Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" opened its 2026/2027 academic year with a ceremony in the main hall, where education minister professor Georgi Valchev spoke to first-year students.

Rector professor Eliza Stefanova opened the event with a speech and introduced the deans of the faculties. She handed out student record books to top performers from national olympiads and competitions, along with students who had won national diplomas for outstanding results.

Before the ceremony began, the minister, the rector's team and the Academic Council laid flowers at the monuments to donors Evlogi and Hristo Georgiev.

Sofia University brings together the full range of knowledge in one place, the minister said. Choosing natural sciences, humanities or social sciences doesn't close the door to other fields, he explained — students can draw on every branch of knowledge to become true professionals.

"I've always said every student at Sofia University can take from it as much as they want. The possibilities are endless," the minister said.

First-year students will remember this day, Valchev said, because the effort they put in has brought them somewhere hard to compare to anywhere else. He told them they would meet teachers who inspire them — and some who don't — and that at times they'll feel their work wasn't graded fairly.

"That's life — there's no such thing as perfect fairness. But over time you'll realise there's something to learn from both kinds of teachers," Valchev said.

The minister told students not to complain, not to cut corners, and to work hard. He urged them to enjoy themselves, but not to spend the best years of their youth chasing extra money — and instead to make the most of everything the university offers.

Success comes neither quickly nor easily, Valchev said. A degree can be earned without much personal effort, he added, but real knowledge cannot.

Many students who hold national diplomas or have placed in national and international olympiads stay in Bulgaria and choose Sofia University, he said. This shows, the minister said, that they understand the university is part of the wider European and global education community.

Thanks to the university's many programmes, students can spend time at leading universities abroad or work with top foreign research teams while they study, Valchev added. He also urged them to use technology wisely.

The biggest challenge in the years ahead will be finding educated, highly skilled people, the minister said — and students are the ones who will fill that need.