The America for Bulgaria Foundation (ABF) has granted $1 million to the American University in Blagoevgrad (AUBG) for scholarships for the best Bulgarian students. The new program will be launched in the fall of 2010 to help talented young Bulgarians gain access to quality higher education. Over sixty Bulgarian students will benefit from this initiative: ten of them will get full scholarships and another fifty will receive partial ones. Partial scholarships will cover 30 percent of tuition ($ 2,500) and will be given in addition to the financial aid that the university awards based upon students’ academic achievements and financial need.
Students will receive the scholarships for four years, provided they maintain certain eligibility requirements (they need to be full time students, in good academic standing with a GPA above certain a threshold.) The objective of the new scholarships program is to help the university increase its Bulgarian applicant pool by 50% and the number of Bulgarian enrolled students by 60%.
A major goal of ABF in the educational sector is to improve the dissemination of knowledge by supporting existing successful models and by creating new ones. AUBG is one of the finest examples of educational achievement in Bulgaria, which over the years has developed many business and political leaders in this country and the region. ABF believes that AUBG will continue to be the incubator of future leaders that will ensure the viability of Bulgaria’s private sector and the country’s adherence to democratic values and principles.
