STUDY IN HUNGARY - THE CROSSROADS OF EUROPE

Yes. Foreign students have the opportunity to study in Hungary with different scholarships. For example, students from non-EU countries can apply for the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship. Currently more than 50 sending partner countries are engaged in the programme from 4 different continents. Please visit the scholarship website and check whether you are eligible to participate in the programme. There are also bilateral state scholarships for research, full-time studies, semester studies and summer courses. They are available only for certain countries so please check if you are eligible to apply or not. EU citizens can study in Hungary with Erasmus+, CEEPUS or EEA grants.

Explore scholarships for funding your studies and other funding options. 

Yes, there are approximately 500 study programmes available in the Stipendium Hungaricum Programme. Most of them are offered in English, some in German and in other foreign languages.

If you are interested in Erasmus+, CEEPUS, EEA grants or other European exchange programmes, please contact the international coordinators of the Hungarian higher education institutions directly.

Students in Hungary start learning English in primary school, therefore most young people are able to communicate in English. In a university environment, you should not have any problems in this respect.

Learning Hungarian is definitely challenging, and the reason is the unique nature of the language. While most European languages belong to the Indo-European language family, Hungarian is in the Uralic language family together with Finnish and Estonian. However, Hungarian has followed a very different development path and nowadays shares almost no similarity with Finnish or Estonian. Most people who start to learn Hungarian have the impression that the grammatical structure as well as the vocabulary is totally unfamiliar to them as it normally does not resemble to the languages they know. Also, Hungarian is an agglutinative language, meaning that it relies heavily on the use of suffixes and prefixes.  

If you are interested in learning Hungarian, click here for courses provided by Hungarian higher education institutions.

Yes. Every year thousands of foreign students arrive from all over the world to study in Hungary. Some of them come with different scholarship programmes (e.g. Erasmus+, Stipendium Hungaricum, etc), while others pursue self-financed studies. Currently we host 30,000+ international students in Hungary. 

Foreign students are welcome to study not only in Budapest, but in many other parts of Hungary as well. The list of Hungarian universities is available here.

You can read about other university towns in Hungary, if you click here.

Also, if you like our Facebook page, you will be updated frequently about news related to the entire Hungarian higher education and all universities: https://www.facebook.com/studyinhungaryofficial

Yes, it is possible. On the basis of the effective legal regulations third-country citizens with residence permits for study purposes can engage in any full-time occupational activity during their term-time for maximum twenty-four hours weekly, and outside their term-time for a maximum period of ninety days or sixty-six working days in a year.

Most universities have Career offices where they help students to get a job, they publish job opportunities available for students and they help with administration procedures. To get up-to-date information about these opportunities, contact the Career office at your university. 

For more information, you can visit this link on our website: http://studyinhungary.hu/living-in-hungary/menu/formalities/work-in-hungary.html

Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is situated in the Carpathian Basin.  Hungary is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Romania to the east, Serbia to the south, Croatia to the southwest, Slovenia to the west, Austria to the northwest, and Ukraine to the northeast. 

Hungary is a member state of the European Union since 2004.

More information

Hungary is situated in the heart of Central Europe. Capitals of Central European countries, like Vienna or Bratislava are easily accessible by train from Budapest within three hours. In Central Europe there are no big distances, therefore your travel should not take too long, couple of hours only. The website of the Hungarian State Railways is available in English; therefore, you can plan your travel to the surrounding countries.

You can plan your trips on the website of Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) in case you wish to travel by train or choose international buses here.

Travelling within the country is very convenient since Hungary has all forms of public transport such as buses, trains as well as private car transfers. The country has a modern and well-developed road system and an extended railway network. University towns are accessible via motorways or railway. Railway services are operated by the Hungarian State Railway, also known as MÁV. All main cities are linked to each other, usually via Budapest. Regular coach services connect towns throughout the country. The national bus company is called Volánbusz.

More information about domestic destinations is available at the website of Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) or Volánbusz.

Urban transport is well-developed in Hungary. Budapest has a network of several bus, tram and trolleybus routes as well as four metro lines. You must purchase transport tickets and validate them once aboard. If you travel without a ticket, you can be fined on the spot. Penalty fares are rather high, therefore do not forget to validate your ticket. Other university towns, such as Szeged, Miskolc and Debrecen have a tram system and all have a network of local buses as well. 

