Monthly expenditure ranges from 500 BGN to 800 BGN (approcsimately from 250 € to 400 €), mostly depending on the type of accommodation that you use.

For the first few days, you will need pocket money mainly to cover accommodation costs, transport passes, food, etc.

Accommodation:

Prospective foreign students can received all necessary information and assistance about accommodation from Office "International Projects" of the university before their arrival:

Mrs Eleonora Tankova
Tel./Fax: (++359 52) 359 523
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Students can stay at the comfortable hotel rooms in the University hostel as well as in "Chaika" campus. Prices for accommodation in the VFU campus are from 7 BGN to 22 BGN per night, depending on the category of the room.
Rental prices in the town of Varna and surrounding area vary between 50 and 300 BGN (between 25 € and 150 € ) per month depending on the quality, spaciousness and location of the room.


Meals:

The Bulgarian national cuisine represents the traditions in cooking food established over Bulgaria’s 13-century history under the impact of various factors – geographical and climatic, culture, customs, lifestyle and religion, social and economic development, and the impact of other national cuisines.
Typical for the Bulgarian national cuisine is the skillful combination of meat and vegetables or just boiled legumes and vegetables, as well as the respective type of fat, and as a result of that there are dishes with a high level of nutrition and a distinct taste and flavour. Spices are used moderately in respect to the type of the main product

There is own medical complex in our university campus. VFU’s university medical complex provides quality healthcare to both students and lecturers. Its diagnostic and balneological sectors have fully equipped doctor’s consulting rooms, a dentist’s surgery, apparatus testing room, a pharmacy, rooms for physiotherapy, water treatment, fitness and remedial exercises, etc

If you have any health problems during your stay in the university you can call the following telephone numbers where you will receive information and advise:

Tel.: (++359 52) 359 540
Dr. Krassimir Ivanov

Tel.: (++359 52) 359 539
Dr. Miglena Krasteva

In case of emergency you can call to following telephone numbers: 150 or 112.


Facilities for special needs students:

Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar” has well established accessible environment for undisturbed passage by students with special needs, either independently or with a companion to:
- lecture halls and specialized study rooms
- service rooms
- library
- catering and leisure sector
- medical centre
Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar” enrolls disabled people with reduced working capacity as students under relieved procedure and conditions. In regard to the level of disability and at applicants’ request the entrance examination can be conducted in a separate hall.
The students with special needs get personal methodological assistance during their studies – additional consultations, opportunities to sit for an examination outside the regular schedule, etc.


Insurance:

1. Medical insurance
According to the provisions of the Bulgarian Health Insurance Act and National Health System.
2. Additional insurance that should cover various other insurance events.
For more information and assistance please contact:
Mrs Eleonora Tankova
Tel./Fax: (++359 52) 359 523
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Students Affair Office:

Administrative Service – Front Office

The university Front Office is a unified centre for administrative service of students and lectrures, educational marketing, enrolment of new students, planning and controlling the educational process, accumulation, storage and analysis of the feedback information. A major part of the administrative service covers the interaction between administrators, students, lecturers and heads of professional fields.

Director
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tatyana Stoyanova
Теl: +359 52 359 626
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The Front Office is comprised by five sectors:

Sector “Students”
Теl: +359 52 359 625
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Sector “Planning”;
Теl: +359 52 359 520
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Sector “Control and reporting the educational process”;
Теl: +359 52 359 624
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Sector “Master’s degree programmes”
Теl: +359 52 359 525
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Sector “Educational marketing, admissions and documents issued by VFU”
Теl: +359 52 355 106 ; +359 52 359 512 ; +359 52 359 513
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Office “International Projects”

Office “International Projects” coordinates and realizes technical assistance in VFU participation in projects, financed from EU and other international funding programmes. The office maintains a database of the university’s capacity to participate in international initiatives. It also carries out correspondence with foreign partners and coordinates activities with them. Intermediates with business structures, structures of the civil society, local, regional and national authorities and branch organizations. Examines and analyses new opportunities for funding of research and education activities and informs the interested parties.

So far 120 projects are successfully realized on the following programmes: TEMPUS, PHARE, ERASMUS, GRUNDTVIG, LEONARDO DA VINCI, INTERREG, FP6 and others.

