The highly anticipated Scholarship to Study in Hungary program AKA Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship or what is known as the Hungarian Scholarship will (From personal Experience) be opening its applications' window in Mid November, 2025.
In this article I'll try to give you a heads-up so you can navigate the scholarship application procedure smoothly.
I will not give you word salad written by AI or copied from elsewhere, here I'll try to give you few important key points to keep in Mind while and after applying for this scholarship.
Of course I'll write a separate article regarding the usual eligibility criteria, requirements and other stuff, but here you'll read personal experiences that you won't easily find anywhere. So, let's begin!
A little about me!
My name is Omran ABU-RAYYA and I have won the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship back in 2019-2020 Academic Year. I successfully Finished my master's degree program in Management and Leadership from the University of Pécs last year and I'll here write my personal own experience that you might find helpful. Now let's jump into the things that you care about!
Picking your study program
In my opinion and based on my own experience, picking the right study programs for YOU is extremely important. Because, trust me, you might change your mind once you are there, and I will tell you why in the few points below.
1). University Location
While picking your study program, Pay attention to where the University you are applying for is located. If you are a person who enjoys Big cities with lots of places to go within it and lots of Activities then I believe picking a university in Budapest (the capital) is something you might seriously consider.
Here is why, There are multiple important and 'highly ranked' universities that are available under the scholarship scheme that are located in cities quite far from Budapest. Take for example the following : Sopron, Pécs, Szeged, Vészprem, Györ, Miskolc and many others. These are cities in Hungary that have their universities named after them. Now, cities in Hungary are different from the Capital as you'd usually expect. Each city has its own characteristic that are different from others, especially regarding how lively it is.
In my case, I studied at University of Pécs. Pécs is a city in the far south from Budapest and it is around 3 hours by train. When you hear the name city you might expect it is full of life, but wait! Pécs is a city yes, but for most of us we call it a town. Pécs is very tiny and has very little to offer. Basically, you'll find yourself spending most of your free time in the city centre because that's where all pubs, bars, restaurants, shopping mall are. The city centre in Pécs is very small compared to other cities that over time you might find very dull and you'll notice, especially in winter, that by 8 pm everything is almost closed and the city turns absolutely dead.
In short, if you're a person who enjoys big cities, I'll suggest to go for Universities in Budapest, Szeged & Debrecen.
2). Study Program
Picking the right study program itself is of course something important, at the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Website, navigate to the Study Finder section and filter courses by Location, study level, and areas of studies. There are hundreds of options. So, take your time until the application window opens and take a look at each program and go to its website and see the curriculum. It makes sense to have an idea about the courses you'll encounter during your study period!
3). Living Expenses and Monthly Allowance
The scholarship offers students a very modest monthly allowance of around $100/month. If you opt for a rented place instead of the university dormitory, you'll receive another $120 (Approximately) to help you with rental expenses (these are for Bachelor, one-tier master and Master Students). PhD candidates receive more than that (you'll find all information about the exact amount on the call for applications PDF document once it's published).
Now, the monthly allowance is really low and you should not expect this amount to cover your monthly expenses, you'll definitely need another kind of financial assistance, be it a remote job, your savings or help from your parents. It's also noteworthy to say that renting prices are also really high in Budapest and also other cities.
• Calculate Living Expenses: There is quite reliable website that usually gives you a good approximation about monthly living Expenses in a given city. This website is called numbeo. Visit it and write down the name of the city and it will give you kind of an approximate monthly living expenses. See it here.
4). Finding a Job
During your study program, you'll definitely consider looking for a part-time job or something. But here let's focus on the amount of time you'll have on your hands to work. From my personal experience, lectures' load in Hungary is quite extensive (Especially for Bachelor students, and this can also be true for master's students). You'll have lots of lectures, maybe 2-3 hours breaks and quite hectic schedule that during which you might find it hard to squeeze a part-time job within if you want to focus on your studies.
Another important point to mention is that in cities other than Budapest, you might find it extra hard to find suitable jobs (if any) compared to Budapest. But don't get discouraged, there are plenty of success stories and you can probably find a remote job if you search properly.
