Medical University, Sofia


The Medical University, Sofia is a public university in Sofia, Bulgaria which was founded in 1917. It is the oldest institution for higher medical education in Bulgaria.
WWW mu-sofia.bg

History

Initially, there was a medical faculty at Sofia University. In 1950, it was separated from Sofia University and transformed into the Medical Academy of Sofia. Marko Markow became its director. In 1950, the Institute for Continuing Medical Education was also founded, which is now the Queen Johanna Hospital.
In 1954, the Medical Academy Sofia was transformed into a medical university. In 1972, after a major restructuring, it became the Medical Academy Sofia again. In 1990, the Medical Academy Sofia was dissolved and its individual medical institutes became independent medical higher education institutions. The organizational structure of faculties was reintroduced.

Faculties

The university has four faculties:
By resolution of the Bulgarian Parliament on May 21, 1995, the Medical College of Sofia was renamed the Medical University of Sofia. Three medical colleges are affiliated with the university. The university has 14 university hospitals, including the Aleksandrowska Hospital.
As is common in medical education, the program is divided into pre-clinical and clinical parts.
There are 1,969 employees and approximately 4,000 students, including 800 foreign students and 120 doctoral students. At the Medical University of Sofia, 2,200 doctors complete their specialist training. Research scholarships are awarded.

Faculty of Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine is the oldest and largest faculty of the Medical University of Sofia. It was founded in 1917 as part of Sofia University. In 1950, it was separated as an independent Medical Academy and later renamed the Higher Medical Institute Sofia. Since 1995, the institution has carried its current name, Medical University of Sofia, whose leading faculty is the Faculty of Medicine.

History

The Faculty of Medicine was established by a law of the XVII National Assembly on November 10, 1917, and promulgated by Decree No. 21 of Tsar Ferdinand. The faculty was originally part of Sofia University, was separated in 1950, and underwent several name changes in the following decades. Since 1995, it has been part of the present Medical University of Sofia.

Training and study programs

The faculty offers education in human medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy. Instruction is provided in English for international students. Tuition fees are approximately €9,000 per year. The faculty comprises numerous departments, including obstetrics, internal medicine, surgery, neurology, biology, medical genetics, orthopedics and traumatology, as well as many other specialized fields.

Infrastructure

The Faculty of Medicine is well connected to public transportation. Since the end of 2020, Metro Line M3 has been operating with a station located directly at the faculty, facilitating access for students and staff.
The faculty building underwent internal renovation in 2018, and the exterior grounds were renovated in 2025. The campus includes the Preclinical Building. The Anatomy Building is located directly adjacent, and the Language Department is approximately a three-minute walk away. Nearby facilities include a pizzeria, a bookstore, and a copy shop, which are commonly used by students.

International Students

The international Part of the Faculty of Medicine has a significant international student population. Approximately 15% of students are from Germany, 20% from Greece, 15% from the United Kingdom, and the remaining students come from Italy, Scandinavia, Switzerland, the Middle East, and India. Many German students choose to study in Sofia due to the limited number of medical study places in Germany. Medical degrees obtained in Bulgaria are recognized within the European Union, including Germany.

Application Procederer

The Faculty of Medicine states on its website that applications must be submitted directly to the university and that it does not cooperate with external agencies. Application documents are accepted only in person and not by mail. Nevertheless, some agencies charge fees equivalent to half to a full year of tuition solely for submitting application documents, often by appealing to the concerns and uncertainty of students and their parents, even though such services are not required by the university.
All relevant information about the application process is available in English on the university’s website. The entrance examination is in multiple-choice format. A training manual covering all questions used in the entrance exam can be purchased directly from the university for €15.

Dean

Prof. Dimitar Ivanov Bulanov, MD, PhD

Departments

Source:

Preclinic

Source:
  • Anatomy, Histology and Embryology
  • Biology
  • Medical Genetics
  • Medical Microbiology
  • Medical Physics and Biophysics
  • Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • General and Clinical Pathology
  • Physiology and Pathophysiology
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology
  • Epidemiology and Hygiene

Clinical departments

Source:
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Anesthesiology and Intensive Care
  • Internal Medicine
  • Dermatology and Venereology
  • Infectious Diseases, Parasitology and Tropical Medicine
  • Clinical Laboratory
  • Clinical Immunology
  • Neurology
  • Neurosurgery
  • Diagnostic Imaging
  • Orthopedics and Traumatology
  • Ophthalmology
  • General and Clinical Pathology
  • General Medicine
  • General and Operative Surgery
  • Pediatrics
  • Propaedeutics of Internal Diseases
  • Psychiatry and Medical Psychology
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Forensic Medicine and Deontology
  • Cardiovascular Surgery and Invasive Cardiology
  • Urology
  • Otorhinolaryngology
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology
  • Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
  • Surgery
  • Gastroenterology
  • Allergology
  • Pulmonary Diseases
  • Endocrinology
  • Nephrology
  • Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy and Medical Oncology
  • Occupational Diseases