Compare
Sofia or Plovdiv?
The two exams side by side. Every line comes from the universities' own pages. The source for each one is on the school's page.
| Fact | Sofia | Plovdiv |
|---|---|---|
| The exam | Three parts, online | Two 45-minute tests online, English test if no certificate |
| Scoring | Maximum 42 points | Maximum 42 points |
| Exam dates | Not published yet. Last year (2026): 3 September (EU and EEA), 9 September (non-EU) | Not published yet. Last year (2026): Five exam dates, 15 April to 18 August |
| Fees | €55 documents, €210 exam | €300 per exam date |
| Tuition | €9,950 a year (medicine) | Not published yet. Last year (2025): €10,000 a year (medicine) |
| English | English is a full part of the exam. | B1 or B2 (its two documents differ); with a certificate, you skip the English test |
| Sources | Full rules and sources | Full rules and sources |
Not covered yet: Medical University Pleven, Medical University of Varna.
Every fact comes from the school's own pages. The source for each one is on the school's page.
Show the full comparison, with every rule
| Fact | Sofia | Plovdiv |
|---|---|---|
| The exam | Medicine, Dental Medicine and Pharmacy: the exam has three parts, English, Biology and Chemistry. All three are required, and failing one part fails the exam. The exam is online. The results of the written work are final and are not re-marked. For the exam paper that foreign students take, the number of questions, the time and the question types are not published. | Biology and Chemistry tests, online, on one day, in English. Biology comes first, then Chemistry: 45 minutes each, 90 minutes in total. Biology has six task types, and only the first is multiple choice. The others are true statements, matching, labelling a diagram, a comparison table and fixing wrong words in a text. Chemistry has 30 questions with four options and one correct answer. Each test gets a mark from 2.00 to 6.00, and 3.00 is the pass mark. Without an accepted English certificate, you also take a 45-minute English test worth 40 points. You may not use paper, a pen, a calculator or a periodic table. Your camera and microphone stay on, and the whole session is recorded. A lost connection cancels the exam, and the fee is not refunded. |
| Scoring | Biology and Chemistry count three times, English once. Each part gets a mark on the Bulgarian scale from 2 to 6. The maximum score is 42. Failing any part fails the whole exam. | Biology and Chemistry marks count three times, the English mark once. The maximum score is 42.00 and the minimum is 21.00. A missing mark, or any mark below 3.00, takes you out of the ranking. If you skip the English test with a certificate, the guide does not say what English mark you get: ask the university. Applicants are ranked by score, in the order of the programmes they chose. If several applicants have the same score at the cut-off, all of them are admitted. |
| Exam dates | Not published yet. Last year (2026): One exam date per group: 3 September 2026 for EU and EEA (European Economic Area) applicants, 9 September 2026 for non-EU applicants. Public Health: 17 to 18 September 2026. | Not published yet. Last year (2026): Five exam dates: 15 April, 15 May, 16 June, 17 July and 18 August 2026. A re-sit date followed on 4 September 2026. Registration closed about 7 days before each date. |
| Fees | EUR 55 to hand in your documents. EUR 210 for the entrance exam in Medicine, Dental Medicine or Pharmacy. Exam fees are not refunded. The university also lists a training manual at EUR 15.34. | EUR 300 per exam date: EUR 30 for data processing and EUR 270 for the tests. The September re-sit date costs EUR 400. Pay online by card only. If you cancel during the registration period, the EUR 270 for the tests can be refunded. The EUR 30 is not refunded. On admission you pay EUR 2,000. It counts toward first-semester tuition, and you do not get it back if you quit. |
| Tuition | For 2026/2027: Medicine EUR 9,950 a year. Dental Medicine in English: EUR 10,000. Pharmacy: EUR 8,000. Preparatory year in English: EUR 4,800. | Not published yet. Last year (2025): The 2025/2026 fee sheet: Medicine EUR 10,000 a year, Dental Medicine EUR 9,000, Pharmacy EUR 8,200, Nursing EUR 5,100. |