Hungary is protected from extreme weather conditions by the surrounding mountain ranges, the Alps and the Carpathians. The country is in the temperate zone and has a relatively dry continental climate. There are big differences in temperature between the four seasons: summers are hot, while winters are fairly cold. Average temperatures range from -1 °C in January to 21 °C in July.

Spring officially starts on 21 March. The most precipitation occurs in late spring and early summer (May and June). Generally, the most pleasant weather is between May and September, when days are warm and the nights are cool.

Summer officially starts on 22 June. July is the warmest month with an average temperature of 21°C. September is the start of autumn in Hungary.

Autumn officially starts on 23 September, the days are still warm but not as hot as in the summer. In the end of October, beginning of November the temperatures fall significantly. As the last month of autumn, November is rather rainy in Hungary.

Winter officially starts on 21 December. The days are shortest and the nights are longest at this time. Heavy snowfalls are possible during winter, which usually lasts until the end of February. 

The Study in Hungary team of the Tempus Public Foundation developed a cost of living calculator for foreign students. You can check the prices in different towns in HUF, GBP, EUR, USD, JPY and in CNY as well so you will know how much money you need to live in Hungary. 

Click here to calculate your living expenses.

Foreign students who are currently studying in Hungary recommend to buy food in Tesco, SPAR, Lidl or Aldi. These are well-known supermarket chains, which have stores across Europe and provide standard quality.

Due to its size, Budapest has the most shops selling food that meets religious guidelines but other university towns also has some places to provide such services. Also, there are many Turkish and Arab restaurants as well as Kosher restaurants that offer food in compliance with these guidelines. 

Although Hungarian cuisine is famous for its goulash and being meat-based, you would be surprised how easy it is to find places that avoid meat or animal products. There are numerous Hungarian dishes prepared with potato, cauliflower, cheese, mushroom or zucchini and other vegetables. Salads are also well-known in Hungarian cuisine and popular among people. There are several restaurants that specifically serve vegetarian and vegan needs as well as shops where you can purchase all those plant-based products that you need in such a diet. 

Just like in other European countries, healthy food trends have taken off in Hungary too. You can buy gluten-free and lactose-free products in most supermarkets nationwide including a wild range of milk substitute products. There are several bio shops in every city where all free-from products can be purchased easily, also many bio webshops are available for online shopping. 

No, the online application (registration) and the participation in the admission examinations is free of charge. Do not apply through any agencies unknown by the selected Host Institutions (see our website for the list of agencies known by the universities) and do not pay for their services regarding the application because the programme is implemented by direct cooperation with the responsible authorities of the Sending Partners, not agencies.

On the official website: www.stipendiumhungaricum.hu. In case any further information is needed, do not hesitate to contact our office via email, skype or telephone: http://studyinhungary.hu/study-in-hungary/menu/stipendium-hungaricum-scholarship-programme/contact-details.html

Please do not forget that you need to submit your Stipendium Hungaricum application on this online platform, starting with a registration: apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu. If you get stuck at any point of the process, contact our office via email, skype or telephone: http://studyinhungary.hu/study-in-hungary/menu/stipendium-hungaricum-scholarship-programme/contact-details.html

It depends on the requirements of the responsible authority of the Sending Partner. Each Sending Partner might have different deadlines and requirements for submitting the application materials. There are also Partners that do not require any materials from the applicants. Please find out about these details by contacting the responsible partner office in your country/region.
Contact information here: http://studyinhungary.hu/study-in-hungary/menu/stipendium-hungaricum-scholarship-programme/apply-for-a-stipendium-hungaricum-scholarship/sending-partners-and-available-study-programmes.html

Only for those programmes that are supported by the cooperation agreement between Hungary and your country/region. You will find all the information about the available study types and study fields here: http://studyinhungary.hu/study-in-hungary/menu/stipendium-hungaricum-scholarship-programme/apply-for-a-stipendium-hungaricum-scholarship/sending-partners-and-available-study-programmes.html

No, they can't. You must upload your documents in the Stipendium Hungaricum online application system, and those materials will be forwarded later to the universities by our office. Please, only contact the universities if you wish to know more details about the academic content of a certain course or about the admission requirements and you cannot find that information in the Study Finder: http://studyinhungary.hu/study-in-hungary/menu/find-a-study-programme

No - by the application deadline. Admission examinations will take place later, around April-May.

