Hungarian Language Course
All Bachelor's and Master's students on Stipendium Hungaricum must complete a mandatory 2-semester Hungarian language course. Even if your programme is taught entirely in English. This is non-negotiable.
Penalty for Non-Completion
If you fail to complete the 2-semester Hungarian language course, your monthly stipend is reduced from HUF 43,700 to HUF 30,000 (~EUR 76/month). Given that the stipend is already insufficient, this reduction is a serious financial penalty.
Why Hungarian Is Extremely Difficult
Hungarian (Magyar) is a Uralic language — it's related to Finnish and Estonian, NOT to English, German, French, Spanish, Arabic, or any other major language family. This means:
What Makes It Hard
- • 18 grammatical cases (English has essentially 0)
- • Agglutinative structure (words get very long with suffixes)
- • Vowel harmony rules
- • Almost zero shared vocabulary with English
- • Definite vs. indefinite conjugation
- • U.S. Foreign Service rates it as Category IV (most difficult)
The Good News
- • The mandatory course is basic/survival level
- • You don't need to become fluent
- • Pronunciation is phonetically regular
- • Teachers are experienced with foreign students
- • You only need to pass, not excel
- • Younger Hungarians often speak English
Tips for Surviving the Course
Use Duolingo, Drops, or HungarianPod101 to learn basic greetings, numbers, and survival phrases before you arrive. Even a small head start helps enormously.
The course has attendance requirements. Missing classes can lead to failing, which triggers the stipend reduction. Treat it as seriously as your main subjects.
Shopkeepers, bus drivers, and cafeteria staff generally appreciate attempts to speak Hungarian. Even basic phrases like "köszönöm" (thank you) and "sor" (beer) will make daily life easier.
Don't try to master grammar. Focus on survival vocabulary: food, directions, emergencies, doctor visits, shopping. These will actually help your daily life in Hungary.
Many Hungarian students want to practice English. Find a language exchange partner through your university or apps like Tandem. You teach English, they teach Hungarian. Win-win.