Hungary has been called The Crossroads of Europe and it is definitely a central and cosmopolitan destination, both culturally and geographically. With prestigious higher education establishments, many university towns and exciting opportunities for scholarships, Hungary can be a great choice for furthering your studies.
If you're an EU/EFTA national
Once you're enrolled at an educational institution that's offering accredited programmes in Hungary, you're entitled to extend your original 90-day stay. You just need to register at the regional directorate of the Office of Immigration and Nationality by your 93rd day in Hungary. When registering, you should provide them with your admission papers to verify your student status. You will receive a registration certificate that you can use together with a valid travel document or personal ID. There is no expiration date on the certificate, so you don't have to worry about renewing it.
Good to know: Provided you were successfully issued your certificate if you have a spouse or children, they can also stay in Hungary for longer than the original three-month period.
If you're a third-country national
As your visa to enter Hungary will only be valid for 90 days maximum, you should apply for a residence permit right away. There are several types of residence permits, but the one that applies to your case is the 'Residence Permit for the Purpose of Study'. See more information about this permit here.
Good to know: If your studies in Hungary are part of a cooperation programme, you are allowed to work for twenty-four hours per week during your term-time ' and sixty-six hours per week for up to 90 days after your term-time.
Educational System, Institutions, & Fees
Hungary has a great history of higher education. The country's first university was founded in 1367 in Pécs ' which remains one of Hungary's university towns to this day. The main strategies behind higher education in Hungary today are to pass on the knowledge that will be relevant on the labour market, focus on research that's beneficial for the national economy and turn universities into catalysts for their region. There are currently 65 institutions of higher education in Hungary, from top research universities to universities of applied sciences, both public and private. The university towns are Budapest, Debrecen, Miskolc, Szeged, Pécs and GyÅr.
Good to know: If you haven't mastered the Hungarian language yet, you don't have to worry as there are about 550 courses available in English (as well as German, French, and other languages).
Hungary follows the Bologna model with a three-cycle degree structure: BA/BSc, MA/MSc, PhD/DLA. The country's institutions always rank high and a Hungarian degree is considered of an internationally recognised quality. Lately, there's a focus on the increase of international mobility and academic networks, with many institutions offering joint (or double) degree programmes and projects. International students are welcome in Hungary ' in fact, the government's goal is to reach 40,000 international students by 2021.
The cost for studying varies depending on your programme, university of choice and study level, but also on your nationality. In general, the various Medicine fields (along with Dentistry and Pharmacy) are the most expensive ones and can reach up to 8,500 euros per semester, whereas humanitarian fields like International Relations are on the less costly end of the scale at 1,500 euros per semester. Fields like Engineering Programmes and Computer Sciences fall somewhere in the middle, averaging around 3,300 euros per semester.
Good to know: Apart from tuition fees, you'll also need to pay fees for applying, for exams and for registering, that average around 150 euros.
Scholarships
Hungary also has a robust scholarship programme called 'Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme' launched in 2013, with thousands of applications each year from international students. Thankfully, the number of available scholarships increases as well ' in the fall semester of 2018 there are 5,000 scholarships available compared to last year's 3,800. Learn more about the scholarships programme here.
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