The cost of living in Bulgaria (Varna) is less expensive than other European countries and is defined mainly by room rental prices, and money spent on food, transport, free time, books and materials.

Monthly expenditure ranges from 500 BGN to 800 BGN (approcsimately from 250 € to 400 €), mostly depending on the type of accommodation that you use.

For the first few days, you will need pocket money mainly to cover accommodation costs, transport passes, food, etc.

Prospective foreign students can received all necessary information and assistance about accommodation from Office "International Projects" of the university before their arrival:

Miglena Petkova

Tel./Fax: +359 52 359 523

E-mail: erasmus@vfu.bg

Students can stay at the comfortable hotel rooms in the University hostel as well as in "Chaika" campus. Prices for accommodation in the VFU campus are from 7 BGN to 22 BGN per night, depending on the category of the room.

Rental prices in the town of Varna and surrounding area vary between 150 and 300 BGN (between 75 € and 150 € ) per month depending on the quality, spaciousness and location of the room.

 

University Hotel

Students can stay at the comfortable hotel rooms in the University hostel as well as in "Chaika" campus. Prices for accommodation in the VFU campus are from 11 BGN to 22 BGN (between € 5,60 and € 11,20), depending on the category of the room.

 

Private Accommodation

Rental prices in the town of Varna and surrounding area vary between 150 and 300 BGN (between 75 € and 150 €) per month depending on depending on whether you are sharing a room/flat, and with how many people, how far from the centre the flat is, and other room/flat conditions.

 

If you want to find an apartment in the city center it is better to use an Estate Agency. For renting an apartment through an estate agency you should pay “agency fee” for finding you an apartment. The fee is half price of the total rent of the apartment. It is paid once when you make a contract for the apartment.

 

More information about private accommodation you could find on the following websites:

http://address.bg/

http://imoti.bg/en/

http://www.imot.bg/

The Bulgarian national cuisine represents the traditions in cooking food established over Bulgaria’s 13-century history under the impact of various factors – geographical and climatic, culture, customs, lifestyle and religion, social and economic development, and the impact of other national cuisines.

Typical for the Bulgarian national cuisine is the skillful combination of meat and vegetables or just boiled legumes and vegetables, as well as the respective type of fat, and as a result of that there are dishes with a high level of nutrition and a distinct taste and flavour. Spices are used moderately in respect to the type of the main product.

 

 

 

Unlike the other cuisines, in Bulgarian national cuisine meat is subjected to heat processing together with the other products, or consecutively according to the time for tendering it. To some extent, this makes cooking the dishes more time consuming, yet with a very good and piquant taste.

Varna Free University has at its disposal a student’s canteen offering on a daily basis 7-9 kinds of salad, 4-5 kinds of soup, 6-8 kinds of meatless dishes, 9-15 kinds of dishes with meat, 6-8 kinds of fish, 15 kinds of short orders, 7 kinds of grill, 5-7 kinds of desserts, various beverages.

The student’s canteen works on a self-service basis and all the dishes are ordered at the time. The service time is about 3-5 minutes, while some short orders may take up to 10 minutes. The capacity of the student’s canteen is more than 300 seats.

There are three cafeterias situated around the canteen. One of them offers hot sandwiches, burgers and pastries made of products already cooked at the canteen. The cafeterias offer hot and cold beverages, snacks, sweeties, etc.

Apart from being a place to eat, the student’s canteen and its adjacent cafeterias are students’ favourite leisure area, as well as a place to meet and talk.

 

  

Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar" has well established accessible environment for undisturbed passage by students with special needs, either independently or with a companion to:

• lecture halls and specialized study rooms;
• service rooms;
• library;
• catering and leisure sector;
• medical centre.

Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar" enrolls disabled people with reduced working capacity as students under relieved procedure and conditions. In regard to the level of disability and at applicants’ request the entrance examination can be conducted in a separate hall.

The students with special needs get personal methodological assistance during their studies – additional consultations, opportunities to sit for an examination outside the regular schedule, etc.

1. Medical insurance

According to the provisions of the Bulgarian Health Insurance Act and National Health System.

2. Additional insurance that should cover various other insurance events.

For more information and assistance please contact:

Miglena Petkova

Tel./Fax: (++359 52) 359 523

E-mail: erasmus@vfu.bg

The Rector and the Board of Trustees of VFU grant personal annual social scholarships as well as scholarships for students with outstanding results during their study. The nominations are done upon proposals by the faculties.

