American University in Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad

The Mission of the American University in Bulgaria is to educate future leaders committed to serving the needs of the region by promoting the values of an open, democratic society.

General Information: The American University in Bulgaria is a highly selective, private, residential university awarding Baccalaureate degrees. It offers an American-style liberal arts education with English as the language of instruction to students from countries of South Eastern Europe and beyond. It also promotes educational outreach programs to serve the wider community.

History: The creation of the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) was initiated in the fall of 1990, when a binational team of Bulgarian and American educators and government officials discussed a proposal for a new type of university in Bulgaria. Mr. George Soros, founder of the Open Society Institute, sponsored a project feasibility study. The city of Blagoevgrad was chosen as a potential site, and officials from the University of Maine (UM) were invited in the fall of 1990 to visit. As a result of further planning and dialogue, the Republic of Bulgaria, the City of Blagoevgrad, the Open Society Institute, and the University of Maine joined in partnership to establish AUBG. With the objective of providing a model of a Western liberal arts higher education in an emerging democracy, the United States Agency of International Development (USAID) committed to providing limited operational funding. After a successful five years, USAID decided to further support AUBG in its desire to obtain self-sustainability and future financial independence.

The doors of the University opened on September 30th, 1991, with 16 full-time faculty members and a first-year class of 208 Bulgarian students. By its fifth year, AUBG increased its student body to over 620 students. In addition to Bulgarian students, AUBG enrolls students from Albania, Croatia, India, Ireland, the FYRO Macedonia, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, and the United States. The University will grow to a full enrollment of 750 students by the year 2000.

Faculty: Full and part-time faculty have grown to over 60 professors and instructors, 85 percent of whom have terminal degrees and multiple-year contracts. The faculty are predominantly American.

Academic Programs:
Majors	Minors
Applied Econimics Business Adminisatration Computer Science English History Journalism-Mass Communication Political Science - International Relations Southeast European Studies American Studies	English Fine Arts History Journalism - Mass Communication Philosophy Political Science - International Relations German Contemporary European Studies Mathematics

Order detailed information about AUBG and its admission process
American University in Bulgaria web-site

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