Working After Finishing Your Studies
Now you'll ask if it is possible to find a job and settle in Hungary after finishing your studies. And the answer is definitely yes.
After finishing your studies, you can apply for what is called (Job Seeking Residence Permit), this permit has a validity period of 6-9 months, during which you have the right to stay in Hungary and look for a full time job and if you find a job, then you can switch your residence permit to Working residence permit which is sponsored by your future employer.
Of course, during your job seeking period you will have no scholarship stipend and you should have plans on how to finance your stay while looking for your full-time job.
5). Take Your Time
You will have around 2 months (Mid November to Mid January) to submit your application. So, don't be in hurry, take your time to study the offered study programs and to craft a compelling motivation letter and to prepare your documents. You have enough time. If you are applying for a PhD program, read the Call For Applications PDF document for PhD students thoroughly. It gives you very important and comprehensive information about how to prepare your application and how to find a PhD supervisor for your PhD thesis project.
6). Socialize with Current and Previous Students
There are numerous support groups on Facebook which you can join, there you can ask questions, and previous or current students can give you answers and offer valuable insights that can definitely help you during your application process, preparation for evaluation interviews/tests, and how to prepare for your journey to Hungary. So, I recommend joining those groups, they definitely help you and you can even find few fellow students that share your same study program! One of them might end up as your best friend or you can even rent a flat together!
7). English Language
The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship is a breath of fresh air when it comes to English Language proficiency. Majority of Universities there accept (English medium of Instruction) as a sufficient proof of your English language skills. So, if you are applying for a master's or PhD program and you had your previous study program taught in English, you can submit a letter from your previous institution stating that you had your degree completely taught in English and you'll be exempted from submitting an IELTS or TOEFL tests. If you are applying for bachelor programs, however, you'll be required to submit an English language proficiency certificate (with few exceptions). You can find them on the Call For Applications PDF, once it is published.
8). Evaluation
After being nominated by your home country, and if your application meets the minimum requirements. The Universities you've chosen will evaluate your application and you will generally go through an evaluation process, this evaluation can be in the form of an online interview and/or some entrance Tests. You'll be informed about those usually in The period between March - Late May.
ℹ️Here is My Experience in the Interview for the programme I've gotten accepted to
💡I got Accepted for The Management and Leadership MSc programme at university of Pécs.
The interview I had was more like of a friendly chatter, they basically just want to evaluate your abilities to communicate in English, had no technical questions whatsoever, just friendly questions and why are you interested in this program, why university of Pécs etc.
So, I'd recommend reading about the university in general and the programme in particular. From my own experience it was really smooth interview. However, things could be different from a university to another. I'd recommend joining Popular groups on Facebook about this scholarship and you can get tons of answers about students’ experiences that match the same programme and university you're applying for.
9). Special Provisions
The programme is based on bilateral educational cooperation agreements signed between the Ministries responsible for education in the sending countries/territories and Hungary or between institutions. Currently nearly 90 Sending Partners are engaged in the programme on 5 different continents, and the geographical scope of the programme is spreading each year.
Applicants are eligible to apply for scholarship types and study fields determined in the educational cooperation programmes in effect between Hungary and the specific Sending Partner. You can find the list of eligible countries on this webpage.
The number of awards per country also varies depending on the bilateral agreement signed between Hungary and your country. The number of awards per country can be as low as 25 per country to as much as 400 per country, it all depends on the agreement signed between the two parties.
It is also important to mention that each sending partner (your home country) has its special requirements and nomination mechanisms that you must be familiar with. So, when the scholarship opens, you must check with the responsible authority in your home country to know the exact process required to apply for the scholarship and to know the nomination mechanisms.
Conclusion
I hope in this article I could manage to offer you some important insights and useful pieces of advice on how to approach the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship.
When the scholarship opens its application window I'll be writing an article about the application process itself.
ℹ️ I'm also happy to answer your questions you have in mind in the comments section. Feel free to ask and I'll try my best to help you. Good luck 🤞
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