Yes, only the nominated applicants will be forwarded to the universities. 

You can start and submit your application without a passport. Instead of the passport copy, you can upload the scanned copy of any document that may be used to prove your identity (e.g. your national ID card). In case you do not have any identification document before the application deadline, you can upload a signed declaration in which you state that you will obtain and upload the required document before 1 August.

Later though, if you are awarded with the scholarship, you will definitely need a valid passport in order to be able to enter Hungary.

There is no form provided by Tempus Public Foundation for this certificate. It can be any certificate that the particular hospital uses or the particular physician issues. It has to be issued and signed by a physician to prove that the applicant does not have the following illnesses: AIDS, Hepatitis A, B, C or any other epidemic conditions. The date of issue cannot be earlier than 1 December 2017.

Yes. For more information, please study section 3.3 „Missing documents” of the Call for Applications or the Applications process for bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier master’s and non-degree programmes here and for doctoral programmes here.

No, they don’t. They can see it in the online system that the status of their application has changed to „Submitted” – or if they make any modifications it changes to „Resubmitted”.

Yes, it is possible but the Stipendium Hungaricum office does not provide visa, administrative services (e.g. supporting letters) or any additional contribution (e.g. financial support) to family members or accompanying persons.

Because there is no valid educational cooperation programme between those countries and Hungary.

No, there is only one application deadline each year.

In this case, you can only apply one year later. Applications are not accepted after the deadline.

Yes, you can. You have two options to do so:

1. If you do not speak any Hungarian yet, you can apply for a preparatory course first. After one year of intensive Hungarian learning, you are expected to continue your studies in a bachelor, master or doctoral programme in Hungarian.
2. If you have at least an intermediate (B2) level of Hungarian language knowledge, you can also apply for a study programme  in Hungarian on all the available study levels that are listed here. 

If you are doing

- a full-time bachelor, master or one-tier master programme → YES
- partial/semester studies  → NO
- a doctoral programme → NO
- a preparatory course → NO
- a specialisation course after bachelor or master studies → NO

The possibility and process of the extension of the duration of studies is and has always been determined by the relevant Hungarian legislation.

According to that, the doctoral programmes in Hungary cannot be extended, regardless of the starting date of studies. There is no exception to this regulation.

For those students who started their doctoral studies before 2016, section 47, paragraph (2) of Act CCIV of 2011 on National Higher Education (ANHE) in force at that time is applicable: “The financing period for students enrolled in doctoral programmes may not exceed a maximum duration of 6 semesters”. The structure and provisions of doctoral programmes changed from the first semester of the academic year 2016/17, but these changes are not applicable to those who started their studies earlier.

In the case of doctoral studies, the legal framework does not provide the possibility to extend the time of studies, which is reflected in the Stipendium Hungaricum Programme Operational Regulations (IV.3.4), as well.

• Certain modifications are possible. For instance, you can upload those documents that you did not have before the application deadline.
• However, it is not possible to edit your priorities in your online application. You cannot add new courses and you cannot edit the order of the priorities.
• Also, please do not delete any of the selected courses. In this way, you would only lessen your own chances to get into a university.

It is possible to postpone exclusively because of health issues or unexpected reasons through no fault of his/her own. If there is such a vis maior case, some kind of proof (i.e. a medical certificate) must be submitted to the Study in Hungary Unit of Tempus Public Foundation, together with a written request. The host higher education institution and the Sending Partner must also approve of the postponement. Those students who have already arrived in Hungary and enrolled in a higher education institution are not entitled to request any postponement.

(Further information in section IV.5. of the Operational Regulations.)

Yes, in principle, but those applicants who are registered self-financed / fee-paying students of a Hungarian higher education institution at the time of the application deadline AND who are now applying for the same study level are only eligible to apply for the Stipendium Hungaricum programme if

- they are recommended by their Hungarian host universities where they are studying at the time of application, AND

- if their cumulative, corrected sum average (“összesített korrigált kreditindex”) is higher than the students’ average performance at the particular study programme (“szakátlag”).

