The COLLEGE OF EUROPE is one of the most authoritative institutions in Europe offering postgraduate studies in the field of European integration. You can obtain exhaustive and up-to-date information about it from its web site:

www.coleurope.eu

Selection of applicants for studying at the College is carried out by national selection bodies. In July 2004, Prof. Dr. PAUL DEMARET, Rector of the College, invited ABSKEB (the College of Europe Alumni Association in Bulgaria) to act as national selection body and to organize the selection of Bulgarian citizens who want to go to the College – to both its campuses in Bruges, Belgium (specialized Master programmes in several fields) and in Natolin (Warsaw), Poland (interdisciplinary Master study programme). (Letter from Rector Demaret)

1. Application documents
2. Application deadline
3. Pre-selection
4. Interview
5. Date of the interview
6. Administrative charge
7. Funding your studies at the College: self-financing
8. Funding your studies at the College: scholarships
9. Informal recommendations from ABSKEB
10. Selection results for 2008-2009 academic year

The web site of the College of Europe offers all details relevant for admission. This web page focuses only on some specific issues relevant for Bulgarian applicants. Information given here complements, and does not replace information provided by the College itself!

ABSKEB does not require any additional documents, other than those required by the College. Carefully read all instructions given there, and do not omit the FAQ, where a lot of specific cases are explained.

The College of Europe uses an online application system and applicants must complete their application electronically (see www.coleurope.eu). Using the online application system is obligatory for all applicants! After submitting the application electronically, please print out two copies of your application. One copy should be sent to the College (with all supporting documents); the second copy should be sent to ABSKEB (also with all supporting documents). Please, note that the copy of the application documents, which you send to ABSKEB, must include a photocopy of the proof of payment of the administrative fee (see item 6 below).

To make sure that we at ABSKEB receive your application, please, use the following address:

Krassimir Nikolov, ABSKEB
Ul. Acad Georgi Bonchev, block 6, floor 6
P.O.Box 11, Sofia 1113, BULGARIA

Красимир Николов, АБСКЕБ
Ул. “Акад. Георги Бончев”, бл. 6, ет. 6
пощ. кутия 11, СОФИЯ 1113

As mentioned on the web site of the College of Europe, the documents of all Bulgarian applicants must be SENT to the College AND to ABSKEB not later than 15^th January 2008 (Tuesday) / date as per postmark.

The Bulgarian pre-selection is confined only to an administrative procedure of verification of the applicants’ eligibility. It checks whether the applicant has manifestly failed to meet the requirements established by the College of Europe. In that case s/he is disqualified. This could happen, for example, if the file of documents clearly demonstrates that the applicant is in command of just one of the required languages (instead of two), or if the applicant’s academic background is totally inadequate (e.g. if s/he has studies sculpture at the Academy of Arts, and wants to study European law in Bruges), etc. Disqualified applicants are contacted in due course.

The interview is decisive for the evaluation of your application. It is a dialogue, held both in French and English, of the candidate with the Selection Committee.

The Bulgarian Selection Committee includes:

1. representatives of the College of Europe:
• one representative of the College (academic programmes in Bruges), who presides over the committee;
• one representative of the College (academic programme in Natolin);
2. representatives of institutions:
• (one or more) representative(s) of the Bulgarian government;
• one representative of the European Commission Representation in Sofia or of the European Parliament Office in Sofia;
3. representatives of ABSKEB:
• Members of the Board of ABSKEB;
• Honorary Members of ABSKEB.

The selection interview with Bulgarian applicants for the 2008-2009 academic year will take place at the premises of ABSKEB. (The address is given above. Elsewhere on this web site, you will also find a map with the location of our office.)

As stated on the College web site, the most important criteria for evaluating your application and your performance at the interview are: academic background, language knowledge, motivation, European knowledge. In order to help you prepare for the interview, we, the former students of the College, would like to offer you some informal recommendations that you might find wise to follow (see item 9 below).

The selection interview is personal. In exceptional cases, however, the Selection Committee might agree to hold a telephone interview, if the applicant’s request is well grounded. You must request this well in advance by contacting ABSKEB. We would recommend you to refrain from using this option, because it might reduce your chances for success.