The faculties at VFU "Chernorizets Hrabar" grant scholarships on a semester basis to students with excellent results in education.

There are branch organizations providing scholarships for students’ training, and upon graduation – job placements.

Administrative Service – Front Office 
 

The university Front Office is a unified centre for administrative service of students and lectrures, educational marketing, enrolment of new students, planning and controlling the educational process, accumulation, storage and analysis of the feedback information. A major part of the administrative service covers the interaction between administrators, students, lecturers and heads of professional fields.

 

 

 

Manager: 

tel.: +359 52 359-611; email: edu@vfu.bg

 

Manager Student Services Office: 

tel.: +359 52 359-625; email: student@vfu.bg

 

Manager Teaching Staff Services Office:

tel.: +359 52 359-624; email: prepodavateli@vfu.bg

 

Manager Planning Office:

tel.: +359 52 359-613, 052/359-520; email: planirane@vfu.bg

 

Manager Graduation and Certification Office: 

tel.: +359 52 359-639; email: sektor_ds@abv.bg

 

Manager Graduation and Certification Office and Manager Educational Marketing and Student Admissions Office:

tel.: +359 52 359-639; email: sektor_ds@abv.bg

 

Educational Marketing and Student Admissions Office:

tel.: +359 52 355-106, +359 52 359-513; email: priem@vfu.bg, marketing@vfu.bg

International Projects Office
 

The International Projects Office coordinates and oversees the organizational and technical aspects of project participations of VFU, financed by different international funding programmes of the EU. The office maintains the projects database of the university and has the capacity to participate in different international initiatives. It also conducts correspondence with foreign partners and coordinates activities with them. Administers the contacts of VFU with business and civil structures, and successfully interacts with, local, regional and national authorities. Explores and analyses new opportunities for fundings of the research and educational development and informs the interested parties. More than 120 projects have been successfully realized under the following programmes: TEMPUS, PHARE, ERASMUS, GRUNDTVIG, LEONARDO DA VINCI, INTERREG, FP6, FP7 and others.

 

Contact:

Tel.: +359 52 359 616

Tel./Fax: +359 52 359 523

email: vfu-projects@vfu.bg

Erasmus office
 

Erasmus Office is a structure that organizes and supports the implementation of academic mobility under Erasmus programme in four main areas:

• Student study mobility training;
• Student placement mobility;
• Teaching staff mobility;
• Staff training mobility;

 

Erasmus Office provides information, administrative and logistical support to all participants in the incoming and outgoing mobility.

All activities related to academic issues for mobile students, teachers and staff are carried out by the Erasmus coordinators in each department.

List of departmental Erasmus coordinators can be found here.

 

Contact:

Miglena Petkova

Tel./Fax: +359 52 359 523

email: erasmus@vfu.bg, varnafree@gmail.com

Euro-Qualification Centre
 

The Euro-qualification Centre at VFU provides the students with the opportunity to attend training practices in leading European companies and institutions. The Centre comprises:

• Career Centre – assists the professional orientation and career development of the students. It can organize practice-oriented seminars, interships and training practices, career days, contacts with employers, etc. Employers use the Career Centre to announce vacancies for internship positions and job positions. It is also the place where they can get acquainted with students CVs, to get information about students from the wanted by them specialities, to conduct job interviews as well as to get assistance in organizing information days at the University or to announce their participation in organized career days. The Career Centre works in close cooperation with the Alumni Club in order to trace and help the practical realization of university graduates. The project “learning at two speeds” takes into account students’ individual potentials and providing the opportunity for certfication of any previous knowledge.
• Students’ business incubator – provides the opportiunity to teach students in actual business environment and encourages them to elaborate prospective business ideas. It delivers information, consultations, training, seminars and office services.
• Language learning and certification centre – it conducts specialized courses in foreign languages and provides the opportunity to acquire international certificates.
• Training accounting house – provides opportunties for education with up-to-date accounting products and solving practice-related accounting case studies.

 

Contact:

Viviana Panayotova

E-mail: karieri@vfu.bg

Website: http://karieri.vfu.bg

Теl: +359 52 359 515

Lectures are given in auditoriums equipped with modern facilities and in 40 specialized rooms, laboratories and art studios.