Office “International Projects” organizes incoming and outgoing mobility for students, academia persons and stuff. The partner institutions are from Great Britain, Germany, Italy, France, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Turkey, Greece, Belgium, Portugal, Austria, the Netherlands and others.

Mrs Eleonora Tankova
Tel./Fax: +359 52 359 523
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Euro-Qualification Centre

Krassimir Nedyalkov
Теl: +359 52 359 597
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Viviana Panayotova
Теl: +359 52 359 515
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The Euro-qualification Centre at VFU provides the students with the opportunity to attend training practices in leading European companies and institutions. The Centre comprises:

• Career Centre – assists the professional orientation and career development of the students. It can organize practice-oriented seminars, interships and training practices, career days, contacts with employers, etc. Employers use the Career Centre to announce vacancies for internship positions and job positions. It is also the place where they can get acquainted with students CVs, to get information about students from the wanted by them specialities, to conduct job interviews as well as to get assistance in organizing information days at the University or to announce their participation in organized career days. The Career Centre works in close cooperation with the Alumni Club in order to trace and help the practical realization of university graduates. The project “learning at two speeds” takes into account students’ individual potentials and providing the opportunity for certfication of any previous knowledge.

• Students’ business incubator – provides the opportiunity to teach students in actual business environment and encourages them to elaborate prospective business ideas. It delivers information, consultations, training, seminars and office services.

• Language learning and certification centre – it conducts specialized courses in foreign languages and provides the opportunity to acquire international certificates

• Training accounting house – provides opportunties for education with up-to-date accounting products and solving practice-related accounting case studies

Contact:
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel. +359 52 359515

Lecture halls and specialized laboratories.

Lectures are given in auditoriums equipped with modern facilities and in 40 specialized rooms, laboratories and art studios.

There is a new educational-and-sports complex built at the university, which is on three floors and comprises: three lecture halls with total capacity of 480 seats, equipped with multimedia for presentations.

Digital library complex

The multifarious university library has a substantial information stock of 136 864 library documents. The library provides tо the use of lecturers and students 340 different periodicals – both Bulgarian and foreign.

As a member of the Bulgarian Information Consortium, it offers a new product under the method of the shared access – the full text data base of EBSCO Publishing / 7188 magazines and 2500 books and brochures.

Opening hours:
Monday – Friday – from 8.30 a.m. until 6.15 p.m.
Saturday – from 8.00 a.m. until 12.00 a.m.

In the summer period /July, August and September/ from 8.30 a.m. until 4.30 p.m.

Tel. +359 52 359527
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Technological Institute

The Technological Institute is an independent structural unit of the University for organizing, servicing and conducting fundmental and applied research, consulting, expertise, technological, development, teaching and other parallel activities.

The Technological Institute performs an orientating, supporting and coordinating role in respect to the SEC in the field of contemporary educational technologies.

Director Prof. Dr. Teodora Bakardzhieva
Tel.: +359 52 359 524
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International programmes:

VFU “Chernorizets Hrabar” participates in projects under the programmes:
• LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMMES (LLP)
• SEVENTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME (FP7)
• COST
• PHARE
• STRUCTURAL FOUNDS

Bilateral collaboration contracts, where VFU “Chernorizets Hrabar” is a signatory:
• Stanislaw Staszic School of Public Administration – Bialystok, Poland
• Ecole Des Dirigients et Createurs d’Enterprise – Courbevoie, Paris, France
• Fachhochschule Lausitz – Senftenberg and Cotbus, Germany
• Klaipeda Business and Technology College – Klaipeda, Lithuania
• The Polish Open University – Warsaw, Poland
• Universidade Portucalense IDH– Porto, Portugal
• Universita degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia - Modena, Italy
• Universita degli Studi di Siena – Siena, Italy
• Universita degli Studi di Trento – Trento, Italy
• Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya-Escola Universitaria d`Enginyeria Tecnica en teixits de Punt de Canet de Mar – Canet de Mar, Spain
• Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya-Escola Universiteria Enginyeria tecnica Industrial Terrassa – Terrassa, Spain
• University of International and Public Relations Prague – Prague, the Czech Republic


Practical information for mobile students:

Formalities upon arrival in Bulgaria
The foreign citizens can enter the Republic of Bulgaria upon the presentation of a valid document of identity, as well as a visa for a stay or a transit crossing of the country, when such is required. Visas are not issued at the border check points. The Bulgarian visas are issued by the Embassies of the Republic of Bulgaria or by the Consular missions in the countries for which those are required.

