- Purpose/General Terms
This procedure regulates the rules and the order for reviewing of documents for recognition of higher education and completed periods of study abroad for the purpose of continuing education at the South-West University “Neofit Rilski”.
2. Field of application
The procedure gives the right to continue higher education at the South-West University Neofit Rilski to those persons who have acquired higher education abroad at the educational qualification degrees Bachelor and Master, as well as completed periods of study for Bulgarian citizens, foreign citizens and foreigners with a granted international protection, who were educated in higher schools and scientific organizations, established and functioning in accordance with the legislation of the country in which the higher education was acquired or where the periods of study have been completed.
3. Description of activities and stages of recognition of higher education acquired abroad
3.1. The competent authority for higher education recognition acquired in a foreign higher education institution for the purpose of continuing education at the South-West University is an Expert Committee appointed by order of the Rector.
3.2. The recognition of higher education for the educational qualification degrees Bachelor and Master, acquired in a foreign higher school, is a written confirmation of the value of the diploma for higher education or of another similar document issued by an educational institution recognized by a competent state authority for part of the system of secular higher education of the respective country.
3.3. The recognition of higher education acquired in foreign higher schools is carried out for the purpose of:
3.3.1. Access to further training for the acquisition of an educational qualification degree.
3.3.2. Access to training for the holder of the educational and scientific degree Doctor.
3.3.3. Access to in-service training.
3.4. The order of recognition of higher education acquired in a foreign higher school is as follows:
3.4.1. The Rector issues an ordinance which determines the number, structure, chairpersons of the Expert Committee as well as the secretary of the committee. When discussing specific cases, qualified experts in the main areas of higher education, representatives of the primary units in which the recognition of the acquired education (or continuing education) will be carried out, can be invited as consultants, without the right to vote.
3.4.2. The committee meets at least once a month /if necessary/ and adopts a decision by a simple majority vote.
3.4.3. The meetings of the committee are considered regular if not less than half of its members are present. Decisions of the committee may also be made in absentia. In these cases, the discussion and voting is carried out through the appropriate technical means – e-mail correspondence or online conference connection.
3.4.4. A protocol is prepared for the meetings of the committee, which is signed by the chairperson and the secretary. The minutes of the committee are kept in the Foreign Students Department.
3.4.5. The committee has the following functions:
3.4.5.1. Analyzes the submitted higher education diplomas and other documents related to the recognition procedure.
3.4.5.2. Requires additional information and/or documents from the person who should submit them within a period determined by the commission, but not longer than two months from the date of notification.
3.4.5.3. Submits a request to the National Center for Information and Documentation (NACID) for additional information from the higher education institution that issued the higher education diploma or from the competent authorities of the country in which the higher education was obtained.
3.4.5.4. Performs expert evaluation of submitted documents.
3.4.5.5. The commission examines the request for recognition of higher education within two months from the date of submission of all necessary documents. The term can be extended once by the time required to receive a response to the request under item 3.4.5.3.
3.4.5.6. The secretary of the commission prepares the certificate of recognition according to the model (Appendix No. 1).
3.5. Documents for the recognition of higher education acquired abroad for the educational and qualification degrees Bachelor and Master and the stages of their submission
3.5.1. An application form and the documents for recognition of higher education acquired abroad is submitted to the office of the secretary of the committee (head of the Foreign Students and CSC[1] Department).
3.5.2. The secretary presents the set of documents to the committee for consideration.
3.5.3. Submission of documents is carried out: personally by the applicant; an authorized person (with a notary certification); electronically.
3.5.4. The secretary of the committee checks documents’ compliance with the requirements when they are submitted. Within a period of 14 days after submission, the applicant (or the authorized person) can receive the originals of the documents, with the exception of the identity document, which they receive immediately.
3.5.5. In cases of electronic submission, scanned copies of the required documents, signed with a universal electronic signature, are attached to the application. The applicant is obliged to send the originals of the documents to the University within 30 days after submission. If these documents are not submitted by the 30th day after submission, the application is considered withdrawn and the procedure is terminated.
3.6. The documents for the recognition of higher education acquired abroad for the educational qualification degrees Bachelor and Master and stages of their submission
3.6.1. An application form for recognition of higher education acquired abroad.
3.6.2. Original and a copy of a higher education diploma or other similar document issued by an educational institution recognized by a competent state authority as part of the secular higher education system of the respective country.
3.6.3. An original and a copy of the diploma supplement, as well as an original and a copy of the European diploma supplement, if any.
3.6.4. Document for paid administrative fee for carrying out the education recognition procedure.
3.6.5. Original and a copy of an identity document and document certifying the change in the names of the applicant, if any.
3.6.6. When the application is submitted by an authorized person, they fill out and submit a declaration that the application and the accompanying documents have been provided by the applicant.
