ON THIS PAGE YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT:
• Higher educational system in Hungary
• Application to Hungarian higher education
• Scholarships for refugees in Hungary
• What study programs are available in Hungary for refugees?
Higher educational system in Hungary
In accordance with the Bologna system, study programmes in Hungary are offered at three levels: basic training program (BA, BSc), master level program (MA, MSc), and doctoral level (PhD, DLA) program.
The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) is the only existing credit system in Hungary. Due to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), which was introduced in September 2003, credits and degrees earned in Hungary are transferable to other European institutions and vice versa. In addition to the diploma, students are also provided with a special supplement that is recognized all over the European Union.
Find detailed information about the Hungarian higher education, universities and practical information about living in Hungary on the Study in Hungary website (by Tempus Public Foundation):
http://studyinhungary.hu/
Application to Hungarian higher education
Where can I search about the available higher educational studies in Hungary and how can I apply?
Please check the below link where you can search among the studies and universities in Hungary. Felvi.hu – Szakkereső
The entire admission process is done electronically. You need to apply through the E-admission available at Felvi.hu, which requires an online customer portal identification (ügyfélkapu). If you face trouble in registration for customer portal or e-admission due to the expiration date on your Temporary Protection card, please get in touch in person with the client service of National General-Directorate for Aliens Policy.
What are the minimum conditions of admission?
Only those can be admitted to universities who reach the minimum point requirement/limit of the given specialization. This is defined by each university and usually depends on the number of applicants and the number of places (i.e. the capacity) of the institutions.
Undergraduate and undivided long programmes maximum score: 500 points.
Final point of the applicant is calculated based on the academic achievements in secondary school and/or final examination points. There are different ways how your total points can be calculated, and the most favorable one is automatically calculated for you. Extra bonus points can be collected too through different achievements such as language exam certificates, advanced school leaving exams, national sport or study competition achievements depending on the study programme.
- For more information about the exact institutional requirements visit this page: Felvi.hu – Szakkereső
- Please read more about the ways of point calculation for foreign applicants here: (Felvi.hu – Pontszámítás külföldi eredményekből)
- For Ukrainian nationals more information about the ways of point calculation is available here: Felvi.hu – Ukrajna
- You can access the minimum point requirements for 2024 here: Felvi.hu ponthatárok
Required documents
Dependent on the study level: Reading to get familiar with the admission procedure in Hungary is available on felvi.hu website in English.
For BA in general, the required documents are the following, and more detailed information is available in the Admission Guide:
- All pages of the secondary school-leaving certificate;
- The annex with the original school-leaving certificate subjects and results (secondary school);
- For the calculation of study points, the pages of the original annual results containing all the end-of-year results, which provide credible evidence of the duration of study and successful completion of the study requirements for the baccalaureate;
- For foreign documents issued in another language than English, German or French, a copy of the certified translation into Hungarian must be submitted; ≥ any document proving the bonus points;
- Higher education qualification – you can check whether and under what conditions it is possible to score points for a degree in the “List of universities and colleges”;
- Any other documents necessary for a proper assessment of the application (e.g. a document proving a change of name, proof of payment of the admission fee);
- Any specific document required by the higher education institution for the selected course(s)– can be checked in the institution’s call (e.g. occupational health certificate’)
Which secondary school certificates are recognized in Hungary for admission to universities if I completed my studies in Ukraine or in other countries?
In case of Ukrainian refugees, the following secondary school certificates are accepted:
- Atestat pro povnu zahalnu seredniu osvìtu (’Atestat’ –until 2018),
- Svidotstvo pro zdobuttia povnoi zahalnoi serednoi osvity (’Svìdoctvo’ – after 2019),
- Dyplom molodoho spetsìalìsta (szakmai érettségi bizonyítvány).
More details about the required documents by country and how the academic achievements are recalculated according to the Hungarian system is available under the following link: Felvi.hu – Országok szerint.
If your country is not on this list, please contact [email protected]
For Ukrainian nationals more detailed information is available here: Felvi.hu – Ukrajna
Recognition of school certificates
Regarding the recognition of foreign certificates and diplomas you can contact the Office of Education Hungarian Equivalence and Information Center.