5. DATE OF THE INTERVIEW

The selection interview with Bulgarian applicants for the 2008-2009 academic year will take place on 11 April 2008 (Friday).

6. ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGE

Each applicant is required to pay an administrative charge of 30 Bulgarian leva (equal to 15,34 Euro) for processing his/her application during the selection procedure. This must be done upon submission of the application documents, or (at the latest) prior to holding the selection interview. Payment can be made:

1. in person, when submitting the application at the office of ABSKEB; or
2. by bank transfer, to the following account:

in Bulgarian leva (if the bank transfer is made from Bulgaria):
College of Europe Alumni Association in Bulgaria (ABSKEB)
Unicredit Bulbank, branch “Joliot-Curie”
BIC code: UNCRBGSF
IBAN number (in Bulgarian leva):
BG09 UNCR 9660 1089 2559 07

or

in Euro (if the bank transfer is made from abroad):
College of Europe Alumni Association in Bulgaria (ABSKEB)
Unicredit Bulbank, branch “Joliot-Curie”
BIC code: UNCRBGSF
IBAN number (in EURO):
BG56 UNCR 9660 1489 2559 01

If the applicant wishes to pay the administrative fee by a bank transfer, s/he should pay special attention to the following:

- The applicant must order the sending bank that BOTH the bank charges of the sending bank (i.e. where the applicant orders the payment) AS WELL AS the bank charges of the receiving bank (i.e. HVB Bank Biochim, branch “Business”) must be born by the sender (i.e. the applicant). This is essential especially with regard to bank transfers made from outside Bulgaria.

- The applicant must enclose a photocopy of the proof of payment together with the application documents, which it sends to ABSKEB.

Nota bene: Postal transfers (пощенски записи) are not accepted.

 

7. FUNDING YOUR STUDIES AT THE COLLEGE:
SELF-FINANCING

The fees for studying at the College of Europe during the 2008-2009 academic year and the 2009-2010 academic year will amount to 17640 (seventeen thousand six hundred and forty) euro and will cover tuition (11640 euro) as well as board and lodging in a student residence (6000 euro).

Applicants who have been selected to study at the College and who have made a commitment to self-funding can apply for paying their fee in several installments – part 1 before the start of the academic year, part 2 before the end of the first semester, and part 3 before the end of the second semester. In this case, if selected, the student must write a special letter to the College.

The above could be an alleviation of your financial burden, so you should consider it when filling the application form.

The College of Europe’s campus in Bruges also offers a loan programme to students with Fortis Bank. For more information on this option, please refer to the College website at www.coleurope.eu.

8. FUNDING YOUR STUDIES AT THE COLLEGE:
SCHOLARSHIPS

As of today (October 2007), scholarships for Bulgarian students (in Bruges, or in Natolin) are NOT available. The College and ABSKEB are in contact with Bulgarian state authorities in order to explore possibilities for ensuring scholarships from the Bulgarian state.

Information about possible developments on the issue will be published on this web page as soon as it becomes available.

9. INFORMAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ABSKEB

Dear applicants,

We are really glad that you showed interest in the College of Europe – the oldest and most renowned educational institution in Europe, which gives knowledge in the field of European integration.

We, the Bulgarian alumni of the College of Europe, are convinced that:

• After the accession of Bulgaria to the European Union, the need for Bulgarian specialists in the area of European integration increases – specialists who would be able to work in this country, here as well as abroad – in the European institutions, in public administration, in private firms, in the field of scientific research and higher education, etc.
• Ten months of studies in the College from September until June will be a period of serious work requiring arduous efforts. These months will also become the most unforgettable time in your life – with the friendships you make, with the unique atmosphere of national parties and other thematic evenings and with the unique College spirit. We have all preserved l’ésprit du Collège and we are sure that it will be the same for you.

