Investigating the conditions of studying in Hungary
Study in Hungary, immigrating to Hungary through study, and acquiring student visa of Hungary will be covered in this article with a scientific approach. Due to being located in Central Europe and low living expenses, Hungary is the choice of many international students. Therefore, there are many questions in this regard such as: what are the required documents for study in Hungary? Is it possible to study in Hungary without a language degree? What are the pros and cons of studying in Hungary? In this article, in short, we talk about the most important and basic points about studying in Hungary. For more information about studying in Hungary you can contact us at MIE Consulting Institute (Austria) and get free consult.
You can also ask your questions in the comments section and receive an answer in a short time.
Topics covered in this article:
Studying in Hungary and its general conditions
Hungary is a country in Central Europe and its capital is Budapest, and a member Schengen area. Neighbors of Hungary are Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. The governing system is democratic, its official language and religion are Hungarian and Christianity. The currency of Hungary is Hungarian forint (HUF).
Hungary has a population of 9.8 million and an area of 23,000 km square. The population of Budapest is about 1 million and 730 thousand which contributes to one fourth of the whole population of the country. Hungary has 30 thousand international students in several cities. English is taught to students of this country since the elementary school. Education system of Hungary obeys the Bologna system which includes pointing rather than average score and the results of final exams will be put on scale of 1 to 5.
Studying in Hungary takes place in elementary school, high school, and universities. Universities divide into three stages of undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD. The advantages of studying in Hungary are taking dependents with you in postgraduate and PhD level, work while studying for 20 hours per week, possibility of studying with a language degree, studying in German and English, and permanent residency after graduation through work visa.
Studying in schools of Hungary
Education system of Hungary in schools is called the first cycle, includes students of 7 to 14 of age, in based on its European method, is divided into 8 grades. The first grade includes children of 6 and 7 of age, second grade includes children of 7 and 8 of age, third grade includes children of 8 and 9 of age, fourth grade includes children of 9 and 10 of age, fifth grade includes children of 10 and 11 of age, sixth grade includes children of 11 and 12 of age, seventh grade includes children of 12 and 13 of age, and eighth grade includes children of 13 and 14 of age. Reunification visa is generally for postgraduate and PhD students, and is granted to parents of school students by Immigration Office of Hungary under certain circumstances, so the students must have a legal guardian or study in a boarding school to be able to acquire student visa.
Studying in high schools of Hungary
Studying in high schools of Hungary takes places in three stages that are called level 1, level 2 and level 3 and are equivalent of Iranian’s first high school period, second high school period, and university preliminary course. This system is based on the European system and includes students of 16 to 18 years old. Generally, reunification visa is not issued for studying in high school, unless under certain circumstances and the consent of Immigration Office of Hungary. In this stage, too, the students must have a legal guardian or study in boarding schools.
Study undergraduate in Hungary
Studying undergraduate in Hungary takes 3 to 4 years and required a valid diploma degree. It’s necessary to know that studying in this stage doesn’t require a language certificate and the student can learn German or English based on their major while studying. The undergraduate student is not allowed a reunification visa but can work up to 20 hours per week and full-time during holidays.
Most sought majors in Hungary are pre-medicine and medicine majors. Students can take pre-medicine courses in Hungary then take part in the university entrance exam of Hungary or other countries like Austria, Germany, and England.
Study postgraduate in Hungary
Postgraduate in universities of Hungary takes 1 to 2 years and requires a valid undergraduate level. The major of the student must be the same as his undergraduate course. This stage, too, doesn’t require a language degree and students can learn English or German while based on their major while studying. The student is allowed to work 20 hours per week. He can work full-time in semester gaps. Reunification visa is available to families of the postgraduate student.
Study PhD in Hungary
Studying PhD in Hungary takes 3 to 5 years and requires valid postgraduate degree and similarity of graduate and postgraduate majors. Studying PhD in Hungary is possible under non-scholarship circumstances and the student can learn language while studying. But if you want to acquire a scholarship, you need a high score language degree, credible international articles, high average-score, and high scores. For getting admission in PhD, you must send your resume to university professors and the confirmation from a supervisor.
You can work 20 hours per week as a PhD student. You can also do research work by having consent from university and Immigration Office. It’s worth noting that reunification visa is available at this lecel.
Studying in Hungary and introducing universities of this country
Due to its policies, Hungary is receiving many international students from all over the world including Iran. At this moment, more than 30,000 students study in Hungary. Among cities of Hungary Budapest, Debrecen, Miskolc, Szeged, and Pecs can be mentioned. For acquiring student visa of Hungary, you need to get admission from one of universities of this country. Therefore, knowing about these universities is important. Here is a list of some of universities of Hungary.
Studying in Hungary and its scholarships
Due to increasing requests for scholarship in Hungary, this country has presented and executed the Stipendium Hungaricum plan (study scholarships for international students). In 2018, more than 4100 students studied under scholarships in universities of Hungary in English and Hungarian languages. This number increased in 2019 in reached 5000. This plan includes students from countries that have signed cultural interaction contracts with government of Hungary or are engaged in student exchange plans.
Study under scholarship for takes 2 to 4 years for undergraduate, 1.5 to 2 years for postgraduate, 2+2 for PhD, and 5 to 6 years for continuous postgraduate. These courses are tuition free and also grants allowances equal to 130 euros per month for undergraduate to PhD level and also discontinuous postgraduate. For first period of PhD this scholarship grants 450 euros per month and for its second period it grants 580 euros. Accommodation is free during study and 120 euros is granted to students in its regard. Also, up to 205 euros of free healthcare is granted. The period of requesting scholarship starts from January 15th and the results are announced in July. The student must enter Hungary until and before September 30th.
The required documents for a scholarship are language degree required by university and Ministry of Science of Hungary, SOP and previous academic documents.
For PhD level, in addition to above documents, a research plan and 2 recommendation letters are required.
Studying in Hungary and expenses of study
Studying in Hungary in different levels isn’t free and requires 500 to 600 euros per semester. These expenses are 3,000 to 4,000 euros for medical sciences and dentistry students and 16,000 to 25,000 for engineering students. 15 euros is required for enrollment and exams. More details on expenses of living and study in Hungary are presented below:
| University tuition |
Around 2,000 euros per month |
| Dormitory rent |
80 to 100 euros per month |
| Private flat |
240 to 400 euros per month |
| Shared flat |
100 to 180 euros per month |
| Food |
125 euros per month |
| Entertainment |
40 euros per month |
| Bike riding |
Free |
| Public transportation |
13 euros per month |
Studying in Hungary and student visa
Acquiring student visa of Hungary requires documents that will be covered later in this section. It’s worth noting that the required age for student visa request in Hungary for university level and residency is at least 18, and its process takes 1 to 3 months.
The required documents for acquiring student visa are:
FAQ and answers about Study in Hungary
✅ In education free in Hungary?
No, unless you have acquired scholarship, you need to pay tuition.
✅ Is it possible to study in Hungary without a language degree?
In order to not decrease your chance of acquiring visa, you’re advised to present a language certificate
✅ Is it possible to acquire scholarships from universities of Hungary?
Scholarships are usually granted to PhD students and you need to have a brilliant CV including high language score and published articles in reputable magazines.
✅ It is possible to work in Hungary after graduation?
After graduation, you are given an opportunity to find a job in Hungary. If you succeed in doing so, you can convert your student residency to work residency.
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