An online advert offers prospective students an alternative way to enrol in a university, Monitor daily reported on July 10. ET Lina, a firm from Sofia, offers applicants to any Bulgarian university guaranteed admission, major notwithstanding and without an entrance examination, the daily said.

The prices of the service vary from 5000 to 15 000 leva, depending on the reputation of desired university, the major and the qualifications of the department faculty, as well as on the popularity of the major and the estimated number of regular applicants.

All the applicants need to do is bring the firm a highschool diploma, their ID card, and the lump-sum payment, Monitor said.

The firm has offices in all Bulgarian university towns, a representative of the firm, who introduced himself as Svetlyo, told Monitor in an informal interview. The only condition for successful admission is knowing the desired major, the university department, and the name of the town, he added.

"Then we meet for the money," Svetlyo said. "The price depends on the quality of the university department and on whether the major is medicine or economics," he explained. Medicine applicants have to pay 15 000 leva, and those who wish to study economics 5000 leva.

"You pay the fee and in September you go to the university where you want to study with a set department identification number and a student grade book," the firm's representative said, as quoted by Monitor.

When asked whether this practice was legal, Svetlyo said that it was not, but that he had been in the line of business for ten years outside Bulgaria and had the contacts to guarantee what the advertisement said. Contacted by Monitor, the Education Ministry would not comment on the story.