- Address: 1122 Budapest, Maros u. 19-21.
- Phone: (06 1) 374-2212
- E-mail: [email protected]
- Website: www.oktatas.hu/kepesitesek_elismertetese/meik_oldalak
What are the deadlines?
Usually, the application deadline is in February of each year, specific deadlines of each academic year is always published on felvi.hu website.
Actual deadlines are usually published under this link.
Where can I get assistance with my application?
University Admission process:
At any stage of the admission process, the customer service provides assistance for applicants and for prospective applicants on technical aspects of the application and the rules of the admission procedure. The customer service is available in English and Hungarian.
- Phone: (+36 1) 477 31 31
- E-mail: [email protected]
- Customer service (in person): XII. Budapest, Maros str. 19–21. (Entrance from the street); Opening hours: Mon-Thu 8:00-12.00 and 13.00-16.00, Fri: 8:00-13.30
Information about general issues concerning the admission procedure can also be obtained by calling the Government Hotline: 1818 (Menu: 1 for language, then 7 for information on admission to higher education).
Scholarships for refugees in Hungary
Tempus Public Foundation manages several scholarships available for foreign students. We list here some of the major programs, but for further information please contact the Foundation directly.
Contact
- Address: 1. Kéthly Anna tér, Budapest, HU-1077
- Postal address: PO. 508., Budapest 70., HU-1438
- Telephone: (+36 1) 237-1300
- Fax: (+36 1) 239-1329
- Infoline: (+36 1) 237-1320
- E-mail: [email protected]
- Webpage: https://tka.hu/english
Stipendium Hungaricum
The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme was launched in 2013 by the Hungarian Government with the aim of providing opportunities for international students to pursue their higher education studies in Hungary. The programme’s core mission is to increase the number of international students in Hungary and encourage Hungarian higher education institutions to attract international students. The application timeline is available here: Apply – Stipendium Hungaricum
The Students at Risk Subprogramme
The Students at Risk Subprogramme is an addition to the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme and is supervised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and managed by the Tempus Public Foundation. Its goal is to assist students and doctoral candidates whose studies or research have been interrupted because they had to flee conflict due to persecution. The application timeline is available here: Apply – Stipendium Hungaricum
Eligibility: The scholarship is available for citizens of Ukraine except Ukrainian-Hungarian dual citizens, who are not eligible for the programme. The present application is open for Ukrainian citizens who wish to pursue studies in a Hungarian higher education institution. The opportunity is also open for those who already pursued higher education studies before and those who only have a secondary school graduation certificate.
Provisions of the scholarship include exemption from the payment of tuition fee, a monthly stipend of 43,700 HUF contribution to the living expenses in Hungary, accommodation contribution (free dormitory place depending on capacity or 40.000 HUF) and medical insurance. Please note that financial contribution of the scholarship would not fully cover your living costs currently in Hungary.
Scholarships are available for bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier master’s, doctoral programmes and postgraduate specialist training courses. Search for available study programmes and specific requirements here: Study finder – Stipendium Hungaricum
The language of the study programmes is mostly English (Hungarian, German and French are also available). You can decide to complete your studies in Hungarian even if you do not have the required Hungarian proficiency. In this case in the first year you have to complete an obligatory free of charge, one-year preparatory language course before starting the degree programme.
Required documents: Online application form, motivation letter, transcript of records and their translations, proof of language proficiency (English or the language of the study), school certificates and their translations, copy of ID: international passport. Some of the documents (proof of language proficiency, school certificates and their translations, passport) can be uploaded later until 1st of August if the applicant is awaiting their results. In the meantime, upload a signed declaration that you will obtain and upload these documents latest by 1st of August. In case of a missing passport, until you receive it, together with the declaration upload a copy of your national ID card.
Translations of the original documents must be attached only if the copy of the original document is not in English, Hungarian or the language of the study programme.
Students at Risk Subprogramme applicants do not need to provide medical certificates and don not need to be nominated by the Sending Partner.The Sending Partner is an organization in your home country (usually a ministry, embassy, university, research institution etc.) who is responsible for the pre-selection (nomination) of the applicants. They can also apply under the age of 18, however a parent or legal guardian’s consent will be necessary to enroll, to sign a scholarship contract etc.
