Nursing (Bachelor’s), English programme

About the course

A four-year bachelor’s degree in nursing taught in English: six semesters of study followed by a nine-month pre-diploma clinical clerkship in the university hospitals, ending with state graduation exams.

Entry requirements for Irish students

• The university assesses the Irish Leaving Certificate individually and does not publish a fixed Irish requirement. Contact admissions to confirm. Its general rule is that your secondary education must include Biology and Chemistry with an average of at least 62% of the maximum mark in your home country’s grading system.
• Nursing applicants are ranked on the higher of two scores: the online entrance tests (Biology, Chemistry and an English diagnostic test) or the tripled marks in Biology, Chemistry and English from the school diploma. The university states that Nursing admission is possible on documents alone.
• English: students on the English programmes must prove at least B1 level by sitting the university’s English diagnostic test.

Working in Ireland afterwards

NMBI recognises EU/EEA nursing qualifications in a separate step before registration, and places each applicant in one of three groups. G1 is the EU automatic recognition pathway (Directive 2005/36/EC, Annex V), where NMBI only checks your paperwork. G2 is the general system, where NMBI also assesses your qualification, and you may have to complete a compensation measure. G3 covers qualifications outside the Directive. Under EU law, automatic recognition normally applies to general care (adult) nursing degrees listed in Annex V. Specialist qualifications such as psychiatric, children’s or intellectual disability nursing usually go through the general system, but NMBI does not publish a list. Its MyNMBI tool tells you which group you are in. English-language requirements also apply.

How to apply

1. Check your subjectsMake sure you take Biology and Chemistry for the Leaving Cert and aim for an average of 62% or more. Email admissions to ask how Leaving Cert grades are converted.
2. Register onlineRegistration opened on 2 March in 2026. Prepare the application form, school diploma and transcript, NACID certificate, proof of the right to higher education in Ireland, passport copy and four passport photos, in both paper and digital (PDF/JPG) form.
3. Sit the tests or apply on documentsIn 2026 exam dates ran from 15 April to 18 August, with a re-sit on 4 September; each date costs EUR 300. Alternatively, Nursing applicants can be ranked on diploma marks alone. Documents were due by 11 September 2026.
4. Enrol in PlovdivIf you are offered a place, pay the first-year fee of EUR 4,500 (2026/27) and enrol. Confirm the 2027 start date with the university.

Costs

• EUR 4,500 a year for the English-taught Nursing programme in 2026/27. The university’s fee table does not distinguish between EU and non-EU students, so expect to pay this fee as an Irish student. There is also a fee of EUR 300 for each exam date you sit (EUR 30 data processing plus EUR 270 for the tests), or EUR 400 for the September re-sit. Accommodation, insurance and books are extra. The 2027/28 fee had not been published when we checked.

At a glance