Yes, starting from the 2019/2020 academic year, every student studying at a full-time bachelor and master programme will be required to study Hungarian as a foreign language for two semesters. Those who do not attend the course and do not pass the exam will lose all or part of their monthly stipend.

No, the compulsory Hungarian as a foreign language classes will be free.

No, only full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students will be required to complete two semesters.

No, only full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students will be required to complete two semesters.

No, language classes are provided by the Host Institution.

It has been advised to all SH scholarship holders to remain at their place of residence during the coronavirus pandemic. The rationale behind the advice is that, based on our current knowledge of the disease, the spread of the epidemic can best be reduced/slowed down by social distancing and restriction on travel, especially long distance and international mobility. The travelling of students to their home countries (regardless of the distance) typically involves travelling by public transport, therefore increasing the risk of spreading the virus, and situations where close contact with other people is unavoidable. Furthermore, with the current ban on international travel (as of 16 March 2020, the borders of Hungary were closed to incoming foreign citizens until further notice), students travelling home risk being unable to return to Hungary and continuing their studies within the framework of the scholarship programme. However, it is important to stress that, whilst TPF advises against the international travel of the scholarship holders, it is only a recommendation and travelling home will in no way result in any direct sanctions against students deciding to return to their home country.

As the organization of the study programmes falls under the authority of the higher education institution concerned, all matters related to the timing of the exams and graduation are to be discussed with the host universities. In general, according to the operational regulations of the programme, SH students may request the extension of their scholarship holder status. This applies to all, except for PhD students and those who have already extended their studies; in their case, TPF is open to participate in any kind of discussion and is willing to compile suggestions about the possible solution for the matter.

In case they stay in Hungary, SH scholarship holders will continue to receive the benefits provided by the programme: contribution to their housing and living expenses, health insurance, and the additional health services.

If the scholarship holders leave the territory of Hungary, they can do so upon informing their host institution. If they are absent for more than 30 days, they will lose their right to their living and housing allowance until their return, as these allowances are intended to contribute to their costs of living in Hungary. They do not lose their scholarship status. In addition to the above, scholarship holders have the option to suspend their studies (passive semester), through the procedure set out under Section 45 (2) of the Act on National Higher Education 204/2011. During the passive semester, scholarship holders are not entitled to the financial contributions provided by the programme.

Based on the information received from the universities, SH scholarship holders are provided with the opportunities and measures of distance/e-learning with the same conditions as Hungarian students, thus the continuity of the studies of scholarship holders are guaranteed during the spring semester of the 2019/2020 academic year, regardless of their current place of stay. However, as the implementation of online/distance study programmes is the responsibility of the host institution, further details can be provided by them.

Except for one host institution (National University of Public Service), all international students are entitled to remain on the premises of their student residence (dormitory, student hotel). The National University of Public Service is currently working on finding accommodation for its students.

Based on our current information from the universities, in case the Operational Group of Hungary requires the host institution to do so, students might be asked to re-locate their residence within the premises of their student accommodation (e.g., moving to another room, floor or building). This, however does not affect the students’ rights, the host institution still provides them with accommodation. As the details of such re-location requests might vary by institutions, further details can be provided by them.

Yes, they are, from 16 March 2020. Only Hungarian citizens will be granted access.

They should follow the instructions that have been shared via the official channels, and try to get in touch with the Embassy of their home country.

To ensure the safety of themselves and others, it is important to stay indoors and only go outside if it is absolutely necessary. It is recommended to practice social distancing in public places, and make sure to always follow the instructions given by the host institution.

It is recommended to keep in touch with them online.

Due to the state of emergency declared by the Government, there might be changes in the implementation of the ongoing academic year. For further details, please follow the official updates given by the host institution.

Please contact the SH coordinator regarding.

Yes, they are. As scholarship holders, they are entitled to healthcare services and the services of their additional health insurance, of which they can receive detailed information from the host institution.

Yes, they do. Should there be any changes because of the emergency situation, TPF will inform all scholarship holders immediately.

Please contact the SH coordinator or university mentor.

Please visit http://abouthungary.hu/ 

Based on the information received from the universities, the entrance exams will be held without any disruption, electronically, as it would be in normal circumstances. Universities will contact successful nominees in a timely manner.