Customs control
Passengers are forbidden to import and export goods of such origin, kind or quantity that are intended for commercial trade. These do not include items and goods for personal usage or consumption. Passengers have the right to import, free of duty, money and goods, which they will need during their stay in Bulgaria, provided that these goods or money by virtue of their type and quantity are relevant to the reason and duration of the stay. Bulgaria’s Customs Law has been developed on the basis of European Union’s Customs Code. Bulgarian custom-tariff is compliant to European Union requirements. A completed bill of entry, similar to the one used in the EU, as well as all pertinent trade documents (invoices, a certificate of origin, transportation papers and other accompanying documents) are required in order to clear goods from the Customs.

Communications
Bulgaria is connected by air with destinations all around the globe. The national airline is “Bulgaria Air”. This country’s well-developed road network is an integral part of the sixth international land corridor, part of the connection between Europe, the Orient, the North and the South.

Railway network includes well developed public and inter-city transportation scheme.
A great number of privately owned bus-transport companies offer a choice of destinations both within the Bulgarian territory and abroad.

Road traffic rules and regulations
Road traffic rules and regulations, as well as road signs are in compliance with the European standard. While driving in Bulgaria, one should obey the following speed restrictions: 50 km/h within city bounds, 90 km/h on inter-city roads, and 130 km/h on highways. If you (in a vehicle of foreign registration) are a part of a car crash accident, then you are required by law to wait for the arrival of road police on the spot of the accident. It is forbidden to drive under the influence of alcoholic drinks and drags.

Arrival
VARNA FREE UNIVERSITY “CHERNORIZETS HRABAR”
Address: Varna 9007, “Chaika” Resort Complex
Telephone: (+359 52) 359 506
Fax: (+359 52) 356 088

Contact upon arrival in the country:
Mrs Eleonora Tankova
Tel./Fax: (+359 52) 359 523
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Other information of practical interest
Bus lines operating on the Varna – VFU route are numbers: 109, 409, 51. The price of one ticket (in one direction) in the town is 1.00 BGN (0,5 €) and to the Varna free university – 2,30 BGN (1,65 €).
Commercial Bank “Bulgaria Invest” AD has a branch at VFU.
The canteen is open to all students every day.

Internships:

The international project “European Business – Guarantee for the Professional Aptitude of the Higher Education Graduates at VFU” was launched at VFU “Chernorizets Hrabar” in 2005. There are three-week training practices organized annually for students of various specialties within the project. This is done together with the European Academy for Economics, Banks and Management in the town of Duren, Germany, and the students are placed in companies and institutions in the Province of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Three-month training practices under the Erasmus programme are going to be conducted over the period July – September 2009 together with the European Academy for Economics, Banks and Management in the town of Duren, Germany.

The conditions that should be met by the students are:
• To have graduated the first year of their study
• To speak German
• To be motivated in conducting training practice in an intercultural environment

For inquiries and further information:
Career centre
Tel. ++ 359 52 359515
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Viviana Panayotova


Sports facilities:

VFU has sport complex, open to all the students of the University Community which includes:

• A multifunctional gym suitable for training and competition games in volleyball, basketball, indoor football - futsal, table tennis, martial arts, etc.

Extra-mural and leisure activities:

The Comfortable rooms, the canteen, cozy cafes and the local bank branch are only part of the facilities which the University offers to its students.

Student associations:

The Student’s Council is an autonomous body, which represents the student’s community of VFU “Chernorizets Hrabar” and defends the interests of those who study at the university. It was established by resolution of the Academic Senate in 1996 pursuant to Art. 72 of the Higher Education Act. The Student’s Council takes an active part in various projects and collaborates with other student’s organizations.

The Student’s Council:
• organizes the participation of students in cultural, sports, creative, club and international activities;
• provides an opportunity for taking part in VFU’s governing bodies;
• informs students on any upcoming events and developments;
• is a member of the National Representation of the Student’s Councils, in the Association of the Unified European Students (AEGEE), etc.

Chairperson:
Mariyan Nikov – 3rd year, speciality “National Security”

Deputy Chairpersons:
Vanya Slavova – 3rd year, speciality “International Relations”
Radoslav Petrov – 4th year, “ International Economic Relations”