Study in Europe › Bulgaria › Trakia University

Veterinary Medicine (English-taught programme), Master’s degree

Trakia University (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine) · Stara Zagora, Bulgaria

100% taught in EnglishApply direct to the university, not the CAOEntrance examEntrance examBiology test5.5 years
Duration5.5 years
StartsAutumn 2027
EntryEntrance exam
Deadline (EU)21 Aug 2026 (2026 cycle)Passed: check the university for the next intake
Fee 2025/26€6,350 / yr

About the course

A five-and-a-half-year (11-semester) Master’s degree in Veterinary Medicine taught in English at Trakia University in Stara Zagora. It leads to the professional qualification of veterinarian. The Bulgarian-language version includes livestock practice, a clinical internship and a final-semester state internship, mostly at the university’s veterinary hospital and farms.

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. You need a NACID certificate recognising your Leaving Certificate that shows the required subject marks, which are set out in the university’s table of required marks. Your Leaving Certificate Chemistry and Biology marks also count towards your ranking.
  • Entrance exam: a written Biology test taken in English. Your ranking score is your test mark doubled, plus your school marks in Chemistry and Biology. If you score below 3 in the entrance exam (a fail in the Bulgarian system), you are not ranked. Sample tests are on the university website.
  • English: there is an English exam for applicants from countries where English is not an official language. English is an official language in Ireland, so Irish applicants would appear to be exempt, but check this with admissions.

Working in Ireland afterwards

Veterinary degrees from EU member states listed in Annex V (point 5.4.2) of Directive 2005/36/EC are recognised qualifications you can register with at the Veterinary Council of Ireland, which in effect means automatic recognition. You still need to apply to the VCI to register before you can practise. Check the VCI’s list of recognised qualifications to confirm your specific degree is on it.

How to apply

  1. Prepare documents earlyGet your Leaving Certificate apostilled and translated into Bulgarian (through a diplomatic mission or a notary), and get a NACID certificate recognising it. Complete the application form, and have a copy of your passport and four photographs ready.
  2. Apply and pay exam feesEmail scanned documents to the Admission Office, or send them by post or deliver them in person (Room 13, Rectorate, Stara Zagora). In the 2026 cycle they had to arrive by 21 August 2026. Pay 80 euro for each exam.
  3. Sit the Biology examTake the Biology test in Stara Zagora. In 2026 the sessions were 6-7 June, 25-26 July and 22-23 August.
  4. Enrol and pay tuitionIf you are ranked, pay the first semester’s tuition (3,175 euro in 2025) and enrol in person with 6 photos and proof of payment. In 2026, enrolment ran from 29 August to 4 September and classes began on 14 September.
Deadline for Irish/EU applicants: 2026 cycle (2027 dates not yet published): EU/EEA applicants had to get their documents to the university by 21 August 2026. There were three exam sessions: 6-7 June, 25-26 July and 22-23 August 2026 (English exam where required, plus Biology). The first ranking came out on 28 August 2026. Enrolment of first-ranked candidates ran from 29 August to 4 September 2026, and the Veterinary Medicine academic year began on 14 September 2026. Expect similar dates for 2027 entry..

Costs

  • The university’s first-ranking announcement for 2025 entry lists an annual tuition fee of 6,350 euro for English-taught Veterinary Medicine, with the first semester’s 3,175 euro paid at enrolment. The announcement gives one fee with no separate EU rate, so expect to pay it as an EU student. The university says this payment is non-refundable, even if you do not enrol. The entrance exams cost 80 euro per exam, and there is no document-processing fee. The 2026 fee schedule is in a PDF we could not open, so confirm the 2027/28 fee with the university.
Veterinary degrees from EU member states listed in Annex V (point 5.4.2) of Directive 2005/36/EC are recognised qualifications you can register with at the Veterinary Council of Ireland, which in effect means automatic recognition. You still need to apply to the VCI to register, so check the VCI’s list of recognised qualifications to confirm this degree is on it.

At a glance

CountryBulgaria
CityStara Zagora
LanguageEnglish
Apply viaDirectly to the university (scanned documents by email to the Admission Office, or by post or in person)
PlacesNot published
EntryEntrance exam
EU/EEA applicants (Trakia University) ↗Enrolment of students (Trakia University) ↗English programmes, first ranking and fees (2025) ↗← Back to all European courses

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Checked against the official Trakia University website: September 2026 (2027 entry). Dates are from the 2026 admission cycle and the fee is from the 2025/26 announcement, so confirm 2027 details with the university. Always confirm details with the university before applying.