Study in Hungary

Hungary is an exciting, diverse and safe destination for international students. There are many things that can attract international students to study in Hungary like the prestigious lifestyle. The wonderful universities, the low expenses and many other advantages.

Hungary is located in the central eastern of Europe. It has common borders with Austria in the west and Romania in the east. The population of Hungary is estimated by 10 million people, 3 million of which live in the capital city of Budapest.

Furthermore, a lot of universities in Hungary offer various programs that are fully-taught in the English language. There are hundreds of academic majors that are fully-taught in the English language available for international students. These degrees follow the European Bologna plan that’s accredited all over Europe and several places around the world.

Dear international student, if you are looking for high quality education, you are at the right place in Hungary. That's because the Hungarian universities have exported many of the most prominent and genius personalities, including famous scholars such as the Nobel-Prize winner mathematician John von Neumann.

Conditions for study and admission in Hungary universities:

Entry and admission requirements in Hungary follow the Bologna criteria. That means, you can't get an MA or PhD degrees without having a Bachelor degree. Moreover, in order to be well-qualified to get a Bachelor degree, you need to have proof of mastering the spoken language there, a diploma and other documents required by the program.

In order to get a residence, permit for study in Hungary, you have to go to the Hungarian local embassy in your country and get the documents you need to enter Hungary. Some universities can never accept your application without these papers. You will also need a copy of the public secondary certificate to prove that you are qualified to get an undergraduate degree.

Generally speaking, you will need the following documents:

1. An up-to-date CV.
2. A motivational letter or the purpose of study letter.
3. A copy of your national identity card or international passport.
4. A proof of mastering the language.
5. Your personal documents (in English).
6. Certificates of the diplomas you got (Translated into English).
7. Two academic reference letters.
8. If you want to get a Bachelor degree (3 years). you need to attach a copy of the Public Secondary certificate translated into English language or the Hungarian language, in addition to copies of training courses you got and transcripts of marks.
9. In addition to those documents, some training courses require you to sit for an entrance exam of proficiency.
10. If you want to get a postgraduate degree (2years), you need to present a copy of your Bachelor degree certificate. You might be asked to sit for an entrance exam of proficiency.

Admission to study in Hungarian universities:

If a person wants to get a PhD degree from Hungarian universities. S/he at least must have an MA degree or any equivalent degree from an accredited educational institution. Moreover, as a part of the PhD program, you need to complete 240 accredited hours within four years.

At the end of the fourth year, you must sit for a final exam after you had had a successful test. The last two years of the PhD program are specified for carrying out the research and writing the PhD thesis, which can be extended for another year.

Hungarian educational institutions sort out the application forms based on the previous studies and the average score (GPA) of the applicants. As a part of the admission measures to Hungarian universities, students might be asked to have previous work and research experience. Therefore, the nominee students must prove that they meet these conditions.

Although there is a general entry system, admission requirements may differ at some high education institutions. Therefore, it’s better for you to check the conditions of each institution before applying.

Why you should choose to study in Hungary:

1. High quality education.
2. Affordable living expenses.
3. Prominent universities with top rankings.
4. Rich culture.
5. Supportive university environment with affordable costs.

The living and studying expenses in Hungary:

Study tuition fees:

Study tuition fees vary from one institution to another, as it mainly depends on the university or program to which you apply. The tuition fees at public universities are quite low when compared with the private universities.

To get yourself familiar with the university you want to join or the tuition fees you will pay, you need to choose the university and visit its official website. The most expensive majors in Hungary, like Medicine and Dentistry, might cost 20000 euros

Regarding other specialized programs, you will find that the university tuition fees are quite low (4500 euros a year) for the whole academic year. In addition to the university tuition fees, you have to pay the examination and registration fees that range from 100 to 150 euros.

 

Living expenses:

The living expenses in Hungary differ from one city to another. For example, if you want to live in the capital city of Budapest, your budget is supposed to be higher than those who live in other cities. In spite of being the most expensive, Budapest is the most favourite for international students.

Every student should have a monthly budget of at least 520 euros in order to be able to cover the expenses of residence, utilities, local transportation and entertainment. When compared with the capital city of Budapest, the living expenses in other Hungarian cities are much lower. You will need at least 300 euros a month.

Student housing expenses:

As mentioned before, the expenses in general differ from one city to another. That's, renting a house in Budapest will cost you more than other Hungarian cities. If you are willing to rent a small flat, the renting expenses will range from 150-250 euros a month.

It's a good idea to live in a dormitory inside the campus because it’s much cheaper if compared with living outside the campus.

