Ph.D Study in Hungary

You need a Type D long-term visa to enter and study in Hungary. You will usually need the following documents to apply for a visa.

• A Confirmation of Acceptance letter from the university
• Paying tuition fees
• Language Certificate
• Valid travel documents
• Certificate of health insurance
• Evidence of sufficient financial resources to support yourself in Hungary (a bank statement, funding agreement or other document showing that you have access to at least € 700 per month) The cost of applying for a visa is usually 60 euros. This visa will allow you to enter Hungary and stay in this country for 6 months. During this 6-month period, you must apply for a residence permit at your local Office of Immigration and Nationality. To apply for a residence permit, you must apply in person so that your biometric information (fingerprint and photo) can be taken.

There is no system for applying for a PhD in Hungary. Instead, you should directly apply to a university and a supervisor for a PhD degree. All Hungarian doctoral applicants must have a master’s degree. Unlike some countries, this is a legal requirement. Each university may set their own criteria for evaluating your application, which will be announced by that university. These criteria may include assessing the relevance of your existing degrees and the quality of other documents you submit with your application.

• The supervisor may ask you to provide the following documents when applying for a Hungarian PhD.
• A record of your Master’s degree (including some information about your courses taken and the grades you have obtained)
• A personal statement outlining the reasons why you are interested in pursuing a PhD in Hungary.
• Recommendation letter from your former professors
• Providing a language certificate

Normally it is not expected to submit a full research proposal at this point. The topic and scope of your PhD dissertation will normally be defined during the first phase of your doctorate. Some universities may charge a fee for reviewing your application. This fee is probably between 50 and 100 euros.

The Hungarian doctoral program, which only focuses on independent research, is divided into two phases.

• first phase

 It lasts for 1 to 2 years and includes single curricula, laboratory sessions, seminars and other trainings that include 120 credits. This phase is designed to provide comprehensive academic knowledge as a foundation for your independent research in the next stage.

• second phase

It lasts for 2 to 3 years, during which you will be recognized as a full doctoral candidate who is researching an original project. They will usually give you an optional additional year to write up your thesis. Therefore, in general, it can be said that the length of a PhD program in Hungary is usually between 3 and 6 years.

Students can bring their family members to Hungry with them while studying in this country. Your family members include spouse, minor children, parents who are dependent on you, siblings who are depend on you because of physical disability. In such cases it is usually easier to come to Hungary alone, get a residence permit, settle in Hungary and then apply for family reunification. Students must submit the required documents to the Immigration and Asylum Office in Budapest and apply for an invitation. This process takes about fifteen days. Students must send the invitation to their family, after which they can begin the visa application process in their home country.   

The required documents that you must provide to receive the invitation include the following.

• Completed application form
• Bank statement

Whether in English or Hungarian and it must show that you have sufficient financial resources to support your family members.

• Copy of the applicant’s Hungarian residence permit
• Certificate of enrollment in the university
• Proof of accommodation in Hungary
• Paying 4 HUF (Hungarian forints) for the application fee

After receiving the invitation, family members submit the following documents to the Hungarian Consulate to obtain a visa:

• The invitation
• Certificate showing family relationship with the main applicant
• Completed visa application form
• Certificate of enrollment in the university
• Proof of accommodation in Hungary
• Proof of health insurance in Hungary (Copy and original)
• Proof of sufficient financial means during your stay in Hungary
• Passport, valid for at least 18 months

Hungarian (Magyar) is the official language of instruction at Hungarian universities. However, doctoral programs are usually offered in English. Therefore, in order to be accepted to a doctoral program in Hungary, you must have an English language certificate. But if you have already studied in English, just presenting your degree will be enough. There is no limit on the number of PhD students a Hungarian university can accept. However, there are a limited number of scholarships or funds available to PhD students that will be awarded to the best students. Universities also want to admit candidates who are likely to successfully pass their PhD program.  Therefore, they may use interviews and entrance exams (usually an oral exam) to evaluate students and select applicants. This process may be done remotely, or you may be required to travel to Hungary to complete the admission process.

To help foreign students bridge the gap between graduation from a Hungarian university and starting a career, there is a new type of residence permit available for graduates. This “Study to Work” residence permit will allow applicants to stay in Hungary for another 9 months after graduation, which is plenty of time to find a job or start a business. Students must apply for this type of residence permit at least 15 days before their student residence permit expires. If a person succeeds in finding a job or starting a business during this period, he / she can obtain a residence permit in Hungary. Of course, as mentioned earlier, if you get admitted to a PhD program and you obtain a fully-funded scholarship and your resume is strong, your chances of finding a job are very high.

With 15 years of experience in immigration, Malekpour legal institute provides legal and advisory services on a variety of visas, including Hungarian student visas. There are two processes involved in pursuing a PhD in Hungary. You must first get admission into a PhD program and then you can apply for a Hungarian student visa. Given that one of the main required documents for obtaining a Hungarian student visa is having an acceptance letter from a Hungarian university, therefore the first step is getting admission. Normally you can get admitted to a PhD program by corresponding with professors at the destination university. In this regard, applicants can apply on their own or they can send their resume to the experts of Malekpour Law Firm to be reviewed for admission. After receiving the acceptance letter from the university, you can apply for a Hungarian student visa by visiting the Embassy of Hungary. The experts of Malekpour legal institute will be by your side at every step of preparing documents and obtaining a student visa.

If you are serious about studying for a PhD in Hungary or other countries in the world, you can use our free consultation by clicking on the link below. Our experts will review your resume for free and if they find a PhD which is right for you, and then they will sign a contract with you dear ones.