The main Hungary scholarship for international students is the Stipendium Hungaricum, the Hungarian government’s programme for bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and non-degree study. It waives tuition, pays a monthly stipend (HUF 43,700 for bachelor’s and master’s students, HUF 140,000 to 180,000 for doctoral students), and gives you a dormitory place or a housing allowance plus medical insurance. You can apply only if your country has a sending-partner agreement with Hungary.
The 2026/27 round closed on 15 January 2026 at 14:00 Central European Time. The deadline is 15 January 2027 at 14:00 CET (13:00 GMT), the same date as last year. Hungary’s other scholarships, the Bilateral State Scholarships, the Hungarian Diaspora Scholarship and CEEPUS, serve narrower groups. One name on many Hungary lists, CEU, no longer teaches its degrees in Hungary.
Hungary scholarships compared
| Scholarship | Who it is for | Levels | Main benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stipendium Hungaricum | Nationals of sending-partner countries, nominated by their partner body | Bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier master’s, PhD, non-degree, specialist training | Free tuition, stipend, housing, insurance |
| Hungarian Diaspora Scholarship | People in Hungarian diaspora communities outside the EU, Serbia and Zakarpattia (Ukraine) | Non-degree to PhD | Same package as Stipendium Hungaricum, plus a travel allowance for distant countries |
| Bilateral State Scholarships | Students, graduates, lecturers and researchers from countries with a bilateral agreement | Partial study, full degree, study visits | Depends on the agreement with your country |
| CEEPUS | Students and staff at universities in CEEPUS member countries | Exchange stays | Short mobility grant |
| Erasmus Mundus | Any nationality, through a joint master’s that includes a Hungarian university | Master’s | EUR 1,400 a month plus tuition |
What is the Stipendium Hungaricum?
The Hungarian government launched the programme in 2013. It is overseen by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and run day to day by the Tempus Public Foundation, which manages the online application system. It rests on education agreements between Hungary and partner governments, and Semmelweis University’s scholarship page puts the number of sending partners at more than 90. In the 2026/27 call there were about 900 foreign-language programmes at 30 institutions for bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier master’s, non-degree and postgraduate study, plus about 170 doctoral programmes at 23 institutions.
Some listings still say the programme covers about 70 countries and 600 programmes at 29 institutions. Those numbers come from older calls; check the partner list on the official site for your country and the fields it may apply to.
| Level | Usual length | Entry document |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s | 3 to 4 years | Secondary school leaving certificate |
| Master’s | 1.5 to 2 years | Bachelor’s degree |
| One-tier master’s (for example medicine, pharmacy, law) | 5 to 6 years | Secondary school leaving certificate |
| Doctoral | 4 years, in two phases of 4 semesters | Master’s degree |
| Non-degree and preparatory | Up to 1 year | Set by the programme |
Stipendium Hungaricum: what the scholarship pays
| Benefit | Bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier master’s, non-degree | Doctoral |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | Waived | Waived |
| Monthly stipend | HUF 43,700 (about EUR 110), 12 months a year until graduation | HUF 140,000 (about EUR 355) for the first four semesters, HUF 180,000 (about EUR 460) for the second four |
| Housing | Dormitory place, or HUF 40,000 (about EUR 100) a month toward rent | Same |
| Health | Public healthcare plus supplementary insurance up to HUF 65,000 (about EUR 165) a year | Same |
| Visa and residence permit | Administration free of charge | Same |
The bachelor’s and master’s stipend has stayed at HUF 43,700 since at least 2020, and it is pocket money rather than a living wage. The HUF 40,000 housing contribution also falls well short of private rent in Budapest and other large cities, so a dormitory place is worth asking for. Plan to bring your own money for food, transport, books and your flight.
Some sending countries used to add their own allowance. Nigeria’s Bilateral Education Agreement payments for monthly allowances and travel, for example, ended from the 2025/26 academic year, so check what your own government still pays before you count on it.
