How do I apply?

Admission Procedure and Entry Exams

The following admission procedure applies to the English taught programmes, whereby students are provided with the opportunity to obtain a second Bachelor degree diploma from the International University College partner institution - University of Wales Institute Cardiff, UK, as well as from the other universities IUC has agreements with.

Upon arrival, international students have to sit for an English entry exam which has two components - a written part and an interview. However, international students whose native tongue is English, or who can provide TOEFL IBT certificate with score of min. 79 points or IELTS 6.0 (or the equivalent score from other internationally recognized testing systems), do not have to sit for the written exam. Applicants with insufficient English language competencies will be advised to enroll in an intensive language teaching semester (as a part of the whole study curriculum).

For more information on the admission procedures, please follow this link

How Do I get prepared for the IUC Test of English?

For those applicants whose knowledge of the English language is insufficient, International University College organises one month preparatory Language courses between May and August every year. 

Those who wish to study in the English taught programmes, in order to obtain a second degree from an IUC partner university, may choose to participate in a Preparatory Semester or a Preparatory Year to enhance their knowledge of English language.

Upon completion of the Language courses, the Preparatory Semester/Year, students who have successfully passed their exams receive a certificate, which is regarded as equivalent to the IUC entry test and therefore they are exempted from sitting for it.

Can I Get Financial Support for My Studies? 

Government scholarships

From the academic year 2009/2010 top 10% of all students according to their academic performance will be awarded a scholarship of EUR 450 on an annual basis.    

Tuition fee reductions

Every student at International University College is entitled to receive a scholarship of up to 100% of their tuition fee if they demonstrate excellent results in the examinations and very good knowledge of English language.

Initial scholarship

In this view, each year IUC grants a scholarship to its new students who can provide internationally recognized certificate of English AND to those whose results from the high school are above the average for their country. Essentially, students who can provide either an English language certificate or good high school results will receive a scholarship. Bear in mind that the full tuition for international students at International University College is EUR 3880 for NON-EU and EUR 2880 for EU-students.

Maintaining the scholarship

After the first year, every student continues to receive his/her full scholarship if he/she maintains good grades (over 4.99 - Bulgarian six point grading system) from the previous semesters. The scholarship is reduced by 50% if the student’s results are between 3.99 and 4.99. Students with results lower than 3.99 will not receive the grant anymore.

Bulgarian grading system

 6 (Excellent) is the best possible grade.

5 (Very Good) is the next highest.

4 (Good) indicates an average performance.

3 (Sufficient) is the lowest passing grade.

2 (Poor) is a failing grade.

 Additional Scholarship

Additional scholarship can be granted to students who have sat for SAT and TOEFL exam. Below you can find a table with the scholarships:

            Scholarships for TOP 10% of the students

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Science in Bulgaria and the European Social Fund provide scholarships for the top 10% best performing students of International University College. Scholarship is granted after successful completion of all examinations with excellent results.

Some of the IUC students receive scholarships from companies that are interested in employing them after their graduation. Other students take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Erasmus programme and chose for 6-month study and training programmes at the IUC partner universities abroad; most of their expenses abroad are covered by the programme. For further enquiries regarding the Erasmus programme, please follow this link

What if my brother/sister studies at IUC, too? 

If an applicant's brother or sister studies at International University College at the same time as the applicant, the former's tuition fee is reduced by 30% or both of them get a 15% reduction on their tuition fees.

Can I Take a Student Loan? 

Students at International University College can take advantage of special student loans at preferential terms, in accordance with the Law on Providing Loans to Students and Doctoral Students in Bulgaria.

More about scholarships.

What about Paid Internships?

 First and foremost, internships are an inevitable part of the curriculum at IUC.

Paid summer internships can be a good source of additional funding. Students could save from 800 to 2 000 levs per month if they do an Internship abroad; and from 400 to 1000 levs per month if they do an Internship in Bulgaria.

International University College offers different options that permit flexible duration of paid internships and studies. This makes it possible even for students who do not have sufficient financial resources to complete their studies with us. It is common practice that International University College would send even newly accepted students for a paid internship (including internships abroad) during the summer holidays prior to the commencement of their first year ofstudies.

Can I Study and Be Permanently Employed at the Same Time?

IUC organizes Base level study courses specifically designed for permanently employed people in several cities: Dobrich, Varna, Sofia, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo and Bourgas. Those of you who are interested in these courses can attend evening and weekend sessions in modern, fully equipped language and study centers in these cities.

IUC supports and encourages students to work part time. In many cases, students find part-time jobs through the College Career Centre. The main objective of the Career Center is to help students find appropriate work placements and paid summer internships.

Where Would I Be Accommodated and What Would Be My Costs of Living?

 If you live and work in Dobrich, your costs of living would be around 30-40% lower than if you study and pay for private accommodation in any one of the three biggest cities in Bulgaria. IUC, as well as IUC's student accommodation facilities, are located in the centre of Dobrich (see section Accommodation). Everything a student needs is located downtown the city of Dobrich. At around 10 to 15 minutes walking distance from the center are the IUC accommodation facilities, eating places, the city's bus station, the city's main train station, cafés, shops, entertainment places, the library, the Picture Gallery, the City Park, cinema, etc. Apart from being convenient in time terms, the proximity to all amenities would also save you money on public transport.

The following table gives a rough estimation of the living expenses in Dobrich; in three largest Bulgarian cities; and in a city in another country. 

* Accommodation costs could vary in accordance to location and facilities. The price mentioned is approximate and in many cases it might be lower.