1. Mission of the Programme​

Hungary provides high quality education in the heart of Europe. Today, there is a growing demand of international students to study in Hungary. Besides the quality of education and degrees recognised throughout Europe and beyond, students are attracted by the affordable living costs with an extremely favourable cost-to-value ratio, a safe and friendly living environment with convenient public transportation, the central location of the country in Europe and the unspoiled natural beauties combined with a 2000 year-old, rich Hungarian history and several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Hungary is also within the top countries with the highest number of scientific Nobel Prize Winners per capita, and a numerous scientific inventions from Vitamin C to Rubik’s cube and so on.

 The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme was launched in 2013 by the Hungarian Government. The main goal of the programme regarding the education policy is to support the internationalisation of the Hungarian higher education and its constant development, to strengthen the international relations of the Hungarian academic and research community, to enhance the cultural diversity of the higher education institutions and to promote the good reputation and competitiveness of the Hungarian higher education throughout the world. The programme also aims to establish and encourage the personal and professional attachment of foreign graduated students to Hungary and contribute to the promotion of the Hungarian culture and language abroad.

The core mission of the programme is to increase the number of foreign students in Hungary and to encourage Hungarian higher education institutions to attract top foreign students.

The programme is based on bilateral educational cooperation agreements signed between the Ministries responsible for education in the sending countries/territories and Hungary or between institutions. Currently nearly 70 Sending Partners are engaged in the programme throughout 5 different continents and the geographical scope of the programme is spreading each year.

Thousands of students from all around the world apply for higher educational studies in Hungary each year. The number of Stipendium Hungaricum applicants is continuously increasing as well as the number of available scholarship places. In the 2018/2019 round of applications, more than 4100 scholarships were awarded. In the academic year 2019/2020 more than 5000 students can begin their studies in Hungary in the framework of the Stipendium Hungaricum Programme.

The Programme is managed by Tempus Public Foundation.

2. Available Scholarship Types 

Study Levels Stipendium Hungaricum scholarships are available for bachelor, master, one-tier master, doctoral and non-degree programmes (preparatory and specialisation course)

Note about one-tier master programmes: In the Hungarian education system, one-tier master programmes cover both the bachelor and the master level of studies; therefore it is an undivided master programme that results in a master degree. These one-tier programmes are offered in specific study fields such as general medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, architecture, law, veterinary surgery, forestry engineering, etc.

Note about doctoral programmes: According to the current Hungarian legislation, the duration of doctoral programmes is 8 semesters. The doctoral studies consist of two different phases: the first one is a two-year long period for professional training and research, while the second two-year long section is for research and dissertation. At the end of the first 4 semesters, doctoral students are obliged to take a complex exam in order to assess the educational and research progress of the student. Doctoral students can only continue with the second two-year phase if they pass this exam. The amount of the monthly scholarship is different is these two phases of doctoral programmes.

3. Study Modes

Both full degree and partial (exchange) study modes are available, depending on/defined in the specific bilateral educational cooperation agreement. Full degree programmes are programmes that lead to a bachelor, master or doctoral degree. One-year programmes do not lead to a degree but provide a preparatory course before a degree programme or a specialisation course after a degree programme.

Partial (exchange) studies are one- or two-semester long exchange studies that are part of the student’s degree studies in their sending higher education institutions. Therefore, those who apply for partial (exchange) studies must be registered in and must have a student status at a higher education institution that operates outside of Hungary. In case of partial (exchange) studies, applicants can only apply to those study levels (bachelor, master, doctoral) that they are attending in their sending, home institutions. Partial (exchange) studies are not available for preparatory and specialisation courses. Partial (exchange) studies are available for up to one academic year and no further extension is possible. Please be extra cautious when selecting your preferred study programmes in the online application system as most of the study programmes are offered both as full degree and partial study programmes, therefore these programmes appear twice. Please make sure that you select the programme marked with the study mode of your desire because it is not possible to change the study mode after submitting your application!