Costs the scholarship does not cover
| Cost | Notes |
|---|---|
| Flights to Hungary and home | Not part of the Stipendium Hungaricum package (the Diaspora Scholarship pays a travel allowance only for students 8,000 km or more away) |
| Rent above the housing allowance | If you take HUF 40,000 instead of a dormitory place, the rest is yours to pay |
| Food, transport, books and phone | The HUF 43,700 stipend covers only part of this |
| Document costs at home | Translations, certified copies, language tests and the medical certificate |
| First weeks in Hungary | Bring enough for deposits and daily costs until the first stipend payment |
Who can apply for Stipendium Hungaricum
- You must be a citizen of a country on the current sending-partner list, and that country’s partner body must nominate you. The list and the programmes open to each country change from year to year.
- For the 2026/27 round you had to be 18 by 31 August of the start year, with limited exceptions for some programmes. Expect the same rule for 2027/28.
- Your host university sets the academic and English entry requirements, including which school-leaving certificates it accepts. Neither the embassy nor your sending partner can confirm this in advance.
- You may apply only to study fields approved for your country under its agreement with Hungary.
Eligibility edge cases
- Your country is a partner but your field is not on its list: the system will not let the application go through for that field. Pick a programme inside your country’s approved fields.
- You live in a partner country but hold another nationality: nomination follows citizenship, so you apply through your own country’s partner, if it has one.
- Exchange or partial study: some partners can nominate students for one or two semesters while they stay enrolled at home. Only certain countries have this option.
- Doctoral applicants: some doctoral schools want a supervisor’s statement with the application, so contact a supervisor before the deadline.
- You are under 18 at the start date: generally not eligible unless the call names an exception for your programme.
How to apply for the Stipendium Hungaricum
Stipendium Hungaricum has two separate tracks, your sending partner and the online system, and missing either one ends your application.
- Read the call and choose programmes: the Tempus Public Foundation publishes a separate call for each level and an application guide on stipendiumhungaricum.hu. You can choose two programmes, which can be at the same university or at two different ones.
- Contact your sending partner: your country’s partner body (a ministry, scholarship board or council) nominates candidates and may set an earlier local deadline or ask for paper copies. In Nigeria, for example, this is the Federal Scholarship Board.
- Apply in the online system: create an account on apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu, fill in every field and upload your documents before the central deadline. Each upload can be up to 4 MB.
- Accept the statement: the application statement is accepted online inside the system; you do not upload a signed copy.
- Complete the university’s selection: after nomination, the Hungarian university contacts you for its own entrance exam or interview.
- Wait for the final decision: only nominated applicants who pass the university stage are offered a scholarship.
Hungarian embassies, such as the one in Abuja, do not take applications or nominate candidates. Contact your sending partner early, since its local deadline can come weeks before 15 January.
Documents checklist
| Document | Who needs it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Online application form | Everyone | Completed in the Tempus system |
| Motivation letter | Everyone | Why this programme, this university and Hungary |
| Proof of language proficiency | Everyone | The host university sets the level and the tests it accepts |
| School certificates | Everyone | Secondary certificate for bachelor’s and one-tier master’s; bachelor’s degree for master’s; master’s degree for doctoral |
| Transcript of records | Everyone | With a translation if needed |
| Copy of identity document | Everyone | Passport, or national ID if you have no passport |
| Research plan | Doctoral | In the language of the programme |
| Letter of recommendation | Doctoral | From an academic who knows your work |
| Supervisor’s statement | Doctoral, where the doctoral school asks for it | From your proposed Hungarian supervisor |
| Medical certificate | Scholarship winners | In the 2026/27 call, brought to Hungary for the compulsory medical check rather than uploaded |
Any document that is not in English or the language of your programme needs a translation attached to the original. Recommendation letters are part of most doctoral packs, and our recommendation letter samples show what a referee should write.
How to write the motivation letter
Universities read the motivation letter to decide whether you will cope with the programme and why you chose it over others. Keep it to about one page and cover four things in order: what draws you to the field, what you have already done in it, why this programme and university in Hungary (name modules, labs or staff), and what you plan to do with the degree afterwards. A short example opening, written for illustration only: “During my national service posting at a rural clinic, I logged every water sample the community health team tested for three months, and the results changed where the district drilled its next borehole.” Write it fresh for each of your two choices if they differ.