| Who can apply | You need a legalised copy of your diploma, with a certified Bulgarian translation. You also need a NACID certificate (Bulgaria's recognition of your diploma), with your grades converted to the Bulgarian scale. There is one exam date per group each year. The page states no separate rule on attempts. | Your school diploma must show Biology and Chemistry, with an average of at least 62% of the top mark in your country. Elective Biology and Chemistry marks do not count, and the guide does not say what elective means. You need to show your English, with a certificate or with the university's own English test. See the English requirement for the level. You need a NACID certificate: NACID is the Bulgarian centre that recognises school education from abroad. Your documents need an apostille, or full legalisation if your country is outside the Hague Convention, and a Bulgarian translation. There is no age limit. You may apply to several programmes, but you can enrol in only one. You may sit several exam dates in a year. From outside the EU and EEA (European Economic Area)? You also need approval from Bulgaria's Ministry of Education, then a type D study visa. |
| English | English is a full part of the exam. It counts once in your score, and failing it fails the whole exam. The page names no certificate that lets you skip it. | The two official documents disagree. The admission guide asks for English at B1 level. The university's FAQ asks for a certificate at B2 level or higher, if English is not an official language in your country. Ask the university which applies to you. With an accepted certificate, you skip the English test. Without one, you take the university's English Diagnostic Test online, on the same day as Biology and Chemistry. Its mark, up to 6.00, counts once in your score. |
How to choose
Choose Plovdiv if
you want more than one exam date in a year, or you hold an accepted English certificate (with one, you skip its English test). See its dates in the table, and who can apply.
Choose Sofia if
you need a late exam: see its dates in the table.
Apply to both
for two chances in one year. They are separate universities, each with its own fee.
Plans
Practice for one school, or both
Practice access opens in November 2026. One payment, VAT included.
One School Prep
€199
For one exam: Sofia or Plovdiv.
Biology and chemistry practice for the school you pick
Every answer explained, and your weak topics listed
Questions written by us, never copied from a university paper
Both Schools Prep
€399
For both exams: Sofia and Plovdiv.
Biology and chemistry practice for Sofia and Plovdiv
Every answer explained, and your weak topics listed
Questions written by us, never copied from a university paper
Live Course + Both Schools
€799
A live online course, planned for March to April 2027, plus both schools.
Live classes on every part of both exams, English too
Recordings until the 2027 exam season ends
Everything in Both Schools Prep
Our practice is biology and chemistry, multiple choice: not the English part, not Plovdiv's written tasks. Access lasts until the 2027 exam season ends, after the last exam date for 2027/28 entry. All sales are final (Terms, section 2).
One exception: if we cancel the course, you get back the course part of the price, not the practice part, and we offer you a place in a later course where one exists (Terms, section 8). If you live in the EU and buy as a consumer, the mandatory consumer law of your country also protects you (Terms, section 12).
Questions
Questions about choosing
Can I apply to both schools?
Yes. They are separate universities, so you apply and pay twice, and you sit two exams. The table shows each school's dates: last year's, with their year, until the new ones are published.
Are the two exams the same test?
No. Both test biology and chemistry, but they differ.
- Sofia: Medicine, Dental Medicine and Pharmacy: the exam has three parts, English, Biology and Chemistry. All three are required, and failing one part fails the exam. The exam is online. The results of the written work are final and are not re-marked. For the exam paper that foreign students take, the number of questions, the time and the question types are not published.
- Plovdiv: Biology and Chemistry tests, online, on one day, in English. Biology comes first, then Chemistry: 45 minutes each, 90 minutes in total. Biology has six task types, and only the first is multiple choice. The others are true statements, matching, labelling a diagram, a comparison table and fixing wrong words in a text. Chemistry has 30 questions with four options and one correct answer. Each test gets a mark from 2.00 to 6.00, and 3.00 is the pass mark. Without an accepted English certificate, you also take a 45-minute English test worth 40 points. You may not use paper, a pen, a calculator or a periodic table. Your camera and microphone stay on, and the whole session is recorded. A lost connection cancels the exam, and the fee is not refunded.
Which school costs less?
- Sofia: For 2026/2027: Medicine EUR 9,950 a year. Dental Medicine in English: EUR 10,000. Pharmacy: EUR 8,000. Preparatory year in English: EUR 4,800.
- Plovdiv: Not published yet