That is why we encourage your decision to apply to the College of Europe and we recommend:

1. Think carefully why you want to study European integration in the College of Europe. Have in mind the special status of the College as a supra-national educational institution, which is strictly specialized in the qualification that it offers. Probably you are already convinced that in the EU, at political level, nothing happens without the member states, and nothing happens without the supra-national institutions – their cooperation is always needed! You have the same situation in the case of education: university studies arriving at M.A. degree in the framework of the national educational systems should be combined with studies at the College of Europe at M.A. degree level. Without prejudice to the formal admission requirements, which are published on the internet site of the College, we strongly recommend that you plan your university education in such a way as to be able, at the end of it, to take in your hands: (1) a Master’s degree diploma from a Bulgarian, a European or another university in the world, together with (2) a Master’s degree from the College of Europe. In that way, with these two degrees, you will fulfill all formal entry requirements for a career in the European institutions, or in public administration, or in private firms, or in the field of scientific research and higher education, and all doors will be open for you.
2. Look very carefully into the programmes of studies at the College of Europe – the specialized programmes in Bruges and the interdisciplinary programme in Natolin. Look in detail even in each compulsory and optional course. Find out which courses correspond most to your interests and current qualifications and choose what to apply for as 1^st priority and 2^nd priority. If you prevent leaving the impression that you just want to run away from Bulgaria, and if, on the contrary, you convince the selection committee that you know exactly what you want to learn, you will increase your chances to be a successful applicant.
3. Take seriously the requirement for being in good command of the two languages, in which the teaching process is led – English and French. Please, do not think that, for example, if in March you can’t use one of the languages at all, until August you will have learned it so well that in September you will be able to understand the euro-jargon and in December you will be able to sit at the exams and pass them. Such an approach is just wishful thinking! Keep in mind that the requirement of free command of French is not an absolute imperative only in the programme “Diplomacy and International Relations” in Bruges.
4. Be attentive and exact in the preparation of your application documents (dossier). Do not run the risk to be disqualified because of a formal failure.
5. Prepare your autobiography (C.V.) carefully with the thought that, when you face the selection committee, will have to be able to provide a substantive justification of what you have written as your personal qualifications and achievements. Look for the “European dimension” of the knowledge acquired and professional experience gained so far. The selection committee will not ask you questions distant from your sphere of competency. But in order to win its trust, have in mind (only as examples) the following:
• If you are a lawyer, don’t confuse the EU and the European Communities regarding the question of their legal personality.
• If you have written your master’s thesis in the field of international trade, don’t mix a free trade area and a customs union.
• If you have undertaken practical training (internship/stage) in the Ministry of the Environment, don’t say that the EU deals only with economy and not with ecology.
• And finally, whatever kind of education you have, please, don’t confuse the European Council with the Council of Europe.
6. Think in perspective. Figure out for yourself what you wand to do after you graduate from the College of Europe, how you will apply in practice the knowledge acquired in Bruges or Natolin.
7. At least from the day, in which you decide to apply for the College, until the day of the interview, enrich your knowledge and general culture in the direction of European integration. Try to obtain information and to develop understanding about current events in the EU and about EU-related current events in Bulgaria, and prepare to express your opinion on these events.

We sincerely wish you good luck and success. And after you “win your fight” with the selection committee and are approved to be students in Bruges or Natolin, we will be glad to guide you on your future life as College students.

College of Europe Alumni
Association in Bulgaria

10. RESULTS FROM THE SELECTION PROCESS
FOR 2008-2009 ACADEMIC YEAR

The results of the selection process undertaken in spring 2008, which are valid for the 2008-2009 academic year at the College of Europe, are as follows:

Part A: The following applicants are admitted to study at the College of Europe during the 2008-2009 academic year:

A.1: Bruges campus (6 students):

(1) MITOVA, Sirma (Political and Administrative department)

(2) MIRCHEVA, Maya (Political and Administrative department)

(3) APOSTOLOV, Ivo (International Relations and Diplomacy department)

(4) ROGUELOVA, Maria (Law department)

(5) TSAKOVA, Sabina (Law department)

(6) YOTOVA, Rumiana (Law department).

A.2: Natolin campus (2 students):

(1) GENOVA, Petya

(2) GEORGIEVA, Ruslana.

Part B: At the moment of announcing the results (7th May 2008), it is understood that all candidates listed above are admitted to study at the College of Europe at their own expenses. At a later stage, the College of Europe will consider the possibility of granting (a) scholarship(s) to (a) Bulgarian student(s) according to the results of the selection, and will inform the successful candidates.

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