21.04.2021
The outgoing Minister of Education, Krasimir Valkov, proposes an increase of 1,256 places for newly admitted students in the 2021/2022 academic year compared to the previous year in the project for approving the number of students and doctoral candidates to be admitted for training in state higher education institutions and scientific organizations in the coming year. Thus, this summer, state orders in the 38 state higher education institutions (including military ones) can admit 39,941 first-year students, of whom 34,600 have completed secondary education. There will be an increase in the number of places in 23 professional fields. "The increase is made in line with our policy of preparing more personnel in the field of engineering and computer science," Valtchev points out. The largest percentage increase in places compared to the 2020-2021 academic year is in the professional fields of "General Engineering" – 37.2%, "Mechanical Engineering" – 27.6%, "Materials and Materials Science" – 20.0%, "Chemical Technologies" – 19.0%, "Communications and Computer Engineering" – 10.5%. For example, in the autumn, the University of Forestry in Sofia will be able to admit 57 bachelors in the specialty "General Engineering", while in 2020/2021 the number was 37. At Plovdiv University "Paisiy Hilendarski", 31 new students can be admitted in "Mechanical Engineering", while this year the maximum was 22. At the Technical University – Varna, the number of first-year students in "Communications and Computer Engineering" will be 500 – 420 full-time and 80 part-time, while this academic year there were a total of 422. At the same time, this academic year the minister proposes to reduce the number of places in professional fields in the field of social, economic and legal sciences. Thus, for the field "Administration and Management", the number of places will be 11.9% less, while for "Economics" – 6.3%. At the University of National and World Economy, a maximum of 222 bachelors will be admitted in "Administration and Management" in full-time form and 20 in distance learning, while this year there were 253 and 30 places respectively. In the field of "Economics", the number of places has been cut from 1519 in full-time and 80 in distance learning to 1,423 full-time and 60 for online training. With the reduction of places for new students at UNWE in state orders and in other fields, the subsidized first-year students from the state will decrease overall from 2452 to 2,242. Places for 15,422 students in paid education are also provided in state higher education institutions. Of these, 9,093 are after secondary education. For the 2021–2022 academic year, 2,250 doctoral students are to be admitted in state higher education institutions and 312 in research organizations. The draft regulation also makes it clear that the indicative amount of the necessary funds for the maintenance of the education of students and doctoral students in their first year of study during the 2021–2022 academic year is 122.6 million BGN. 20% of them will be provided for students in the specialty of the regulated profession "Medicine", which will be included in the list from the Regulation on the conditions and procedures for ensuring the payment of the costs of education of students with contracts concluded with employers. Thus, future doctors in the medical specialties from the list who conclude a 5-year contract for work with the hospital or medical facility where they completed their internship will not pay for their studies.
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Monitor.bg, 21.04.2021.