The best 10 Hungarian universities for international students according to QS ranking:

The University	The University Assessment According to QS Ranking	The University Ranking Worldwide
University of Szeged	-	551-560
University of Debrecen	-	651-700
Eötvös Loránd . University	-	701-750
Beach University	-	701-750
Budapest University of Technology and Economics	-	801-1000
St. Stephen's University	-	801-1000
Szechenyi Istvan University	-	801-1000
Corvinus University in Budapest	-	1001-1200
Miskolc University	-	1001-1200
Banoni University	-	1001-1200

The most prominent Scholarships available for students in Hungary:

Hungarian Government Scholarship:

Scholarship amount: full tuition fees and a monthly salary.

Eligible degree: All degree levels.

This is the best Hungarian scholarship awarded for international students. This scholarship, which is funded by the Hungarian government, was founded to promote internationalization as well as boost the academic and research cooperation with other countries.

Every year, Hungary accepts more than 5000 international students from more than 70 participating countries who are willing to get a full degree of any level. The scholarship includes more than 500 programs and provides services for all domains including those fields that never grant an academic degree.

Applicants who are accepted will be exempted from paying the tuition fees; moreover, they will get a salary to cover their daily living expenses until they complete their studies. The scholarship will also provide a residence for students. However, if the student chooses to live anywhere else, s/he will get a housing allowance of 40.000 HUF a month (133 USD).

Furthermore, international students will be granted health welfare services and health insurance (100.000HUF/ equivalent to 334 USD yearly). It's worth knowing that the monthly salary depends on the level of researcher. The Bachelor degree and MA students as well as the non-bearers of an academic degree will get 43.700 HUF (146 USD a month).

PhD students will be granted 140.000HUF (467 USD monthly) during the first level of study (the first four semesters). During the second level of study (the last four semesters), PhD students will get 180.000 HUF (600 USD every month).

Hungarian Diaspora Scholarship:

The scholarship amount: full tuition fees.

Eligible degree: All levels of the degree.

The Hungarian Diaspora Scholarship is another program funded by the Hungarian government, available for students residing in the Hungarian diaspora outside the European Union. Program aims to be part of the students' professional and personal journey as they experience the high level education in Hungary and their rich culture.

The scholarship recipients will have the chance to study at one of 28 prominent state-owned educational institutions. They will also be able to choose among 1300 programs to get a degree that suits their interests.

Those who are keen to get a full degree will be asked to learn the Hungarian language while they are studying there. They will have to pass a language test after graduation.

Students who get this scholarship will be exempted from paying the tuition fees. They will also get health welfare services as well as health insurance (100.000 HUF/equivalent to 334 USD every month). Students will also get a monthly salary as well as a contribution to accommodation upon request. however, approval relies on the students' academic and financial status.

 

Hungarian Bilateral State Scholarship (Academic Exchange):

Eligible degree: All degree levels.

Scholarship amount: full tuition fees

The state bilateral study scholarship is between two partner countries that award scholarships to each other. Each country has a special office that processes the applications and nominates the possible researchers.

Students can personally send their own applications to the educational institution. Regardless of the international students, Hungary also allows researchers and lecturers in higher education institutions, or academic and technical institutions to apply for this scholarship. The scholarship type also differs. It might be partial or full, long-term or short-term study visits or summer training courses.

Admitted scholars will be able to study their selected courses or majors in Hungary without paying the tuition fees, as they will be offered an additional allowance to cover their daily living expenses. The amount of money depends on the type of scholarship they are awarded. The scholarship’s salary will be paid in Hungary by the receiving institution, Tempus Public Institution or the student’s original country.

Erasmus Scholarship:

The scholarship amount: different.

Eligible degree: All degree levels.

Erasmus Scholarship is an EU program that promotes education, internship, youth and sports in Europe. This scholarship in Hungary is open for all students in the 28 member states of the European Union, including Hungary which has been a member since 1997.

As for recipients of Bachelor, MA, PhD degrees, they will be granted the chance of study or internship abroad in one of the partner universities. Moreover, the training courses that they will get in Hungary must be a part of the curriculums of the sending institution as a condition of certifying the courses they studied.

The study period ranges from 3 months to 12 months maximum as the Erasmus Program covers all tuition fees for students during their study in Hungary.

Visegrad Scholarship Program:

Scholarship amount: different.

Eligible degree: all degree levels.

The Visegrad Fund is an international donor organization founded in 2000 by the governments of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

The program's vision is to offer scholarships and residences for excellent students from central and eastern European countries, in an attempt to pave the way for creative ideas and prosperity of nations.

Visegrad Scholarship Program supports the Bachelor, MA and PhD students as well as the researcher in their studies in more than 190 partner institutions. This scholarship supports Bachelor and MA students for a period that ranges from one semester to four semesters. As for PhD students, this scholarship supports them for two academic semesters with an amount of 4000 euros/ equivalent to 4800 USD every academic semester.