Scholarships in Hungary for international students

Choose a scholarship route before choosing a city

The Stipendium Hungaricum programme is managed by the Tempus Public Foundation and is available through agreements with sending partners. Its eligible degrees and study fields depend on the applicant's country. Start with the current sending-partner list, then compare the universities and courses actually offered to that partner.

A university may also publish its own merit or research funding. Do not assume that an award for one institution, nationality or degree level applies to every Hungarian course. Compare each official offer for eligibility, application sequence, tuition and renewal conditions.

• Identify your citizenship and sending partner
• Find eligible degrees in your intended field
• Check teaching language and admission tests
• Compare funding and costs in the actual host city

What Stipendium Hungaricum covers, and what it does not

The programme's official overview describes tuition exemption, a monthly stipend, a dormitory place or a contribution toward accommodation, and health care support. Doctoral funding differs from bachelor's and master's funding. These provisions contribute toward living costs; the programme explicitly warns that they do not cover all expenses.

Create a monthly budget for rent, utilities, transport, food, insurance gaps and the period before your first payment. If a dormitory is unavailable, compare the accommodation contribution with actual rental quotes. Check current benefit amounts on the official page rather than relying on an old social-media figure.

• Tuition and institutional charges
• Monthly award and first-payment timing
• Dormitory eligibility or housing contribution
• Health coverage and out-of-pocket expenses
• Travel, visa and dependants where applicable

Understand the two application checks

Stipendium Hungaricum is more than one website form. Applicants apply through the scholarship system and follow their sending partner's local submission and nomination process. Partners may impose different deadlines or documents; a scholarship application without the required nomination can fail before university review.

The host institution then assesses academic and language eligibility, potentially through a test or interview. Read the exact degree page and keep a record of the scholarship-system, partner and university requirements separately.

Check language proof for your chosen programme

A previous qualification taught in English may be useful evidence, but an English-medium course can still request an accepted test or a particular certificate. The admitting university sets the course rule. For a Hungarian-medium course, find out whether language preparation is included and whether completion is required before the degree begins.

Ask admissions about your previous institution and exact intake if the published rule is ambiguous. Check immigration requirements independently before assuming a university waiver settles every stage.

A practical Hungary shortlist

For each option, write down the institution, degree title, teaching language, sending-partner eligibility, official application link and three separate deadlines if they apply. Rank options by academic fit and affordable living costs, not by a broad 'fully funded' label.

If your sending partner does not cover the field you want, look for a genuinely eligible university award or a different destination. Never submit a mismatched application only because the destination appears in a scholarship roundup.