For more information about the Students at Risk Subprogramme visit the website of the programme: Students at Risk Subprogramme for students fleeing the war in Ukraine – Stipendium Hungaricum
Other useful resources:
- Call for Applications: BA_MA_OTM_Call_for_Applications.pdf
- Application guide: Application_Guide_2025_26.pdf
- Dos and Don’ts of application: DosandDonts_2025.pdf
- Frequently asked questions: Apply – Stipendium Hungaricum
- Both for the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship and its Students at Risk subprogramme you can apply online via the application system of Tempus Public Foundation: Apply online! – Stipendium Hungaricum
If you have questions regarding the application process for the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship or the Students at Risk Subprogramme please contact:
- E-mail: [email protected]
- Stipendium Hungaricum Hotline: +36 (1) 236-5040 (Monday-Thursday 8:30-17:00, Friday 8:30-14:30 Central European Time – UTC+1)
Hungarian Diaspora Scholarship
The core mission of the Hungarian Diaspora Scholarship is to strengthen the ties between Hungarian diaspora communities and Hungary by giving access for young people living in Hungarian diasporas to study programmes in Hungary. The application for the Hungarian Diaspora Scholarship was announced for the first time in November 2020, in order to apply for the admission process of the 2021/2022 academic year. Its main goal is to support those who wish to rediscover and reconnect to their Hungarian heritage and want to become professionals on a field that can contribute to the prosperity of their diaspora community as well. The geographical scope of the programme is: every country in the world, except of the countries of the European Union, the Republic of Serbia and the Zakarpatska Oblast part of Ukraine.
Provisions of the scholarship: tuition-free education, monthly stipend (upon request), accommodation contribution, medical insurance, travel contribution (upon request, one-occasion travel allowance if the distance between Budapest and the applicant’s place of residence is 8,000 km or more).
Call for application and other useful documents are available on the website of the programme: https://diasporascholarship.hu/en/apply/.
The Makovecz Programme
The Makovecz Programme managed by Tempus Foundation allows Hungarian nationality students, teachers, and higher education professionals to participate in higher education in Hungary and across the whole Carpathian Basin. The programme provides grants to cover the participants' scholarship and support for their close relatives. The programme lasts between 1-5 months. https://kmf.uz.ua/hu/makovecz-osztondijprogram/
Hunyadi János Scholarship
The Hunyadi János Scholarship offers an opportunity to students living in the Hungarian diaspora to participate in higher education programmes in Hungary, which are “shortage courses” not taught in Hungarian outside the country. Applications for the scholarship are open to students, who are subject of the Act LXII of 2001 on Hungarian nationalities living abroad and admitted to full-time undergraduate or single-cycle programmes. The call for proposal contains the tender conditions and other details, which is uploaded in each tender period to the website of the Tempus Public Foundation coordinating the tender: https://tka.hu/palyazatok/17551/hunyadi-janos-osztondij
Also recommended to check with the admission office of the selected university if there are available scholarship opportunities for refugees, many universities offer.
What study programs are available in Hungary for refugees?
Olive, Open Learning Initiative offers a weekend adult educational program for refugees in Budapest. It aims to creating a safe and inclusive learning space within a university-like setting for people who have experienced displacement, including asylum seekers and those with refugee status. It has run programs for displaced learners in Budapest and Vienna since 2016, for further information please check their website: https://openeducation.group/
Invisible University for Ukraine Initiative launched by the Central European University. It is a certificate program (offering ECTS credits) for junior and senior undergraduate (BA) and graduate (MA and PhD) students from Ukraine, whose studies have been affected by the war, whether still residing in Ukraine or out of their home country. The program is not meant to replace or duplicate the existing education opportunities in Ukrainian universities, but to support them by filling the lacunae that temporarily emerged due to the Russian invasion. The program is designed in a hybrid format (online teaching with a possibility of shorter on-site visit to Budapest in the form of a winter and summer schools). https://democracyinstitute.ceu.edu/teaching-training/invisible-university-ukraine-iufu
CEEPUS Freemover grant provides opportunity for study abroad, research activities and short-term student mobility programs in Central Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans for Ukrainian university students and academics. Further information is available at Tempus Public Foundation.
