Overview
The Academy of the Ministry of Interior (Академия на МВР) in Sofia trains future police, border police and fire and emergency service staff in Bulgaria. Applicants for places as cadets (курсанти) in the full-time bachelor's programme do not sit a conventional written entrance exam. Instead they go through a specialised selection of three eliminatory stages, then are ranked by a score that combines selection results with their school-leaving grades. This page covers that cadet route, which the Academy sets out in its admission regulation, Наредба № 8121з-273 of 10 March 2021, as amended.
The Academy lists three bachelor specialties for cadets: ППООР, Border Police, and Fire and Emergency Safety. Civilian students can study Public Administration and other programmes. Separate competitions exist for part-time students and for master's applicants; this page does not cover them.
Who can apply
Under article 16 of the regulation, a cadet candidate must:
hold only Bulgarian citizenship;
have completed secondary education that allows entry to higher education;
be of full age, and no older than 35, on 31 December of the year of application;
have no conviction for a deliberate common crime, even if rehabilitated, and not be charged with or on trial for one;
have no mental illness or dispensary registration for it;
not be studying, or hold a degree in, a state-subsidised higher education specialty (declared in writing at enrolment);
meet the minimum physical fitness standards in the Academy's method;
pass the specialised medical examination for work in the Ministry; and
pass a psychological examination.
Cadets study full time only.
Selection process
The order of application is: submit documents, go through the specialised selection, then be ranked by score.
Documents. Candidates for cadet places hand in their file at the regional directorate of the Ministry of Interior for their place of residence, and list the specialties they want in order of preference. Each candidate receives an entry number.
Specialised selection. Three stages: medical examination, physical fitness check, and psychological examination. The Academy publishes schedules for each stage on its website. Each stage is eliminatory, and each can be taken once, with no retake.
Ranking. Only candidates who passed every stage are ranked, and places are allocated according to the specialties the candidate listed.
Marking and results
The ranking score has two parts. One is the results from the physical fitness and psychological stages, multiplied by a coefficient. The other is the grades from the school diploma: the state matriculation exam (ДЗИ) mark in Bulgarian language and literature counted twice, plus the overall average on the diploma.
Important dates
For the 2026/2027 admission campaign, cadet candidates had to hand in documents by 1 June 2026, and part-time bachelor's and master's applicants by 23 June 2026. In general, cadet candidates file documents from March to early June, and student candidates from March to the end of June. The Academy announces each year's dates on its site.
Fees
Training for cadets is free, and cadets receive a monthly stipend. After graduating, cadets sign a 10-year service contract with the Ministry's structures. The Academy publishes the application fees and the bank accounts for paying them on its admission pages; they are not stated here. A candidate may apply to several specialties, forms and quotas at once if they meet each one's conditions and pay the matching application fee.
How to apply
Collect the documents listed in article 18 of the regulation, submit them to the regional directorate of the Ministry of Interior where you live, and follow the Academy's published schedule for each selection stage.
After the exam
Ranked candidates are enrolled according to their listed specialties and their score. For 2026 the Academy also published a second ranking round for its bachelor's programmes.
Preparation tips
The selection is physical and psychological as much as academic, so train for the fitness standards early.
Your school-leaving results count towards the final score, with the Bulgarian language and literature exam weighted double.
A retake of a failed stage is not allowed, so treat each stage as a single attempt.
Is there a written entrance exam?
For cadet places, the Academy describes a three-stage selection (medical, physical fitness and psychological) followed by ranking on a score, rather than a written subject exam. Master's applicants have competitive exams under a separate scheme.
Is there an upper age limit?
Yes. Cadet candidates must be adults and no older than 35 on 31 December of the application year.