Located in central Europe, Hungary is a landlocked country famous for its art, culture, history, and architecture. From the Danube River to the Buda Castle to St. Stephen’s Basilica, Hungary brings a mix of nature and culture like its neighbors.
Beyond its geographical opulence, Hungary offers some of the best higher education opportunities in Europe. World-class universities coupled with manageable tuition fees and post-degree work opportunities attract hundreds of students each year. Here’s a detailed guide if you’re planning to get started with your bachelor’s in Hungary.
Why Study in Hungary?
In 2023, around 30,000 international students were studying in Hungary for bachelor's, master's, and PhD. The large number of students is a testament to the ease and acceptability of higher education in the country.
Besides, Hungary has a robust history as a seat of higher education dating back to 1581 with the establishment of the University of Szeged. Today, 5 Hungarian universities are ranked in the top 1000 list of QS Ranking 2025.
Unlike major Western European study-abroad destinations, Hungary offers a much more affordable tuition and living cost. The living cost index puts Hungary among the most affordable European countries in every expenditure head.
Hungary also has a generous 12 to 14 weeks of summer break in each academic year. The long breaks allow students to engage in self-development activities, work full-time, visit home, or even travel around. Additionally, the up-and-coming startup scene and widespread internship opportunities help the graduates smoothly kickstart their careers.
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How Can Non-EU Students Apply for Bachelor's Degree in Hungary?
Unlike West European countries, Hungary doesn’t have a centralized admission system. As a result, every university has its own admission schedule, process, and requirements. Application into the bachelor’s program can be divided into the following steps:
Step 1: Find a Program
Study Portal’s bachelor's list for Hungary (https://www.bachelorsportal.com/search/bachelor/hungary) can be an effective starting point to get an idea about the disciplines, university location, program duration, tuition fees, and other aspects. Based on the overview, you can do more specialized research utilizing the specific university portals and their admission resources.
Step 2: Get the Paperwork
The next step is to organize the paperwork to apply for the bachelors. As there’s no centralized system, the document requirement varies from one university to the other. However, some of the universal documents include:
- High school diploma (SSC and HSC certificate in the case of Bangladesh)
- Transcript of the diplomas
- Scanned copy of passport and birth certificate (NID is also applicable)
- A Europass format CV
- IELTS/TOEFL score
- Proof of solvency
- Letter of recommendation
- Writing samples
Hungary follows the Bologna Process meaning you will need a high school diploma to be eligible for a bachelors. The English proficiency requirements aren’t all that stringent in Hungary. You can apply with “Medium of Instruction” or MOI if you studied your high school in English version. And in other cases, the minimum IELTS requirement is set at 5.5 overall for most universities.
Another thing to note is that all the physical documents to be submitted to the universities need to be attested by the education and the foreign ministry.
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Step 3: Wait for the Admission Decision
Hungarian universities notify results either by e-mail or post. Most universities offer decisions based on document screening only. Some universities may require interviews. Also, specialized programs like M.B.B.S. may require additional tests upon conditional offer. Many Hungarian universities require non-EU citizens to pay the first-semester tuition fee upfront. If there’s no such provision, then the university will issue your admission letter and admission confirmation documents for visa purposes.
Legalization process for non-EU students
The first step to getting legalized in Hungary is to get the Permanent Residence status or PR. According to Hungarian law, a person becomes eligible for PR after staying in Hungary for 3 years on a residence permit. Note that, the residence permit for PR is different from the residence permit for students. So effectively, a student will need to legally live and work in Hungary for three years after graduation to be eligible for PR. There are also PR opportunities via investment and donations. The minimum amount starts at around 250,000 euros.
To obtain citizenship status in Hungary, a person will have to stay 8 more years after receiving their PR. In total, it takes about 11 years from graduation to becoming a Hungarian citizen.
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