There is a new educational-and-sports complex built at the university, which is on three floors and comprises: three lecture halls with total capacity of 480 seats, equipped with multimedia for presentations.

 

 

 

Students are given the opportunity to get hands-on experience with the latest computer hardware and software products, as well as free Internet-access, in the computer rooms.

The University has modern language study rooms and an Accounting House.

Law students have the unique chance to practice their newly acquired knowledge in a training courtroom and the students from the speciality Counteraction to Crime and Public Order Protection can make use of the specialized room in Criminology.

A Centre for Psycho-physiological Examinations, Psycho-diagnostic and Consulting Psychology has started work since May 2008. The Centre organizes and conducts, educational and qualification courses in the context of lifelong learning, supports the leading         of student's practice in the educational process.

 

 

 

Digital library complex

The multifarious university library has a substantial information stock of 136 864 library documents. The library provides tо the use of lecturers and students 340 different periodicals – both Bulgarian and foreign.

As a member of the Bulgarian Information Consortium, it offers a new product under the method of the shared access – the full text data base of EBSCO Publishing / 7188 magazines and 2500 books and brochures.

Opening hours:

Monday – Friday – from 8.30 a.m. until 6.15 p.m.

Saturday – from 8.00 a.m. until 12.00 a.m.

In the summer period /July, August and September/ from 8.30 a.m. until 4.30 p.m.

Tel. +359 52 359 527

e-mail : lib@vfu.bg

 

Technological Institute

The Technological Institute is an independent structural unit of the University for organizing, servicing and conducting fundmental and applied research, consulting, expertise, technological, development, teaching and other parallel activities.

The Technological Institute performs an orientating, supporting and coordinating role in respect to the SEC in the field of contemporary educational technologies.

 

Manager Konstantin Kosev

Tel.: +359 52 359 537

e-mail: kkossev@vfu.bg

VFU "Chernorizets Hrabar" participates in projects under the programmes:

• LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMMES (LLP)
• SEVENTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME (FP7)
• TEMPUS
• COST
• INTERREG
• SIXTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME (FP6)
• PHARE
• STRUCTURAL FUNDS and others

Formalities upon arrival in Bulgaria

The foreign citizens can enter the Republic of Bulgaria upon the presentation of a valid document of identity, as well as a visa for a stay or a transit crossing of the country, when such is required. Visas are not issued at the border check points. The Bulgarian visas are issued by the Embassies of the Republic of Bulgaria or by the Consular missions in the countries for which those are required.

For more information, see: http://www.mfa.government.bg/en/pages/109/index.html

 

Customs control

Passengers are forbidden to import and export goods of such origin, kind or quantity that are intended for commercial trade. These do not include items and goods for personal usage or consumption. Passengers have the right to import, free of duty, money and goods, which they will need during their stay in Bulgaria, provided that these goods or money by virtue of their type and quantity are relevant to the reason and duration of the stay. Bulgaria’s Customs Law has been developed on the basis of European Union’s Customs Code. Bulgarian custom-tariff is compliant to European Union requirements. A completed bill of entry, similar to the one used in the EU, as well as all pertinent trade documents (invoices, a certificate of origin, transportation papers and other accompanying documents) are required in order to clear goods from the Customs.

 

Communications

Bulgaria is connected by air with destinations all around the globe. The national airline is “Bulgaria Air”. This country’s well-developed road network is an integral part of the sixth international land corridor, part of the connection between Europe, the Orient, the North and the South.

 

Railway network includes well developed public and inter-city transportation scheme.

A great number of privately owned bus-transport companies offer a choice of destinations both within the Bulgarian territory and abroad.

 

Road traffic rules and regulations

Road traffic rules and regulations, as well as road signs are in compliance with the European standard. While driving in Bulgaria, one should obey the following speed restrictions: 50 km/h within city bounds, 90 km/h on inter-city roads, and 130 km/h on highways. If you (in a vehicle of foreign registration) are a part of a car crash accident, then you are required by law to wait for the arrival of road police on the spot of the accident. It is forbidden to drive under the influence of alcoholic drinks and drags.