Key dates for Hungary scholarships 2027/28
| Scholarship | Last round | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Stipendium Hungaricum | Closed 15 January 2026, 14:00 CET | 15 January 2027, 14:00 CET |
| Bilateral State Scholarships | Platform open 1 December 2025 to 19 February 2026; nominations by 31 March 2026 | 1 December 2026 to 19 February 2027; nominations by 31 March 2027 |
| CEEPUS (summer semester 2027) | Not yet closed | Network applications 31 October 2026; freemovers 30 November 2026 |
| CEEPUS (winter semester 2027/28) | 15 June 2026 | 15 June 2027 |
| Erasmus Mundus | Set by each joint master’s | Check the programme’s own page |
(based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens)
What happens after you apply
| Stage | Timing in the last round |
|---|---|
| Online application | November to 15 January |
| Technical check by Tempus and nomination by your sending partner | January to February |
| University admission: entrance exam or interview | March to May |
| Results | June to July |
| Visa, travel and arrival | July to August, for a September start |
Universities contact nominated applicants directly, so watch your email and spam folder from March. Entrance tests vary: some are written, many are online interviews in which you are asked about your motivation letter and the basics of your subject.
Official site down
On 25 October 2026 the Tempus Public Foundation websites, including stipendiumhungaricum.hu, still showed a maintenance notice, so the 2027/28 call documents could not be read. For the last round, the online system opened in mid-November, so start your documents now.
Common mistakes Stipendium Hungaricum applicants make
- Applying online but ignoring the sending partner’s own process and earlier deadline.
- Choosing a field that is not approved for your country.
- Uploading untranslated certificates or files above the size limit.
- Sending one generic motivation letter that never names the university.
- Missing the university’s interview email in March because it went to spam.
- Planning to live on HUF 43,700 a month in Budapest.
Hungarian Diaspora Scholarship
This programme is for people of Hungarian identity living in diaspora communities. It covers every country except EU member states, Serbia and the Zakarpattia region of Ukraine. Benefits match the Stipendium Hungaricum: free tuition, HUF 43,700 a month (HUF 140,000 and 180,000 for doctoral students), a dormitory place or HUF 40,000 a month, and insurance. Students living 8,000 km or more from Budapest also get a one-time travel allowance of HUF 330,000.
- You need a recommendation letter from a Hungarian diaspora organisation or the Hungarian embassy or consulate covering your area. Ask one or two months before the deadline.
- You declare your Hungarian identity and your link to a diaspora community in a motivation letter.
- Earlier calls also required holders to commit to learning Hungarian during their studies, even on English-taught programmes.
Bilateral State Scholarships
These come from education agreements between Hungary and individual countries. The Tempus Public Foundation runs them through scholarship.hu, with three categories: partial or semester study, full degree study, and short or long research visits for lecturers and researchers. What you can apply for depends entirely on your country’s agreement, and your own ministry can rank and nominate candidates. Stipend amounts are set in each call, so read the call for your category.
CEEPUS exchange grants
CEEPUS is an exchange programme for universities in Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. You go to Hungary for a semester or a short stay while enrolled at home. If your university is not in one of these countries, CEEPUS is not a route for you.
Erasmus Mundus master’s with a Hungarian partner
Some Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters include a Hungarian university as one of the study locations. The scholarship pays EUR 1,400 a month for up to 24 months and covers tuition, and it is open to any nationality. Our Erasmus Mundus scholarship guide explains how to find programmes and apply.
CEU scholarships are now in Austria
Central European University moved its main campus and administration from Budapest to Vienna in 2019. Its Budapest site now holds non-degree and research units such as the Summer University and the Democracy Institute. So a CEU degree scholarship means studying in Vienna, with Austrian visa rules.
| CEU award | Current value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Partial Tuition Award | Up to 50% of tuition, up to EUR 4,000 a year |
| Master’s Tuition Award | 50% to 80% of tuition; full tuition only in exceptional cases |
| Master’s Stipend Award | EUR 300 to 750 a month |
| Doctoral Scholarship | Full tuition plus EUR 2,002 gross a month for 48 months |
Older lists quote a EUR 1,880 doctoral stipend and four separate master’s stipend levels from EUR 300 to 1,000. Those figures are out of date.