The decision on the awarded scholarships is expected to be made in accordance with the originally planned timeline during the course of summer 2020). In case of any changes, TPF will keep applicants informed.

At the moment Hungarian borders are closed. TPF will be providing scholarship holders with relevant information with regards to their travel to Hungary and the start of their studies in due time. The respective legal guidelines shall be decisive at all times.

As per the new amendment, with the exception of Pest county and Budapest, the curfew restriction will be lifted as of 4th May 2020. From now on, the gradual easing of restrictions due to the coronavirus epidemic will begin throughout the country, but the restrictions will remain in force in Budapest and Pest County due to the high number of infections in the area.

This means that as of today, the following changes are in effect:
- social contact should be kept to a minimum, a minimum distance of 1.5 meters must be kept in public;
- it is mandatory to wear a mask or scarf fully covering the mouth and nose in shops and on public transport throughout the whole country (ie both in Budapest, Pest County and other cities)
- outside the capital and Pest county, all shops can be open without restriction, but grocery stores, drugstores, pharmacies and medical aid stores still can only be visited by citizens over the age of 65 between 9:00-12:00
- outside the capital and Pest county, all beaches, open-air baths, open-air museums and zoos are allowed to reopen, furthermore all public areas, parks can be visited, restaurants can only welcome guests in their garden areas and terraces
- outside the capital and Pest county, religious ceremonies, civil marriages and funerals can be held, as well as closed-door sports events without spectators, participation in trainings is also allowed
- students visiting higher education institutions can be decided on individually by universities, but the use of student dormitories remains prohibited (except those who have been already staying in dormitories).

Please bear in mind that people living in Budapest and Pest County can still only leave their homes for well-founded reasons, grocery stores, drugstores and pharmacies can operate as usual, all other stores close at 15:00.

Failure to comply with the above shall be considered a violation by the Government, therefore please pay special attention to follow these measures. For further information regarding the special measures applying to Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship holders please follow our latest news at tka.hu/news

Equity criterion for scholarship holders residing in a third country (not their sending country or Hungary) based on Point VII. 3. of the amended Operational Regulations of the Stipendium Hungaricum Programme which is in effect from 29 April 2020.

If the scholarship holder left Hungary in an appropriate manner allowed by the regulations on or before 16 March 2020 to stay in a third country, and as a result of the international travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and/or state of emergency declared by the Hungarian government decree 40/2020 (III. 11.) cannot return back to Hungary, or their home country, they shall be entitled to receive the scholarship and housing contributions for the complete duration of their forced stay in the third country – but within the duration of validity of their scholarship status – if they certifiably take part in distance learning education programs provided by their host institution, and demonstrate to the institution that they meet the requirements set forth in the following points.

Equity is not automatic, based on the decision of the institution it can only be provided to Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship holders with active student status if:

 - They meet the criteria set forth in the regulations,
 - They send their application for equity based on Point VII. 3. electronically to the host institution (preferably using the same email address registered in Neptun) by 30 June 2020 the latest.

Their application must credibly document the following:

1. Date of leaving Hungary and the permission granted by the host institution
2. Proof of stay in the third country
3. Proof of expenses in the third country and the parallel expenditures in Hungary corresponding to those
4. Active participation in distance learning programs provided by the host institution
5. The end date, if their forced stay in the third country is over (upon returning to Hungary or their home country)

The scholarship holder does not have to keep itemized financial account of every single expense for the complete duration of stay in the third country and the parallel expenditures in Hungary, it is sufficient as credible evidence to provide the following:

- Proof of stay and expenses: Visa, Plane tickets, Invoices, Receipts, Contracts, relevant email correspondence
- Proof of educational activities: Statement by departments, grades, relevant email correspondence etc.

Missing documents may be substituted with a written statement of the scholarship holder.

One document is enough for each point.

Scholarship and housing contributions based on equity can be paid to the students retrospectively, starting from the next month the last transfer was sent by the host institution until the end of the eligibility period (for the duration of stay, if it is longer than the academic year, then until the end of the academic year).

During the periods in which residence in Hungary is not obligatory (between the end of the academic year and start of the new academic year) students having active scholarship status are entitled to the contributions regardless of their place of residence.