School profile 2018-2019

The American College of Sofia (ACS) is one of the oldest American educational institutions outside the United States, tracing its roots to a boys’ school founded in 1860 at Plovdiv and a girls’ school founded in 1863 at Stara Zagora. The school was shut down in 1942 by the Bulgarian government and reopened its doors to a preparatory class of 100 students in September 1992. ACS is among the top private college preparatory schools in the Balkans. Admission is highly selective. Integrating the values and best practices of American pedagogy with the rich educational traditions of Europe, we seek to develop critical thinking, lifelong intellectual curiosity, leadership, and collaboration among multi-talented students of various social, cultural, economic, and geographic backgrounds. ACS graduates are accepted into some of the most prestigious universities in the U.S. and Europe and are valued critical thinkers and problem solvers able to set clear goals and achieve them. They are engaged in social issues and are able to compete with outstanding students world-wide. The ACS curriculum is demanding and all courses are taught in English at honors level. We provide a rigorous university preparatory education to motivated young people and are fully accredited by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, as well as the International Baccalaureate Organization. Currently the IB Diploma Program is only available to non-Bulgarian international students. The majority of students receive both a Bulgarian diploma and an American diploma.

ACS is an approved secondary school under the auspices of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education, and all graduates receive Bulgarian diplomas, whether or not they have met ACS’s criteria for the American diploma. ACS is fully accredited with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the International Baccalaureate Organization.

ACS’s student population of 842 is 97% Bulgarian (with 15% of students coming from outside Sofia), and 3% international students who represent 10 other countries. There are 161 students in the Class of 2019. Admission to ACS for Bulgarians is based on the results of an entrance examination in Bulgarian language, mathematics and analytical skills. Knowledge of English is not required. Each year the highest scoring 180 students in the country are admitted to the College. Last year, 46.5% of applicants who applied to the College were admitted, and 72.0% of the admitted students enrolled. International and Bulgarian students who have studied abroad are admitted on the basis of English proficiency and a strong academic record in their previous school. Annual tuition for students is 6350 Euros. All families who require financial assistance may apply, and about 31% of the students in the entering prep class received a reduction in tuition fees.

ACS has five academic grades: prep grade (in which emphasis is placed on intensive English training) and the four high school grades, 9^{th _} 12^th. ACS’s curriculum for Bulgarian diploma candidates is largely dictated by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education. A summary of ACS students’ weekly academic schedule by grade level is charted below. In grades 9-10 all courses are taught in English except Bulgarian and foreign languages. During grades 11-12 all courses are taught in English except Bulgarian language and literature, foreign languages, Bulgarian geography and history (in grade 12). Profiles are areas of academic concentration. All ACS students take English as their first profile and mathematics as their second profile. Choices for the student-selected profile include chemistry, physics, humanities, and computers.

At ACS, the IB program is available only to International Students. The Class of 2019 is the thirteenth ACS class to have its non-Bulgarian members graduating with either an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma or subject specific certificates. In 2018 five seniors sat for the full IB diploma with an average score of 30.5.

As a matter of policy, ACS does not rank or rate students. All academic courses receive grades of 2-6 according to the standards noted in the chart to the left. A 6.0 is the highest possible GPA. To convert GPA from the Bulgarian 6.0 system to the American 4.0 system, subtract two points from the Bulgarian system. For example, a 6.0 in the Bulgarian system is a 4.0 in the American system. All academic courses are taught at an honors level, and students are required to maintain a 4.50 average or above. Students who earn a semester GPA of 5.50-5.89 (U.S. 3.50-3.89) are placed on the Honor Roll. Students with a GPA of 5.90-6.00 (U.S. 3.9-4.0) are placed on the President’s List. In the event of a tie for highest GPA, the student with the most electives/credits is named Class Valedictorian at the end of the 12^th grade year.

Grading System

On average, 50% of ACS seniors take the SAT I exam each year. The Class of 2018 SAT I average is 1306 on the 1600 scale. ACS Class of 2018 average scores on SAT Subject Tests are noted below:

ACS offers optional SAT and AP preparation electives. The purpose of these electives is to familiarize students with standardized testing.

While official AP courses are not taught at ACS, interested students may elect to self-prepare and sit for examinations. In 2008, the pilot year, 17 students from grades 10-12 sat for 33 tests in 18 subject areas. In May 2018, 33 students from grades 9-12 sat for tests in 17 subject areas; 74% earned a 3 or better; 50% scored a 4 or 5.

On average, 97% of ACS seniors apply to non-Bulgarian colleges and universities each year. ACS students from the classes of 2011–2018 have attended undergraduate programs in the following colleges and universities, oftentimes having been awarded significant scholarship or financial aid from US institutions: