Why Hungary shows up on funding shortlists

Anyone searching for a study in Hungary scholarship will meet Stipendium Hungaricum first. It is one of the larger government scholarship programmes for international students, coordinated by the Tempus Public Foundation, and it waives tuition and pays a monthly stipend. Its apply page says you can browse 30 universities and colleges and more than 900 study programmes. It also works differently from a university scholarship. Only nominated applicants can proceed, and the nomination comes from a “sending partner” in your own country, which can be the local Hungarian embassy, a ministry or a council (Stipendium Hungaricum, apply page).

That one fact changes how you plan. Before you open the Hungarian online system, find out whether your country has a sending partner, what its own deadline is, and what documents it wants. The apply page says each sending partner may set different deadlines and requirements, and some ask for no extra material at all. For the programme itself, see our Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship entry.

How the application works, step by step

You register and upload documents in the online application system run by the Tempus Public Foundation. You can list up to two study programmes in order of preference. The application and the entrance exams are free of charge, and the official page warns you not to pay any agency to apply for you.

In the 2026 round the sequence was: sending partners nominated their best applicants by the end of February, Hungarian universities then contacted nominated applicants directly to set entrance exams between mid-March and the end of May, and results came out at the end of June or the beginning of July. Your exam score has to reach at least 56 out of 100 to be considered for the final list. Treat those months as a guide to the pattern, not as dates for your own round.

Where the deadline stands now

The 2026/27 round for bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier master’s and non-degree programmes closed on 15 January 2026 at 2 p.m. Central European Time. Doctoral programmes have their own call. When this guide was checked in late September 2026, the apply page still showed only the 2026/27 calls and no 2027/28 call had been published (Stipendium Hungaricum, Call for Applications 2026/27). Watch the apply page and ask your sending partner, since a new call will set new dates. Do not plan around January 2026.

What the scholarship pays

According to the 2026/27 call document, a bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier master’s or non-degree scholar receives:

  • Tuition: an exemption from the tuition fee.
  • Monthly stipend: HUF 43,700 (about EUR 110), paid for 12 months a year.
  • Accommodation: a free dormitory place, depending on the institution’s capacity, or a contribution of HUF 40,000 a month (about EUR 100) towards accommodation costs.
  • Health cover: supplementary medical insurance for up to HUF 65,000 (about EUR 165) a year.

The euro figures are the call’s own approximations. The forint amounts are what counts, so check the exchange rate before you budget. The call also notes that outside the dormitory, HUF 40,000 is only a contribution to rent.

Two rules can cost you money. Bachelor’s and master’s scholars must study Hungarian as a foreign language for two semesters, at no charge, and the apply page says those who do not attend and pass the exam lose all or part of their monthly stipend. A separate credit rule lets the institution end scholarship status for a student who averages fewer than 18 credits over the last two semesters. There is an age limit too: for 2026/27, applicants born after 31 August 2008 were not eligible, except those applying for dance programmes. Check the cut-off in whichever call you use.

If you are not going the scholarship route

Most international students in Hungary pay their own way. Study.eu, a European study information site, lists typical yearly fees of roughly EUR 4,000 to 8,000 at Eötvös Loránd University, EUR 3,600 to 5,000 at the University of Szeged and, for non-EU students, EUR 6,000 to 11,000 at Corvinus University of Budapest. Semmelweis University is listed at EUR 9,200, rising to as much as EUR 22,000 for medicine (Study.eu, Hungary tuition fees and scholarships). This is a secondary source, so read the figures as a planning range and get the current fee from the university’s own admissions page.

For living costs, the European Commission’s Study in Europe profile says you need approximately EUR 500 to 600 a month for accommodation, food and other expenses, and calls Hungary relatively cheap by European standards (European Commission, Study in Europe: Hungary). It gives one range for the whole country, so if you are heading for Budapest, plan towards the top of it.

The residence permit: cost and documents

For a stay of more than 90 days you need a residence permit for studies. Depending on your nationality you may also need a visa to enter. The permit is usually applied for at a Hungarian embassy or consulate before you travel, and the EU Immigration Portal lists these fees (EU Immigration Portal, Student, Hungary):

  • At a consulate or embassy abroad: EUR 110.
  • From inside Hungary through the Enter Hungary platform: HUF 24,000.
  • From inside Hungary in person: HUF 39,000.
  • Extending a permit: HUF 23,000.

A first permit lasts at least one year, or the length of a shorter course, and never more than three years. It can then be extended. With a student residence permit you may work up to 30 hours a week during your studies, or full-time for up to 90 days a year outside them.

The Hungarian immigration authority’s own factsheet lists what to include. It asks for a certificate of admission or proof of student status, a language certificate or an official diploma showing you studied in the language of instruction, proof of payment of tuition fees, proof of means of subsistence, proof of health insurance, a valid passport with a ticket or money for the return journey, and one facial photograph. You do not attach a separate document for accommodation: you declare an existing, real Hungarian address on the application form (National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing, Residence of the student, pupil).

No minimum bank balance is stated. You must show you can cover subsistence, accommodation, onward travel and healthcare from legally acquired income or savings. The factsheet accepts a bank statement, a notarised declaration from a family member who will support you, a regular-income document from an employer or tax authority, or other credible means such as a scholarship certificate. It also recommends adding a transaction statement to a bank balance statement if you rely on savings. The authority decides within 60 days of submission.

Before you apply

Work out your route first. If you are eligible for Stipendium Hungaricum, start with your own sending partner and its deadline, not the Hungarian system. If you are paying yourself, ask the specific programme for a written tuition quote rather than using a university-wide average. Either way, prepare your proof of funds documents and check that your health insurance meets the permit’s requirements well before your appointment, since both are common causes of delay.