site.btaCabinet Sets at BGN 30 Mln State Guarantee for Lending to Students, PhD Candidates

The Council of Ministers decided that the state guarantee under the Student and Doctoral-Candidate Loans Act for 2025 will not exceed BGN 30 million.

The main purpose of higher education loans is to provide financial assistance to students and PhD students who are unable to cover their tuition costs at higher education institutions. Since the implementation of the loan programme in 2010 until the end of 2024, some 22,503 undergraduate and postgraduate students have benefited from this opportunity, and the state is guaranteeing the loans until they are fully repaid.

Eligible students are nationals of Bulgaria and other EU countries, and of the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation. They must be in full-time education, under 35 years of age and not have been suspended or interrupted their studies. Another requirement is that they must not have obtained the same level of qualification or degree.

The state has concluded model contracts for lending to undergraduate and postgraduate students with six banks.