AUBG is looking for the best and brightest. Our admissions procedures are designed to help us select from a qualified pool of students and be able to answer all their questions. The following information will assist you in preparing your application documents.
Required Documents
The following table provides information about the documents, which you must submit, depending on your type of application. Applications are considered complete when all required documents are received by the Admissions Office, before the official deadlines.
Prospective students have two options for completing the Application Form:
- Online – you can submit your application online and free of charge.
- Hard copy – you can print the application form and submit your completed application with a non-refundable $25 application fee. All international students are required to attach a copy of the first page of their international passports. Please attach a check, money order, or receipt for a bank transfer payable to AUBG to your application. A direct deposit to the AUBG account should go to:
Bulgarian Post Bank Sofia, Branch Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, account in leva: IBAN BG58 BPBI 7922 1040 0153 01 BIC: BPBIBGSF; account in US dollars: IBAN BG05 BPBI 7922 1140 0153 01 BIC: BPBIBGSF. Visit www.aubg.bg/payments for payment information.
Write an essay, which will help the AUBG Admissions Committee become acquainted with you, understand your motivation to attend AUBG, and determine how well you can express yourself. The essay should be on the following topic: “How an AUBG education will broaden your global perspective and cultivate your capacity for social responsibility.” The essay will be evaluated on the basis of clarity, creativity, completeness of response, sentence structure, paragraphing, spelling, grammar, and style.
You can print a template for your essay by clicking here.
Submit three letters of recommendation from teachers, professors, guidance counselors, and/or academic advisors familiar with your academic performance and potential for leadership. Any letter not written in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
Applicants for readmission need at least one letter of recommendation from an employer or a teacher, who can comment on their activities since they were last enrolled.
You can print a template for your letters of recommendation by clicking here.
To be considered for admission, first year applicants and applicants for readmission must have achieved a minimum 3.0 grade point average based on a 4.0 system, or the equivalent, evident from their high school diploma or high school leaving certificate. For applicants who have not graduated from high school yet, the Cumulative GPA should be calculated on their high school transcript.
Transfer applicants should ordinarily have a CGPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent) in their previous university-level courses. Students with less than a 3.0 may apply and will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
Visiting students must be in good academic and social standing at their home institution and have a 3.00 GPA on a 4.00 scale (or the equivalent). Students with a lower GPA will be considered on a case by case basis.
Bulgarian high school diplomas are considered as true copies if certified by a notary and officially translated in English. Non-Bulgarian diplomas are considered true copies if certified by an Apostille. Information about the Hague Convention on legalization of foreign public documents is available at: www.hcch.net.
Applicants who do not hold a high school diploma at the time of applying must present an official high school transcript or record for the last three years of secondary school study. Transcripts are considered official if they bear an official high school stamp and the signature of the high school principal. Academic transcripts should include the school’s contact information. Records must list the subjects taken, grades earned or examination results in each subject, and certificates or diplomas with a calculated annual grade point average (GPA). If the documents are not in English, they must have a certified English translation accompanying them.
Arrange to have the official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score sent by ETS to the AUBG Admissions Office, or the official IELTS or ESOL tests, unless you are a native speaker of English. Please note that AUBG does not accept personal score reports sent directly to the student or photocopies. The AUBG institutional code for receiving official TOEFL scores is 2451.
The minimum satisfactory score for Internet Based TOEFL is 80, 550 for Paper Based TOEFL, 6 for IELTS and CPE>C for ESOL.
The TOEFL/IELTS must have been taken within two years of the proposed term of entry. To register for TOEFL please visit www.toefl.org or request a registration bulletin from TOEFL Services, Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151, USA. To order an official score report for the IELTS visit the British Council at www.britishcouncil.org and for ESOL visit www.cambridgeesol.org.
Arrange to have an official SAT Reasoning test or ACT score report sent to the AUBG Admissions Office directly from College Board. The AUBG institutional code for receiving official SAT Reasoning scores is 2451 and the code for the ACT scores is 5465.
The average score is 1200, while the minimum admissions requirement is usually 1000 points (Critical Reading plus Math sections). If your score is under 1000, you must have excellent credentials.
Only official score reports sent to the AUBG Admissions Office directly from College Board and ACT are acceptable. To register for the SAT please visit www.collegeboard.com or request a registration bulletin from College Board, SAT Program, P.O. Box 6200, Princeton, NJ 08541-6200, USA. To order official score report for the ACT please visit: www.act.org/aap.
If you are a gold or silver medalist or a valedictorian, you will be exempt from the SAT and ACT exams.
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AUBG is now offering freeInstitutional SAT to help make the application process far more accessible to a larger number of students.The institutional version of the SAT follows the standard format of the test, but has a number of additional benefits:
Whether you’d like to take the test in Bulgaria or at one of our international locations, you will find that taking the Institutional SAT at AUBG is your first step toward education success. For additional information, please follow this link. |
If you are planning to apply for financial aid, please submit this form along with the necessary supporting documents to the AUBG Admissions Office. For additional information about financial assistance and scholarships, please read the subsection “Costs & Aid” available through the menu.
You can print the Financial Assistance Application by clicking here.
AUBG accepts transfer credit for work completed at other universities according to the following criteria:
- Credit for courses with a C+ or better;
- Credit accepted only for academic course work similar to what AUBG offers;
- Maximum of 60 hours of credit from accredited institutions or institutions recognized by the Ministry of Education.
Visiting students must maintain full-time status by taking a minimum of 12 credit hours a semester. In most cases, students will want to get pre-approval of their courses to be sure that they will meet the requirements at your home institution. The Dean of Students serves as the advisor to visiting students and will help you plan your program. A transcript of your coursework will be sent directly from the Registrars Office to your home institution.
Visiting students should read the additional information, available on the “Exchange Programs” page, under the “Apply” menu.
Students interested in applying to AUBG as part-time, non-degree students, must complete an application form for Admission for Part-time status. All applicants must meet AUBG’s basic requirement for English language proficiency and provide evidence of academic attainment appropriate to the purpose for which they desire to enroll at AUBG.
You can print the Part Time Application Form by clicking here.
The application process for readmission is relatively simple, but it is important to follow the instruction on the Readmission Form carefully and to submit all required documents by the deadline with the completed form. A decision regarding readmission is based on an evaluation of the information provided by the Admissions Committee and the Academic Dean. All applications for readmission must include a non-refundable $25 application fee.
You can print a template for your Readmission Form by clicking here.
In one or two pages, please describe what you have been doing since you were last enrolled at AUBG and why you believe this is the appropriate time for your return. If you left AUBG because you were academically suspended, please be sure to include information about any steps you have taken that will insure an improved academic performance when you return. You may attach any supporting documentation to strengthen your case, including letters of recommendation.
Deadlines
Completed applications for Fall Semester should be received by the AUBG Admissions Office no later than:
- March 1, for early admission and more favorable financial aid.
- June 1, for regular admission and financial aid.
Completed applications for Spring Semester should be received by the AUBG Admissions Office no later than:
- October 1, for non-Bulgarian and non-EU students and financial aid.
- November 1, for Bulgarian and EU students and financial aid.
You can send your completed application to our mailing address:
Admissions Office
American University in Bulgaria
1 Georgi Izmirliev Sq.
Blagoevgrad 2700, Bulgaria
The American University in Bulgaria follows a rolling admission notification plan, and the Admissions Committee notifies students in a timely fashion. Since the Admissions Committee’s decision is considered confidential, an official letter is sent to the student at the mailing address stated in the application form within four weeks after all required documents are received at the AUBG Admissions Office.
