the students from EU and EEA member states.

You are a EU and European Economic Area (EEA) national, if you are a citizen or national of one of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are EEA member states, but they are not members of the European Union (EU).

Switzerland is not a member of the EU or the EEA. However, since 1 June 2002, Swiss nationals have had rights, which are similar to those of nationals of EEA countries.

However, a niche here can be used even though you are not an EU and EEA national. The European Commission launched few exchange educational programs for studding abroad, working abroad, linguistic preparation, academic and structural networks, multilateral projects, and university cooperation. One such a program for lifelong Learning Program is Erasmus, named after the humanist and theologian Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (1465-1536). Erasmus provides education in a university in the EU for a certain period, during which the student has the same rights as the students in the host university, but pays the fees in the sending university, for example from Bulgaria. The given grant aims to compensate the difference in living standards of the sending and the receiving countries. Erasmus grants can only be used once. 

Other Lifelong Learning Programmes offered by the European Commission are Comenius (for pre-university institutions), Leonardo da Vinci (for vocational education and training), and Grundving (for adult education).