Varna University of Management

What Varna University of Management does

Varna University of Management (VUM) is a private higher education institution founded in 1996 and headquartered in Varna, Bulgaria, with additional campuses in Dobrich and Sofia. The university delivers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programmes with a focus on management, hospitality, tourism, culinary arts, and software systems, supported by an Online Campus learning management system for course delivery. VUM operates the Academy for Continuous and Vocational Training, which includes the Vocational Training Centre, the Institute of Modern Education, and the Culinary Arts Institute, extending its reach into professional and continuing education.

VUM generates revenue primarily through tuition fees (subscription-recurring) across its Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD programmes, supplemented by EU-funded Erasmus+ project grants. The institution recruits students directly via online applications, education fairs, school visits, a global network of recruitment representatives, and multilingual (English/Bulgarian) application guides targeting both EU/EEA and non-EU applicants. The university offers distance learning variants for Hotel Management (Bachelor's) and International Tourism (Master's) starting in the 2026/2027 academic year.

The institution differentiates itself through strong international rankings — #1 globally in student mobility (2017-2020, U-Multirank), #10 worldwide for its Tourism Management Master's programme, and #5 in Central & Eastern Europe for its MBA — and through mandatory paid internships of up to 12 months. VUM maintains a network of 100+ Erasmus+ partner universities and operates "Business Supports Talents" industry partnerships feeding its Career Center for student placement.

Name

Varna University of Management

Legal name

Varna University of Management

Website

https://vum.bg

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Varna University of Management is a private Bulgarian higher education institution, founded in 1996, offering Bachelor's, Master's, PhD, and vocational programmes in management, hospitality, tourism, and culinary arts across campuses in Varna, Dobrich, and Sofia, with a global recruitment footprint.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Management Research Institutes & Doctoral (PhD/DBA) Programs (EDAHAHAO)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Hospitality management degrees
• Tourism management degrees
• Business management education
• Culinary arts training

Headquarters

HQ city

Varna

HQ country

Bulgaria

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Revenue generated from tuition fees for Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD programmes. The university offers various programmes including Software Systems and Technologies, Hotel Management, International Business Management, MBA, and Tourism programmes. Distance learning options are also available.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Varna University of Management is a private higher education institution offering accredited Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD programmes with concentrations in business management, hospitality and hotel management, gastronomy and culinary arts, tourism, and software systems and technologies. Programmes are delivered across three Bulgarian campuses (Varna, Dobrich, Sofia) and through online/distance learning, with mandatory paid internships of up to 12 months and international mobility through the Erasmus+ programme.

Product overview

Varna University of Management (VUM) is a higher education institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of academic programmes across bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. The institution operates through three main campuses in Varna, Dobrich, and Sofia. Its core educational products include undergraduate programmes in Software Systems and Technologies, International Hospitality & Hotel Management, Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, and International Business Management; graduate programmes including the MBA and Master of International Tourism (available in both standard and distance learning formats); and doctoral research programmes. Supporting the core academic offerings are the Academy for Continuous and Vocational Training, comprising the Vocational Training Centre, Institute of Modern Education, and Culinary Arts Institute. The university also provides an Online Campus platform for digital learning, Erasmus+ mobility programmes for international exchange, and student accommodation services across multiple facilities. The institution positions itself with the official social media hashtag #HelloVUM for community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor's Degree Programmes Undergraduate degree programmes in business management, hospitality and hotel management, gastronomy and culinary arts, software systems and technologies, and pedagogy for secondary school graduates.
• Master's Degree Programmes Graduate degree programmes including MBA, Master of International Tourism, and doctoral-level research programmes for bachelor's degree holders and working professionals.
• PhD Programme in Tourism Doctoral research programme in Tourism Management for advanced academic research and scholarship.
• Online Campus Learning Platform Proprietary learning management system providing enrolled students with online access to course materials, assignments, and academic resources, supporting both on-campus and distance learning delivery.
• Vocational Training Centre (Academy for Continuous and Vocational Training) Continuing education and vocational training courses for skill development and career advancement, delivered under the Academy for Continuous and Vocational Training.
• Institute of Modern Education Department providing modern educational methodologies and professional qualification courses for teachers and educational professionals.
• Culinary Arts Institute Specialised institute for culinary arts education and training, part of the Academy for Continuous and Vocational Training.
• Erasmus+ Mobility Programme International student and staff mobility programme enabling study abroad and internship opportunities at European partner institutions under the EU Erasmus+ framework.
• Hotel Management Distance Learning Programme Distance learning option for the Bachelor's Hotel Management programme, providing flexible online education for students unable to attend on-campus classes.
• Master of International Tourism Distance Learning Programme Distance learning version of the Master's programme in International Tourism, offering flexible online study options for working professionals.
• Student Accommodation Services On-campus and affiliated student housing options, including dormitories in Varna and Dobrich, Campus Oslo 4U, Campus 90 Hotel, and Hotel Sorbona.

