QUALIFICATIONS DETAILS Back to list
Bulgaria
Name of the qualification in original language
Диплома за средно образование
Translation in English
Diploma for secondary education
Transliteration in Latin alphabet
-
Awarding body
Schools within:
1. Ministry of education and science
2. Ministry of culture
Total number of years of schooling
12
General requirements for access to higher education
Any valid Bulgarian state recognised diploma for secondary education grants full access to HE in all field of study. Then, each HEI autonomously organises the application and admittance in accordance to its internal regulations within the state approved quota of the accreditation granted by NEAA.
EQF level
4
NQF level
4
Grading system
Grading system: the grading scheme is from 6 to 2, 6 being highest, 3 being minimum positive and 2 being fail mark.
Period of issue
-
Expiry date
-
Verification information
The diploma for secondary education is being signed by all members of the school matriculation commission and the school director and sealed with the state coat of arms. They are verified by the Ministry of Education and Science and uploaded on the Register of secondary education students graduated after 2007.
Register for qualifications for completed basic and secondary education and/or acquired professional qualifications - available only in Bulgarian language (“Регистър на документите за завършено основно образование, средно образование и/или придобита степен на професионална квалификация”).
Useful links
Ministry of education and science - Ministry of education and science (Министерство на образованието и науката).
Register of institutions in the system of pre-school and school education - available only in Bulgarian language („Регистър на институциите в системата на предучилищното и училищното образование“).
Register for qualifications for completed basic and secondary education and/or acquired professional qualifications - available only in Bulgarian language (“Регистър на документите за завършено основно образование, средно образование и/или придобита степен на професионална квалификация”).
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/national-qualifications-framework-12_en - National Qualifications Framework.
Pre-school and school education act - Pre-school and school education act - ЗАКОН за предучилищното и училищното образование (available only in Bulgarian language). It is in force from 1st August 2016.
Ordinance № 8 of 11 August 2016 - Ordinance № 8 of 11 August 2016 for the information and documentation on the system of pre-school and school education (НАРЕДБА № 8 от 11.08.2016 г. За информацията и документите за системата на предучилищното и училищното образование), regulates the state recognized Bulgarian educational documents and their compulsory requisites.
Ordinance № 11 of 11 September 2016 - Ordinance № 11 of 11 September 2016 for evaluation of the results of education of pupils (НАРЕДБА № 11 от 1.09.2016 г. за оценяване на резултатите от обучението на учениците).
Ordinance for state regulation - Ordinance for state regulation for admission of students in higher education institution in Bulgaria НАРЕДБА за държавните изисквания за приемане на студенти във висшите училища на Република България, обн. 6.05.2000 г.
Comments/Additional Information
All types of schools, belonging to the Bulgarian system of school education with powers to award official state recognized diplomas for secondary education (including any form of ownership (state, municipal, private), non-specialized (profiled or professional), specialized (arts, sports, religious), providing the upper secondary stages of education, i.e. High schools (I - XII grade included) or (VIII - XII grade included), as well as professional awarded if any.
The state recognized Diploma for secondary education consists compulsory requisites within four pages, and has a nomenclature number 3-34.
First page contains major personal information about the student, the issuing school, the principal ministry (Ministry of education and science or Ministry of culture), the type of preparation, form and duration of education, average grade/success for the overall secondary education, etc. Pages two and three contain information about the subjects studied, grouped in four main groups.
Page four of the diploma contains information about the compulsory and additionally taken State Matriculation Exams (SME). The first compulsory SME is non-elective - it is the same for all students: Bulgarian Language and Literature. The second compulsory SME is elective from a list of profiling or professional subjects. There are a number of students, which sit voluntarily on an additional SME for the purposes of extending their choices for access to higher education. The grades/marks of all cited SME is written in letters and numbers.
Subject: pages two and three of the Diploma contain information about the subjects studied, grouped in four main groups, and individually described in a uniform way, including: name of the subject, average grade/mark (for the years studied) in letters and numbers, as well as number of hours studied. The main groups of subjects are:
1. Compulsory preparation/задължителна подготовка;
2. Compulsory elective preparation (including profiling or compulsory Professional preparation)/задължителноизбираема подготовка (профилирана или задължителна професионалнаподготовка);
3. Non-profiling preparation or compulsory Professional preparation/непрофилирана и/или задължителноизбираема професионална подготовка;
4. fully elective preparation.
Awarding period: usually May/June each school year.