Conditions for application

Student dormitories are given to students who have nowhere to live and cannot pay rent. They are accommodated as per the ranking. The criteria include the scores from the previous year (for first-year students – the admission score) or the average income of the previous 6 months for a family member.

The subsidy for student dormitories is estimated annually by a decree of the Council of Ministers.

Those with deceased parents, mothers with three or more children, students with 70 and more than 70 percent reduced work capacity, students brought up in orphanages, as well as military disabled people pay 30 percent of the monthly rent throughout the year.

According to Daniel Parushev - President of the National Representation of the Student Councils (NPSS) of the universities in Bulgaria, in the academic year of 2022/2023, the interest in student dormitories increased tremendously because the accommodation and apartments in big cities that are rented out are at very high prices.

The monthly rent in a student dormitory is between BGN 60 and 100, but it depends on which university it belongs to and in which city in Bulgaria it is located. Electricity, water and central heating costs are included in the monthly rent.

As of 1 March new, higher rent prices have been effective for the student dormitories of the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski".

According to Radoslav Hristov, President of the Student Council at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", the high inflation has caused the rise in the rentals in order to improve the living conditions for the students

Before the increase, the monthly rent for a standard room was BGN 55. Now students shall pay 75 BGN each.

Since 2007, the rents of the Sofia University dormitories have not been updated

Inflation has also affected the prices in the canteens in student dormitories. According to experts, the goal is to improve the quality of the food as well.

The National Representation of the Student Councils (NPSS) insists that the student dormitories should switch from non-household to household customers of electricity, i.e. that students do not have to pay for industrial electricity.

Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva sent a similar recommendation to the President of the Council of Rectors in Bulgaria academician Lachezar Traykov. She is determined that necessary actions should be taken to switch the student dormitories from sites on the free electricity market to the regulated market, where prices are set by the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission.

According to the ombudsman, there is a risk of thousands of students leaving their student dormitories, to interrupt their education respectively, Kovacheva assumes.

Besides, some of the buildings are in an extremely poor condition. Students complain about the bad conditions in the dormitories and some of them are uninhabitable - with cockroaches, bedbugs, leaking bathrooms, etc.

The government approved up to 3 million BGN for the renovation and rehabilitation of student dormitories. It is expected to improve the socio-living conditions of the students and to provide them with better access to university education.

All these changes affect the young people of Generation Z. However, they are creative and entrepreneuring and they pursue their dreams. Of course, money is important, but it is not the most important thing for most of them.

According to the young people in Bulgaria, it is still not so expensive to give up on education. They tend to be interested in trends and quickly research and solve the most important problems of everyday life.

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