Quick Facts & History

Students
Number of AUBG students in Fall 2019 924
Undergraduate students 897
Graduate students 27
Number of nationalities represented on campus 45

Academics
Number of faculty 78
Number of Majors Offered 13
Number of Minors Offered 19
Average Class Size 23

...And more
Total staff 251
Financial Aid Each Year $ 4.8M
Percentage of students receiving financial aid 76%
Retention rate 98 %
Graduation rate 84 %

1991
1. June 24
  
  First Opening Ceremony: AUBG opens doors with 16 full-time faculty members welcoming 208 brave students.
2. September 18
  
  The Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria granted the status of an institution of higher education to AUBG.
3. September 30
  
  First day of classes.
4. November
  
  First meeting of the AUBG Board of Directors.
5. November 1
  
  AUBG inaugurated at an official outdoor ceremony in Blagoevgrad.
6. Fall
  
  Students use the existing communal radio intercom system ("radiotochka") in the Hilltop dormitory to begin the first dormitory-wide "broadcasts", which would later turn into Radio AURA.
1992
1. April
  
  First ever Arts Festival held at AUBG.
2. September
  
  Volga dormitory opens for student use.
3. October 17
  
  Signal issue of what would become the student publication Aspecter comes out.
4. November 16
  
  The first AUBG newspaper, Aspecter, was published.
5. December
  
  First theater production staged at AUBG – Thorton Wilder’s "Our Town", directed by Al Cyrus.
1993
1. January 27
  
  AUBG finds its voice: first choir established.
2. September
  
  Bistritza Residence Hall first houses students. Curious fact: it was previously a presidential apartment of Bulgaria’s communist head of state, Todor Zhivkov.
1995
1. April
  
  Galina Chuleva '95 becomes the first presidential medalist at AUBG.
2. May 7
  
  First AUBG class graduates.
1997
1. September
  
  50 rooms are rented in the Riltzi Motel to accomodate the increasing number of students.
1998
1. April 23
  
  First More-Honors Academy show was organized.
2. September 11
  
  Skaptopara I Residence Hall officially opens.
3. November 27
  
  First ground broken on the Skaptopara campus.
1999
1. September
  
  FlashNews – the first online student publication – is launched.
2. November
  
  First visit by U.S. President: Bill Clinton receives an honorary doctorate from AUBG.
2001
1. March 28
  
  AUBG receives accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
2. June 14
  
  AUBG is accredited by the Bulgarian National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency.
2002
1. October 5
  
  Skaptopara II Residence Hall opens its doors to students.
2. October
  
  Students bid farewell to Volga and Hilltop – the last dormitories outside the new campus.
2003
1. March 19
  
  Elieff Center for Education and Culture in Sofia officially opens.
2004
1. May 11
  
  First Executive MBA class graduates.
2005
1. May 27
  
  First Alumni Mega Reunion brings together all 11 classes of AUBG students.
2006
1. April 1
  
  First student-organized AUBG Olympics bring together more than 500 community members.
2. July 20
  
  The Bulgarian National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency bestows the highest accreditation evaluation to AUBG.
3. October
  
  The American University in Bulgaria celebrates its 15th anniversary.
2007
1. May 12
  
  New academic and administrative building opens officially.
2008
1. April 10
  
  First musical production by the Broadway Performance Club, Chicago, premieres.
2. September 3
  
  New library building opens doors.
3. September 27
  
  Elvin Guri ’96 receives the first Distinguished Alum Award.
4. October 4
  
  Ground turned on the Skaptopara III Residence Hall.
2009
1. April
  
  AUBG grants the first Tchaprachikoff scholarships for graduate study at top 20 U.S. universities.
2. April
  
  AUBG goes green – first Eco Week organized by students.
3. April 4
  
  The Griffins American football club host the first national tournament in American flag football.
4. May 16
  
  AUBG library named after Dimi and Yvonne Panitza at official ceremony.
2010
1. January 20
  
  AUBG and Blagoevgrad officials cut the ribbon on the Skaptopara III Residence Hall.
2. April
  
  "Hairspray" becomes the first AUBG musical that goes on a national tour.
3. May 15
  
  The New Academic Building becomes Balkanski Academic Center in honor of Professor Minko Balkanski.
2011
1. March
  
  AUBG graduate Georgi Iliev wins the 2010 Book of the Year award in Bulgaria for his novel Holy Fool: Dogtown.
2. May 14
  
  Groundbreaking for America for Bulgaria Student Center.
3. October 3
  
  AUBG marks its twentieth anniversary with a birthday gala in Sofia’s Ivan Vazov Theater.
2012
1. October 19
  
  New Student Center opens doors, named after America for Bulgaria Foundation.
2013
1. March 15
  
  Radio AURA, the oldest student club on campus, celebrates its 20th birthday.
2. May 10
  
  The EMBA Program celebrates 10 years of excellence and achievements.
3. December
  
  America for Bulgaria Student Center named Building of the Year.
2014
1. April
  
  AUBG launches a virtual tour to bring the beauty and spirit of its campus to everyone.
2. November 6
  
  AUBG's website named “Institutional Website of the Year” in the 15th annual competition BG Website 2014.
2015
1. April 23
  
  The second alumni mega reunion gathered more than 300 alumni and at least as many students to celebrate 20 years since the commencement of the first AUBG class.
2. October 17
  
  The ABF theater becomes the Dr. Carl Djerassi Theater Hall.
2016
1. September 30, 2016
  
  AUBG celebrates 25 years of academic excellence and educating bright minds from all over the world.
2017
1. April 3, 2017
  
  AUBG and SDA Bocconi launch joint venture Executive Master in Finance, Banking and Real Estate
2018
1. May 10
  
  Elieff Center and EMBA Program Celebrate 15 Years in Sofia