Can you study in Hungary on a scholarship without IELTS?
Sometimes. Stipendium Hungaricum leaves English requirements to each university, so the answer depends on the programme you pick. Before you apply, check the programme page for the tests it accepts and whether it takes a letter confirming your earlier studies were taught in English. If you want a wider list of awards that cost nothing to apply for, see our guide to scholarships with no application fee.
Stipendium Hungaricum compared with other government scholarships in Europe
| Scholarship | Levels | Main benefit | Who can apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stipendium Hungaricum | Bachelor’s to PhD | Free tuition, HUF 43,700 a month, housing, insurance | Nationals of more than 90 sending partners |
| Poland (NAWA Banach) | Master’s | PLN 2,500 a month | 36 developing countries |
| ARICE Romania | Bachelor’s to PhD | Tuition, language year, monthly allowance, dormitory | Non-EU citizens; 40 places a year |
| Slovakia talented students | Bachelor’s, master’s | EUR 500 a month | International students selected on SAT or SCIO scores |
| MEXT (Japan) | Undergraduate to PhD | Tuition, 117,000 to 145,000 yen a month, flights | Citizens of countries with diplomatic ties to Japan |
Stipendium Hungaricum has the widest country list and the most programmes of these, but the smallest cash stipend at bachelor’s and master’s level. If your country is not a Hungarian partner, the Romanian and Japanese schemes are the closest full packages.
Who should apply, and who should not
I would apply if your country is a sending partner, you want an English-taught degree in Europe without tuition, and you or your family can top up the stipend each month. It is a strong option for medicine, engineering and agriculture applicants, where Hungarian universities offer many English programmes.
I would look elsewhere if your country is not on the partner list, if you need a stipend that covers all living costs, or if your sending partner’s process is closed for your level this year.
FAQs about Hungary scholarships
When is the Stipendium Hungaricum deadline for 2027/28?
Plan for 15 January 2027 at 14:00 Central European Time, the same date as the last round. Your sending partner may set an earlier local deadline.
Is Stipendium Hungaricum fully funded?
It covers tuition, housing and insurance, but the HUF 43,700 monthly stipend for bachelor’s and master’s students will not cover all living costs. Doctoral students receive HUF 140,000 to 180,000 a month.
Can I apply for Stipendium Hungaricum if my country is not a partner?
No. Only nationals of sending-partner countries can apply, because a partner body must nominate you. Look at Erasmus Mundus programmes with a Hungarian partner instead.
Is CEU still a university in Hungary?
Its degree programmes and main campus have been in Vienna since 2019. The Budapest site runs non-degree and research activities, so CEU scholarships are for study in Austria.
Sources and updates
Stipendium Hungaricum amounts come from the University of Szeged Faculty of Economics and ELTE scholarship pages for 2026 and Semmelweis University’s Stipendium Hungaricum page, which also gives the number of sending partners and the selection calendar. The 15 January 2026 deadline is from Study in Hungary. Programme numbers, the 4 MB upload limit, the doctoral documents and the medical certificate rule come from the 2026/27 call as published by Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá. The two-step process, age rule and the end of Nigerian allowances come from the Embassy of Hungary in Abuja’s Stipendium Hungaricum FAQ. The official stipendiumhungaricum.hu site was under maintenance on 24 and 25 October 2026. Diaspora Scholarship benefits are from the Embassy of Hungary in Washington, Bilateral State Scholarship dates from the Tempus Public Foundation call as published by CMEPIUS, CEEPUS countries and deadlines from TU Wien’s CEEPUS page, and CEU facts from ceu.edu. Checked on 25 October 2026. This page will be updated when the 2027/28 call is published.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
