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The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

was founded in 1869, more than 150 years ago, and is the first institution of modern Bulgaria. At present, it is a scientific research centre with 42 units – institutes, laboratories and specialised units – in all fields of natural, mathematical, engineering, social sciences and humanities. The units of the Academy correspond to faculties/departments of universities. BAS employs approx. 3,000 scientists and approx. 2,000 administrative and technical staff or a total of over 5,000 people. It is also the biggest PhD school in the country.

BAS has been participating in the Erasmus programme since the academic year 2009-2010. The Academy teaches and accepts for studies only PhD students (third cycle) and hosts traineeships for Bachelor, Master and PhD students (first, second and third cycle). Application deadlines are flexible.

Incoming Erasmus students

HOW TO APPLY

Erasmus Agreements of BAS map

BAS has more than 150 Erasmus agreements with universities abroad, and their number is growing. Erasmus agreements between host and sending institutions are the basis for mobility of PhD students for studies. For the mobility of Bachelor, Master or Doctoral students for traineeships, no prior agreement is necessary.

Students apply for exchange mobility at their home University. Deadlines and application requirements differ across HEIs. After selection, you should fill in our Application form and your home institution should sign and put a stamp on it.

BEFORE MOBILITY

1. Application documents:

• Application form for Incoming ERASMUS Students. 
• Short CV.
• Copy of Identity Card/Passport.

Special needs: We can provide a screen reader for blind or visually impaired students. Deaf or hard of hearing students can get a sign language interpreter.

2.1. Learning Agreement for traineeship is only on paper

• Learning agreement for studies

In order to prepare the Learning Agreement for studies, students have to make their choice of subjects from the List of courses:

Course catalogue in English:

https://www.bas.bg/?page_id=48356#1391-1395-incoming-erasmus

Course catalogue in Bulgarian:

http://edu.bas.bg/courses.html

You are allowed to choose courses on the basis of your interest regardless of your receiving institute.

The content of the Learning agreement can be coordinated via e-mail with the contact person of the bilateral agreement between the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and your university and with the Erasmus Coordinator of BAS before being signed.

• Online version – OLA:

Universities which have registered on the Online Learning Agreement platform use the online learning agreement. Your Erasmus Office will let you know. The Academy does use the OLA platform. Students have to register on the platform either with university e-mail or gmail address: https://www.learning-agreement.eu/user/login

or they can download the mobile application and use it with same login details as the desktop version:  https://erasmusapp.eu/

The document has to be signed by you and your Home University Coordinator (Responsible person) via the platform in order to be accepted and approved by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

The Receiving Administrative Contact person has to be filled in:

Tomina Galibova, Erasmus Coordinator

erasmus@cu.bas.bg, +35929795387

The Receiving Responsible person is:

Prof. Evdokia Pasheva, Institutional Coordinator

eva@bio21.bas.bg, +35929795387

• Paper version:

In case your Home University does not use the Online Learning Agreement platform you could use a paper-based/pdf Learning Agreement. The document should be duly filled in electronically (not handwritten), signed by you and also signed and stamped (or digitally signed) by the responsible coordinator at your Home University. Please note that your University might as well have developed its own form of Learning Agreement.

3. Language Requirements

Courses are conducted in Bulgarian or English and only in occasional cases in other languages. Level B1 of CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is required, a certificate from the Online Language Support (OLS) page of the EU is recommended – register and write English placement test in the Search field.

Attending a Bulgarian language course along with your studies is free of charge for Erasmus students and brings 20 ECTS.

4. Visa

• A foreigner may enter the Republic of Bulgaria with a regular foreign travel document or another equivalent document as well as with a visa, if required.
• Citizens of the European Union member states, EEA (Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein) and Switzerland do not need a visa for studies, independently of the duration of their stay.
• Students from other countries may need to obtain a visa before leaving their country. For information about the visa procedure, please contact the Bulgarian Embassy or Consulate in your home country.
• Holders of valid Schengen visas have the right to enter and reside in the Republic of Bulgaria for a period of no more than three months in any six-month period from the date of the first entry without the need to have a Bulgarian short-stay visa.
• In any case, all Erasmus students are advised to contact the Bulgarian Embassy and/or Consular Sections in their home country to find out detailed information on the specific requirements and procedures for staying in Bulgaria.
• Most up-to-date information: https://www.mfa.bg/en/services-travel/consular-services/travel-bulgaria/visa-bulgaria

5. Accommodation

BAS does not have dormitories but the Erasmus office assists with information on suitable hotels and AirBNB accommodation. Under a contract with another HEI in Sofia, Erasmus students of the Academy may use a dormitory at a minimal cost but the conditions are absolutely basic.

6. Health Insurance

Citizens of the EU member states or of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland planning to stay temporarily in Bulgaria are advised to obtain the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to be issued in their home country. It gives access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare under the same conditions and at the same cost as Bulgarian people who are insured. It guarantees reimbursement of the medical costs on the spot or soon after return home. For more information, please visit:

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=559  

However, the European Health Insurance Card:

• is not an alternative to travel insurance. It does not cover any private healthcare or costs such as a return flight to your home country or lost/stolen property,
• does not cover your costs if you are travelling for the express purpose of obtaining medical treatment,
• does not guarantee free services. As each country’s healthcare system is different services that cost nothing at home might not be free in another country.

That is why, all incoming students receive free health insurance by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences for the period of their mobility. It is for 20,000 Euro and includes Liability insurance. To this end, copy of passport/ID is required.

UPON ARRIVAL

• All incoming Erasmus students should first register at the International Relations Office of BAS. Please make an appointment beforehand at erasmus@cu.bas.bg
• EU citizens staying for a period longer than 3 months are obliged within 5 days after their entry in the country to declare in writing the address of their stay and every subsequent change of the address, if any, at the Regional Migration Unit within the Ministry of Interior. The address registration can be done by the hotel, company or physical person who provides the accommodation. Please keep the registration card until leaving the Republic of Bulgaria.
• Students who are not EU citizens and arrive to Bulgaria with a valid long-term visa type D must also register at the Regional Migration Unit and obtain a residence permit from the Migration Directorate.

The Learning Agreement may be changed during the first two weeks after the arrival.

At the end of each course, students are awarded a grade. The grading system is based on numerals where 6 is the highest and 2 is the lowest grade a student can get. The grades are divided into 100 points and any mark over .50 is considered part of the upper bracket. For example, 5.50 is excellent, 5.75 is also excellent but 5.25 is very good. Generally, anything under 3.00 is considered a fail. Grades like “Very Good” (5-) and “Average” (3+) are also possible – these are ignored in calculations of Grade Point Average (GPA).

*   grading scale

** grading scale used for examinations and tests

AFTER MOBILITY

Prior to departure the receiving institute of BAS will issue:

Certificate of Attendance

Transcript of Records (Academic History)

The Transcript of Records is a certificate with a list of all completed subjects, their corresponding ECTS credits, the credits according to a local or national scale, the grades according to a local or national grading scale and the assigned awarded ECTS grades. This document is mandatory.