3.7. The documents under items 3.6.2. and 3.6.3., issued outside the member states of the European Union and by the parties to the Convention on the recognition of qualifications relating to higher education in the European region, must meet the regulations of the relevant provisions of bilateral international treaties, according to which the Republic of Bulgaria is party, or to the Convention on the abolition of the requirement for legalization of foreign public acts, and in case of absence of such provisions – to have undergone a procedure according to the general procedure for legalizations, translations and certifications of documents and other papers.
3.7.1. The documents under items 3.6.2. and item 3.6.3., with the exception of the European diploma supplement, issued by higher schools in the member states of the European Union and in the countries of the Convention on the recognition of qualifications relating to higher education in the European region, must be accompanied by translation into Bulgarian by a person performing translations in accordance with ch. 3 of the Regulations on legalizations, certifications and translations of documents and other papers, approved by Decree No. 184 of the Council of Ministers of 1958.
3.7.2. The document certifying the change in the applicant's name, presented in a foreign language, must be accompanied by a translation into Bulgarian.
3.8. Higher education recognition procedure for the Bachelor’s and Master’s educational qualification degrees:
3.8.1. Verification of the status of the higher education institution that issued the documents under items 3.6.2. and 3.6.3.
3.8.2. Verification of the authenticity of the documents under items 3.6.2 and 3.6.3.
3.8.3. Assessing the compliance of the data from the submitted documents with the state regulations for acquiring higher education in the Republic of Bulgaria.
3.8.4 In case of doubt, additional information may be requested from the National Center for Information and Documentation (NACID).
3.8.5. The recognition of higher education for the educational qualification degrees Bachelor and Master, acquired in a foreign higher school, is carried out by assessing the compliance of the data from the submitted documents with the state requirements for acquiring higher education for these degrees in the Republic of Bulgaria, by the following indicators:
a) Method of admission of student.
b) Duration of studies.
c) General academic hours taught of studied disciplines and/or acquired credits.
d) Proportion of study disciplines to class hours, which provide fundamental, special and specialized training.
e) Proportion of study disciplines to class hours, which provide theoretical and practical training.
f) The training results as a set of acquired knowledge, skills and competences during the training period.
g) Method of graduation.
3.8.6. The recognition of higher education for the Bachelor’s and Master’s educational qualification degrees acquired in a foreign higher school is issued in accordance with the acquired educational and qualification degree, certified by submitted documents. When the educational and qualification degree is not indicated in the documents, a decision is made to which EQD (Educational qualification degree) the acquired higher education corresponds, under Bulgarian legislation.
3.8.7. The ratification of the Committee's decision (or its refusal) is carried out by the Rector of the university, according to which a Certificate of access to the applicant to continue his/her education at the university is issued or not.
3.8.8. The certificate of recognition is only valid for continuing studies at the South-West University “Neofit Rilski” and does not provide the holder with rights to use in his/her relations with other universities.
3.8.9. The certificate of access to training is prepared by the secretary of the Committee within two weeks after the decision of the Committee.
3.8.10. The University maintains an electronic database of certificates issued for higher education recognition acquired abroad for the educational qualification degrees Bachelor and Master, acquired in a foreign higher education institution, with the aim of continuing education at the South-West University “Neofit Rilski”.
3.8.11. Within 30 days from the date of the Committee's decision, the South-West University “Neofit Rilski” sends to the National Center for Information and Documentation (NACID) information approved by the executive director of NACID both on paper and electronic media.
3.9. The recognition of higher education acquired abroad for the educational qualification degrees Bachelor and Master is refused in the following cases:
3.9.1. Significant differences are found between the data from the submitted documents and the established state regulations for acquiring higher education in the Republic of Bulgaria.
3.9.2. The diploma was issued by a foreign higher education institution that is not recognized by a competent state body of the respective country as part of its system of secular higher education.
3.9.3. The diploma was issued by a foreign higher education institution, recognized by a competent state authority of the relevant country in which the higher education institution is located as part of its system of secular higher education, but the training was conducted in structures on the territory of another country, which are not established or do not function in accordance with the law regulations of the country.
3.9.4. When a document certifying completed higher education is presented, which, after verification, is found not to have been issued by the relevant higher education institution. In this case, the university will refer the legal authorities for the detected misuse of a document with incorrect content.
3.9.5. The refusal to recognize higher education is motivated. It may include a recommendation on possible measures for the person to take to obtain recognition at a later stage.
3.9.6. Refusals are subject to dispute in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Code.
4. Activities and stages of recognition of completed periods of study in a foreign higher education institution recognized by a competent authority as part of the secular higher education system of the respective country
4.1. Recognition of study periods means establishing the conformity of a part of a higher education program that has been assessed and documented by a foreign higher education institution with the program of the Bulgarian higher education institution in which recognition is sought.
