The American University in Bulgaria (or AUBG) is a private university located in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. Established in 1991, today AUBG has about 1,000 students from over 40 countries on 5 continents (as of Fall 2019). Close to 50% of the students are international.

AUBG is an education leader for the ninth consecutive year according to the national university rankings for 2019. The university is number one in the country in the professional fields Administration & Management, Political Science and Public Communications & Information Sciences. AUBG graduates have 0% unemployment rate in three of the disciplines (Political Science, Informatics & Computer Science and Public Communications & Information Sciences) and the highest average salaries in four of the disciplines (Administration & Management, Economics, Political Science and Public Communications & Information Sciences). AUBG is also number one in all five disciplines in terms of prestige and welfare and administrative services. The ranking shows that AUBG accepts the students with the highest diploma GPA in all five disciplines.

Academics

The university follows the traditional American-style of education liberal arts. At AUBG, students benefit from small class-sizes, interactive classroom environment, and close interaction with professors. More than 60% of the students graduate from AUBG with two majors or a major and a minor. More than half of graduating seniors complete double majors, while many undergraduates supplement their main field of study with a minor in one of 19 disciplines offered at AUBG.

The university employs about 70 faculty members from over 15 countries.

AUBG maintains close relationships with universities both in Bulgaria and abroad. In the United States, AUBG students can choose to spend a year or a semester at one of several hundred universities through the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP). In Europe, AUBG is the holder of a standard Erasmus Charter and has bilateral Erasmus Programme agreements with over 50 institutions.

Undergraduate programs

The university offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in 13 programs:

• Business Administration
• Computer Science
• Economics
• European Studies
• History and Civilizations
• Information Systems
• Journalism and Mass Communication
• Literature (Secondary Major)*
• Mathematics
• Political Science and International Relations
• Physics (Secondary Major)*
• Psychology (Secondary Major)*
• Self-designed major (Secondary Major)*

Secondary majors are those that are accredited in the United States and result in an American diploma only.

The university offers 19 minor programs:

• Anthropology
• Computer Science
• Economics
• Entrepreneurship
• European Studies
• Film and Theater Studies
• Fine Arts
• History
• Information Systems
• Integrated Marketing Communications
• Journalism and Mass Communication
• Literature
• Mathematics
• Modern Languages and Cultures
• Philosophy and Religion
• Political Science and International Relations
• Psychology
• Public Policy
• Southeast European Studies

Graduate programs

In addition to its undergraduate program, the university offers an Executive MBA program and a joint venture Executive Master in Finance, Banking & Real Estate with SDA Bocconi. Both programs are delivered in Elieff Center in Sofia

Non-degree programs

The university offers a number of trainings and courses. Most of the trainings are held in the AUBG Elieff Center for Education and Culture in Sofia.

The Blagoevgrad-based English Language Institute offers English-language instruction at all levels and for all ages year-round. It is also a certified Internet-based TOEFL testing center.

Tuition and scholarships

AUBG offers spring and fall semester admission on a rolling basis.

The university offers need- and merit-based aid to deserving students.^[26] Financial aid, various scholarships, and student assistant positions – the university makes sure that students get financial support while pursuing high-quality education.

The AUBG Tchaprachikoff scholarship provides partial funding for tuition for up to two years for Bulgarian AUBG graduates who are admitted to a graduate program in any one of the top 20 national universities in the United States or to any one of the top 20 U.S. schools in the respective fields.