Hungary's Stipendium Hungaricum is one of the largest state scholarship programmes in Europe, covering tuition, a monthly stipend, accommodation contribution and medical insurance for students from partner countries. It is applied for through your own country's sending authority, not directly.
Outside that scheme, Hungarian universities charge moderate fees and teach many programmes in English, particularly medicine and engineering.
At a glance
| Language | Extensive English-taught provision |
|---|---|
| Tuition | Self-funded roughly €3,000–€8,000 a year; medicine far higher |
| Living costs for the visa | Around €600 a month evidenced |
| Main intake | September; Stipendium applications usually close in January |
| Where you apply | Stipendium Hungaricum portal plus your national sending authority, or the university directly |
| After graduation | 9 months to seek work |
What they require
- Bachelor's in a related field
- IELTS 6.0–6.5 or equivalent, with some programmes running interviews
- Motivation letter and CV
- Medical certificate for the scholarship
How admission actually works
For the scholarship, your national authority nominates, and Hungarian universities then select from the nominated pool, often with an online entrance examination or interview.
How much does a supervisor matter?
Not needed for master's. Expected for doctoral applications.
Doctoral applicants submit a research plan and are usually asked to identify a supervisor at the host doctoral school.
When applications open and close
The pattern below is what these systems normally do. Every programme sets its own dates, so treat this as the planning shape and confirm on the official portal linked at the end.
Funding that genuinely exists here
Full tuition, monthly stipend, accommodation contribution and insurance, via your national sending authority.
For applicants of Hungarian descent.
Partial awards for self-funded students.
Documents this country asks for
- Motivation letter and study plan
- Transcripts and degree certificate
- Medical certificate and language certificate
- Nomination from the sending authority for the scholarship
Visa and permit
Residence permit for study purposes, applied for after the letter of acceptance, with insurance and accommodation evidence.
After you graduate
9 months to seek work
A nine-month residence permit for job-seeking or business start-up is available after graduating from a Hungarian institution.
What they favour
- Applicants who meet both the Hungarian and the sending-country criteria
- Clear study plans
- Preparation for the online entrance examination
Where applications fail
- Missing the national sending authority deadline, which is earlier than the portal deadline
- Applying to more programmes than the rules allow
- Ignoring the medical certificate requirement
Official sources
Rules and dates change, sometimes mid-cycle. These are the pages that carry the authoritative version; if anything here disagrees with them, they are right. Reviewed September 2026.