American University in Bulgaria

The American University in Bulgaria was founded in 1991 in Blagoevgrad and was the first American-style liberal arts undergraduate institution in Eastern Europe. It has around 1,211 students from over 40 countries on five continents. Its accreditation is the substance. AUBG is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, one of the American regional accrediting bodies, which means the degree is recognised as an American qualification rather than merely styled as one. That distinction should be verified independently, because it is what the fee buys. It was established as a cooperative venture with the support of the United States and Bulgarian governments, the Open Society Institute, the City of Blagoevgrad and the University of Maine, and holds an endowment of 67.4 million US dollars as of 2025. An endowment of that size at an institution of 1,211 students is substantial and underpins the need and merit-based aid it offers.