4.2. The South-West University “Neofit Rilski” organizes the activity of recognition of periods of study under the conditions and in accordance with the order defined in the regulations of the university and in compliance with the established regulations for acquiring higher education in the same and/or a related specialty in Bulgarian higher schools.
4.3. If significant differences are identified, the South-West University “Neofit Rilski” notifies the person of the possible measures he/she can take to obtain recognition at a later stage, including taking additional exams.
4.4. The submission of documents for the recognition of a completed period of study in a foreign higher education institution, recognized by a competent authority as part of the system of secular higher education of the respective country, is submitted to the office of the primary unit (faculty) serving the specialty for which the recognition is submitted.
4.5. The set of documents for recognition of a completed period of study at a foreign higher education institution, recognized by a competent authority as part of the secular higher education system of the respective country, includes:
4.5.1. Application to the rector for recognition of a completed period of study.
4.5.2. An academic report or other similar document from the foreign higher education institution recognized by a competent authority as part of the system of secular higher education of the respective country, in which the person has studied up to now.
4.5.3. Translation by a licensed translator of the Academic Report issued by the foreign higher education institution, recognized by a competent authority as part of the secular higher education system of the respective country, legalized and certified by the Ministry of Education and Culture.
4.5.4. Official note for passing a competitive exam in accordance with the requirements for the specialty in which the student wishes to continue their studies at the South-West University “Neofit Rilski”.
4.5.5. Original and a copy of high school diploma. The original diploma is returned to the applicant after verification with the copy and attestation by an official.
4.5.6. Receipt for paid administrative fee for recognition of completed training periods.
4.6. It is the duty of the Faculty Committee to comply with the availability of free capacity under § 31, para. 2 of the Transitional and Final Provisions of the Amendments and Additions to Higher Education Act.
4.7. The secretary of the faculty presents the set of documents to the Faculty Expert Committee, appointed by order of the Dean, for examination of the documents.
4.8. The request for recognition of a period of study at a foreign higher education institution is considered by the Expert Committee within two months from the date of submission of all necessary documents. The term can be extended once by the time required to receive a decision on the application under item 4.10 and item 4.11.
4.9. The expert committee examines and analyzes the submitted Academic Report or other similar document from the foreign higher education institution and other documents related to the recognition of the study period, to establish correspondence between the study program at the foreign higher education institution and the corresponding program at South-West University.
4.10. The faculty committee can make a request to the National Information and Document Center.
4.11. The committee may request additional information and/or documents from the person, who should submit them within a period determined by the committee, but not longer than two months from the date of notification.
4.12. The committee carries out an expert evaluation of the submitted documents and an opinion on recognition or refusal, and in the case of recognition of a training period, the committee determines the specialty in a protocol; number of semesters; a full list of recognized disciplines; the grades in these disciplines; the number of credits for each of the disciplines and the total number of credits, the disciplines for which the candidate must sit for exams to complete the studies.
4.13. The Rector of the South-West University “Neofit Rilski” makes the final decision and issues an order for student enrollment in the relevant course and specialty of the person who has submitted the application for recognition of a period of study in a foreign higher education institution.
5. Additional Provisions
5.1. The National Center for Information and Documentation (NACID) performs the functions of the National Information Center for Academic Recognition and Mobility. NACID is a member of the European networks ENIC/NARIC and, upon request, informs Bulgarian and foreign institutions and citizens about the state regulations for the recognition of higher education acquired in foreign higher schools.
5.2. The National Center for Academic Recognition and Mobility collects, summarizes and provides the competent national authorities, higher schools and citizens with information about the higher education systems of the parties to the convention.
5.3. The National Center for Information and Documentation supports higher education institutions through:
5.3.1. Information on the status of the educational institutions that issued the documents under item 3.6.2., item 3.6.3. etc. 4.5.2.
5.3.2. Establishing the authenticity of the documents under item 3.6.2., item 3.6.3. and item 4.5.2.
5.3.3. Requesting information from the higher education institution that issued the higher education diploma or the competent authorities of the country where the higher education was obtained or the training was conducted.
5.3.4. Assessing the compliance of the data from the diploma and other submitted documents with the state regulations for acquiring higher education in the Republic of Bulgaria.
5.4. For the implementation of activities related to academic recognition, NACID creates and maintains a Unified Information System for Academic Recognition (UISAR). It also maintains database with public access for issued certificates and refusals to recognize higher education acquired in foreign higher schools, maintains database of invalid certificates for recognition of higher education acquired in foreign higher schools.
5.5. In the event of proven abuse by applicants for recognition of higher education acquired in foreign higher education institutions and their submission of untrue documents or documents with incorrect content (item 3.10.4.), the university is to refer the relevant legal authorities for enforcement by the person responsible according to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Bulgaria.
The procedure was approved by Order No. 989 of 05/23/2019. The procedure was supplemented and amended by Decision of a joint meeting of the Quality Council and the Teaching Methodology Council, Minutes No. 3/22.12.2021.
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