Stipendium Hungaricum: Complete Guide 2027

What Is Stipendium Hungaricum?

Stipendium Hungaricum is the Hungarian Government's scholarship programme, launched in 2013, overseen by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and co-ordinated by Tempus Public Foundation. It offers a full tuition waiver, accommodation (a dormitory place or a housing contribution), medical insurance and a monthly stipend to international students from partner countries.

The programme covers Bachelor's, Master's, one-tier Master's (5–6 year), doctoral (PhD/DLA) and non-degree programmes at Hungarian universities. The 2026/27 call listed about 900 Bachelor’s and Master’s-level programmes at 30 institutions, plus about 170 doctoral programmes at 23. There is also a one-year Hungarian language preparatory course for students who want to study a degree in Hungarian.

The programme is genuinely generous with tuition, but the HUF 43,700 (about EUR 110) monthly stipend for Bachelor's and Master's students is far below what you actually need to live in Hungary.

You'll see this tension come up throughout this guide. We believe in giving you the real picture, not the brochure version. Tempus itself says the provisions are only a contribution to living costs and that scholars need to add their own money.

What You Should Know (The Honest Version)

These are real issues reported by current and former SH scholars. Read them before you apply, not after.

The dual application confusion

You must apply in two places: through the online application system (the Tempus side) and through your country's sending partner (a government ministry or agency). Many applicants miss one side and get automatically rejected. The deadlines can differ, and so can the document requirements. It is easy to miss a step. How the dual submission works.

EUR 110 a month is not enough to live on

The monthly stipend for BA/MA students is HUF 43,700 (~EUR 110). By our estimate, a student budget in Budapest runs from about EUR 650 to EUR 1,100 a month, and even in cheaper cities like Debrecen you need roughly EUR 470 or more. The BA/MA rate has stayed at HUF 43,700 in every version of the programme rules since at least 2021. You'll need savings, family support or a part-time job.

Dormitory conditions vary wildly

Some dormitories are decent. Others have been described by students as having bug infestations, broken plumbing, and shared facilities like 2 washing machines for 800 students. The housing contribution of HUF 40,000 (~EUR 100) for those who opt out of the dormitory barely covers a room in a shared flat.

Fierce competition

The 2026/27 call drew a record 113,806 applications, and in 2025 Tempus received 80,000 applications for a little over 4,500 scholarships. Some sending countries are more competitive than others. Your sending partner's nomination is a critical bottleneck — even a strong application can fail if your country has limited slots. What the numbers mean.

A six-month wait for results

You apply in January and results don't come until the end of June or early July. That's six months of uncertainty. Many applicants put their lives on hold during this period. There's no way to check your status mid-process, and Tempus rarely responds to status inquiries.

Mandatory Hungarian language course

All BA and MA students (including one-tier Master's) in foreign-language programmes must take a two-semester Hungarian language course in their first year. If you don't attend, you don't receive the monthly stipend; if you attend but fail the exam, your stipend drops to HUF 30,000 (~EUR 76). Hungarian is a Uralic language — completely unrelated to English, French or any Indo-European language. Most students find it extremely challenging.

Healthcare delays and gaps

Students report that the TAJ card (health insurance) can take up to 4 months to arrive, leaving gaps in the meantime. The supplementary health contribution is only HUF 65,000 a year (~EUR 165). Dental and vision cover is limited, and university counselling is often capped at a few sessions. Language barriers with doctors are common.

Documented discrimination concerns

Multiple students have reported experiencing racial discrimination, particularly at immigration offices and in housing searches. This is not universal, but it's documented enough that prospective students should be aware. Some universities have support systems in place; others do not.

Applicants submit either a non-degree/Bachelor's/Master's/one-tier Master's application or a doctoral one — not both. Here's how the levels compare.

Programmes are taught in English or Hungarian (and a few other languages), varying by programme.

Bachelor's

Alongside your studies you must complete the mandatory two-semester Hungarian language course. Not attending means no stipend; failing the exam reduces it to HUF 30,000.

Master's and one-tier Master's

One-tier Master's programmes (e.g. Medicine, Law, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Architecture, Veterinary Medicine) last 5–6 years, cover both Bachelor's and Master's level, and are treated as a single long programme.

Doctoral (PhD/DLA)

PhD stipends are significantly higher than BA/MA and actually closer to livable: HUF 140,000 (~EUR 355) in the first four semesters and HUF 180,000 (~EUR 460) in the second four, after the complex exam. PhD scholars who started in 2016/17 or later also get a one-off grant of HUF 400,000. The doctoral programme is the financially best option under SH.

Partial (exchange) studies

Exchange (partial) semesters, for up to one academic year and completed by 30 June. You don't earn a Hungarian degree but can transfer credits to your home institution. Proof of student status at your home university is needed when the exchange is part of your degree there or the Hungarian host requires it.

Preparatory courses

Available for students who need language preparation before their degree. Under SH you can only apply directly for Hungarian-language preparatory years (if you then continue in a Hungarian-taught degree). In Engineering, Music and Dance, and Computer Science/IT, host universities may instead place English-programme applicants in a foundation semester or year.

Stipendium Hungaricum is annual. The current cycle is the 2027/28 call, for studies starting in September 2027. As of October 2026 its official dates are not yet published on stipendiumhungaricum.hu/apply. The 2026/27 application system opened on 14 November 2025 and closed on 15 January 2026, 14:00 CET; the dates below follow that pattern — prepare documents now, but don't treat a January 2027 day as confirmed.

1. 1
   Expected Nov 2026 – mid-Jan 2027

   Online application

   Typical window in recent cycles. The last published deadline was 15 January 2026, 14:00 CET. Next-cycle dates are not yet official.

2. 2
   Expected Jan – Feb 2027

   Sending partner

   Submit to your sending partner too (deadline varies by country). They review and nominate candidates by the end of February.

3. 3
   Expected mid-Mar – end of May 2027

   Entrance exams

   Universities review nominated applications and run entrance exams or interviews. This is the long wait period with no status updates.

4. 4
   Expected end Jun – mid-Jul 2027

   Results

   Results announced. If awarded, begin the visa process, get your medical certificate ready, and prepare for arrival in September 2027.

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