 

Arrival

VARNA FREE UNIVERSITY "CHERNORIZETS HRABAR"

Address: Chaika Resort, 9007 Varna, Bulgaria

Telephone: +359 52 359 506

Fax: +359 52 356 088

 

Contact upon arrival in the country:

Miglena Petkova

Tel./Fax: +359 52 359 523

E-mail: erasmus@vfu.bg

 

Other information of practical interest

Bus lines operating on the Varna – VFU route are numbers: 109, 409. The price of one ticket (in one direction) in the town is 1.00 BGN (0,5 €) and to the Varna free university – 2,10 BGN (1,55 €).

The canteen is open to all students every day.

 

The Department of Foreign Language Teaching organizes and conducts:

• Foreign language courses according to the levels of foreign language proficiency defined in „The Common European Framework for Foreign Language Proficiency” elaborated by the Council of Europe
• Specialized foreign language courses in the following fields: Business; Computer Studies; Tourism; Country Studies; Diplomacy; Law; Law protection; Architecture and Construction; Public Administration; Social Work; European Studies; Business Correspondence and Diplomatic Correspondence; Intensive course in Bulgarian for international students; Intensive preparation courses for the applicant students’ exams in: English, German, French, Russian – for VFU “Chernorizets Hrabar”; English – for all the institutions of higher education in Bulgaria
• Preparatory courses and sitting for internationally recognized certificates for foreign language proficiency: English for exams – Oxford, Cambridge, TOEFL, SAT; German – for the Zertifikat Deutsch; Russian - „Русский язык. Пороговый уровень.” of the institue „Аlexander Pushkin”
• Preparatory courses for foreign students
• Bulgarian course for Erasmus students

 

Department of Foreign Language Teaching

Manager: Assoc. Prof. Velislava Nikolaeva, PhD

E-mail: velislava.nikolaeva@vfu.bg

 

For more detailed information:

Tеl: +359 52 359 593

E-mail: fltdep@vfu.bg

The international project “European Business – Guarantee for the Professional Aptitude of the Higher Education Graduates at VFU” was launched at VFU “Chernorizets Hrabar” in 2005. There are training practices organized annually for students of various specialties within the project. This is done together with the European Academy for Economics, Banks and Management in the town of Duren, Germany, and the students are placed in companies and institutions in the Province of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Three-month training practices under the Erasmus programme are conducted too over the period July – September together with the European Academy for Economics, Banks and Management in the town of Duren, Germany.

The conditions that should be met by the students are:

• To have graduated the first year of their study

• To speak German

• To be motivated in conducting training practice in an intercultural environment

 

For inquiries and further information:

Viviana Panayotova

Tel. + 359 52 359 515

E-mail: karieri@vfu.bg

VFU has sport complex, open to all the students of the University Community which includes:

• A multifunctional gym suitable for training and competition games in volleyball, basketball, indoor football - futsal, table tennis, martial arts, etc.

 

 

 

• A fitness room, which students can use in their free time.

 

The Comfortable rooms, the canteen, cozy cafes and the local bank branch are only part of the facilities which the University offers to its students

 

 

 

Those who wish to practice sports will be surprised by the excellent conditions created at VFU. Our fully equipped gymnasium has been opened recently and gives everyone the opportunity to engage in a range of activities. At the Martial Arts Complex students train under the supervision of experienced instructors.

A variety of interesting events is organized at the University. At the traditional Students’ Party each year one can meet famous musicians, singers, actors, poets and writers.

The Student Council helps students take full advantage of their time spent at the University, and promotes active participation in all cultural, scientific, sports and social events, thus encouraging all students to turn their study experience into something truly unforgettable.

 

 

The Student’s Council is an autonomous body, which represents the student’s community of VFU “Chernorizets Hrabar” and defends the interests of those who study at the university. It was established by resolution of the Academic Senate in 1996 pursuant to Art. 72 of the Higher Education Act. The Student’s Council takes an active part in various projects and collaborates with other student’s organizations.

 

The Student’s Council:

• organizes the participation of students in cultural, sports, creative, club and international activities;

• provides an opportunity for taking part in VFU’s governing bodies;

• informs students on any upcoming events and developments;

• is a member of the National Representation of the Student’s Councils, in the Association of the Unified European Students (AEGEE), etc.

 

 

Chairperson:

Donika Nikolova – speciality "Public administraion"

 

Coordinates:

Room No А 233

Tel.: 359 52 359 622

From Monday until Friday – from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

E-mail: sc@vfu.bg

Web: http://cs.vfu.bg