site.btaUPDATED Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna Offers Seven New Majors

Seven new majors have been introduced at the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna for the 2025/2026 academic year, the head of the academy, Flotilla Admiral Kalin Kalinov, reported on Monday. These include Digital Transformation, Software and Network Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Forensics, Maritime Law and Industry.

Kalinov said that the Naval Academy continues to increase its student numbers on an annual basis. This year, the school has admitted 56 cadets in seven majors, 890 students in 16 majors, and expects 153 master's students in 18 majors.

In his speech at the opening of the academic year, Kalinov pointed out that over the past 15 years, the school has seen a steady trend of increasing enrolment, both among cadets and students. Currently, a total of 275 cadets are enrolled in seven specialties at the school. At the same time, the school provides education to a total of 3,400 students in 28 majors.

Testing of the academy's first aviation drone was completed in August. "We are now continuing to work in the field of maritime drones, so our capacity is growing. For about seven years now, all our cadets have been trained to fly drones as a specialized discipline," Kalinov added.

The head of the Naval Academy reported that the Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii is scheduled to set off for the Antarctic on November 7. He continued: "For now, we have no reason to postpone it. Preparations are going according to plan, and repairs on the ship are being completed."

In the 2024/25 academic year, 16,995 foreign students, including from EU Member States, enrolled in Bulgarian universities. The largest number of international students came from Greece (3,277), the United Kingdom (2,235), Ukraine (2,151), Germany (1,532) and Italy (990). A growing number of international students and doctoral candidates, including from Western Europe, are choosing to study in Bulgaria, with 779 additional enrolments in 2024/25 compared with the previous academic year. BTA has signed indefinite agreements for ongoing collaboration with 45 of Bulgaria's 51 universities to provide copyright-cleared materials and student internship opportunities.