Quantifiable outcome

• NO 1 IN THE WORLD in student mobility for 2017-2020
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• Erasmus+ Programme PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive Erasmus+ mobility programme with academic partners globally. Students can study or intern at partner universities with over 100+ partner institutions.
• FRIENDS ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ mobility project for international collaboration and student exchange.
• QUARTZ ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ project focused on international academic cooperation.
• EMPOWER ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ project supporting women's empowerment through education.
• BEEHIVE ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ Capacity Building project (573936-EPP-1-2016-1-BG-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP).
• HARMONY ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ project (617223-EPP-1-2020-1-ES-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP) for higher education cooperation.
• ENACT ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ project (619185-EPP-1-2020-1-LK-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP).
• SMART ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ project (585620-EPP-1-2017-1-EL-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP).
• COOPERA ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ project (617490-EPP-1-2020-1-MD-EPPKA2-CBHE-SP).
• NTG ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ project (591982-EPP-1-2017-1-IT-EPPKA2-SSA-B).
• CULINART ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean culinary arts cooperation project (culinart-europe.eu).
• BIC ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject BIC (project-bic.vum.bg) focused on business and innovation.
• FENICE ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational project (fenice-project.eu) for academic collaboration.
• DIGILANGUAGE VETminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ project focused on digital language learning in vocational education (digilanguagevet.com).
• SOS IB ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational project (vsr.si/en/project-sos/).
• DEMo4PPL ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ project (demo4ppl.eu) for educational development.
• SAFER ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ project (aast.edu/en/scientific-research/SAFER/) for safety research.
• CodeBLUE ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational project (codeblue-project.com) for academic cooperation.
• Pro Extour ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded project (proextour.eu) for tourism professional development.
• LOC Food ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject focused on local food and culinary traditions (facebook.com/locfoodofficial).
• INTERSMARTS ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational project (intersmarts.eu) for skills and knowledge exchange.
• CulSus ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject focused on culinary sustainability (vum.bg/culsus/).
• BIOSUSTAIN ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded project (vum.bg/biosustain-vum-project/) on biodiversity and sustainable food systems, including capacity-building events in Dobrich and international seminars.
• Uniworld Boutique River CruisesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuxury river cruise company. VUM hosted culinary director Robert van Reisbergen for industry engagement and potential student placement opportunities.
• Partner UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive network of academic partner universities for student exchanges, joint programmes, and international collaboration. Listed under 'Partner Universities' section of the website.
• Business Partners (Business Supports Talents)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness partnerships supporting student talent development through internships, practical training, and employment opportunities. The Career Center connects students with employers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Berlin School of Business and Innovation (BSBI): A private German business school with international student focus, offering MBA and management programs in English. Directly comparable to VUM given similar positioning as a tuition-funded private institution targeting international students with management/business programs.
• Glion Institute of Higher Education: Swiss private hospitality and luxury management institution offering bachelor's and master's degrees to an international student base. Comparable to VUM given parallel business-hospitality curriculum and tuition-funded private education model, with Glion positioned at the premium end of the same niche.
• American University in Bulgaria (AUBG): The leading private English-language liberal arts and business university in Bulgaria, located in Blagoevgrad. Directly comparable to VUM as another internationally oriented private Bulgarian higher education institution competing for the same international and domestic student pool, offering business programs with similar tuition-driven economics.
• BHMS Business & Hotel Management School: A Swiss private institution combining business and hotel management education. Comparable to VUM as a private, tuition-driven business school with hospitality management specialization targeting international students through English-language delivery.
• MODUL University Vienna: A private Austrian university specializing in tourism, hospitality management, and sustainability, with strong international student orientation. Highly comparable to VUM given the nearly identical niche (tourism/hospitality management education), smaller scale, and international recruitment model.
• Les Roches Global Hospitality Education: A globally recognized Swiss private hospitality school with degree programs (bachelor's, master's) and a large international student body. Directly comparable to VUM's hospitality focus, with stronger brand but similar operating profile of tuition-dependent, internationally recruited private hospitality education.
• HTMi Switzerland (Hotel and Tourism Management Institute): A Swiss private hotel and tourism management school offering degree programs in hospitality. Comparable to VUM given parallel hospitality/hotel management curriculum emphasis, international student population, and tuition-driven revenue model — VUM is essentially the Bulgaria-based value alternative to Swiss hotel schools.

Regional players

• University of Economics – Varna (UE-Varna): Bulgaria's specialized state economics university located in the same city as VUM's headquarters. Closest direct regional competitor on geography and academic offerings (business/management/tourism) — VUM competes with UE-Varna for both Bulgarian and international students in the same local market.
• Budapest Metropolitan University (METU): A Hungarian private university offering business, communication, and management programs with international student recruitment. Regionally comparable to VUM as a Central-Eastern European private business-focused university competing for the same EU/non-EU international applicant pool with English-language programs.

Emerging players

• ICHM International College of Hotel Management: An Australian-based private hotel management school delivering degree programs with international recruitment focus. Comparable to VUM as a smaller-scale, hospitality-specialized private school competing in the global international-student hospitality education market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vum_bulgaria
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/VUMBulgaria
• Facebookfacebook.com/varnauniversityofmanagement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/varna-university-of-management
• Instagraminstagram.com/vum_bulgaria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Varna University of Management