Studying in Hungary

What a year costs

Tuition is set by each university and paid by the semester. Representative 2026-2027 figures:

• Budapest University of Economics and Business (non-EU): €3,000 a semester for bachelor's (about €6,000 a year) and €3,300 a semester for master's (about €6,600 a year)
• Semmelweis University, General Medicine in English: €9,340 a semester (€18,680 a year) plus one-time fees, for a six-year programme

Medicine and dentistry are the most expensive programmes everywhere; business, humanities and social sciences are cheaper. Stipendium Hungaricum covers tuition in full and adds a monthly stipend, an accommodation contribution and medical insurance.

Living costs. Pázmány Péter Catholic University's Budapest budget, updated 13 May 2026, gives:

• One-bedroom flat: HUF 160,000-230,000 a month in the centre, HUF 120,000-180,000 outside it, plus HUF 20,000-35,000 for utilities
• Food shopping: HUF 90,000-100,000 a month
• Student transport pass: HUF 3,450 a month with a Hungarian student card

The Study in Hungary cost calculator shows a shared flat at HUF 80,000-140,000 a month and a dormitory place at HUF 13,000-40,000, depending on the city. Debrecen, Szeged, Pécs, Győr and Miskolc are all cheaper than Budapest.

The visa

Non-EEA students need a residence permit for the purpose of studies. If you need a visa to enter Hungary, you apply at a Hungarian embassy or consulate, which issues an entry visa to collect the permit. If you can enter visa-free, you may apply inside Hungary. Extensions must be filed electronically through Enter Hungary.

The money: no fixed figure. Hungary does not publish a minimum amount for students. The National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (OIF) requires you to show you can cover "subsistence, accommodation, return/onward travel and healthcare services from legally acquired income and savings". In practice that means bank statements, a scholarship award or a sponsor's documents that plausibly cover a year of tuition and living costs. Because there is no published floor, a thin or unexplained balance is judged on its face: use the living cost figures above as your guide, not the minimum you think you can get away with.

Fees (OIF):

• €110 for a residence permit and entry visa applied for at an embassy or consulate
• HUF 26,000 if you apply through Enter Hungary, HUF 39,000 in person in Hungary
• HUF 26,000 to extend

Other requirements include your admission letter or student status certificate, proof of tuition payment where tuition is charged, a certificate of adequate language skills for your programme, comprehensive health insurance (or proof you can pay for care), and a real Hungarian address declared on the form.

Processing time. OIF reviews the file within 15 days and must decide within 60 days of submission. Once the permit is approved you must enter Hungary within three months.

Working while you study

Up to 30 hours a week during term, and full-time for up to 90 days a year outside term, on your study residence permit. Study in Hungary puts the holiday limit as 90 days or 66 working days. No separate work permit is needed for work within these limits.

EEA students have no hour limit. If you hold a scholarship, check its own terms as well: a scholarship can carry conditions that the residence permit does not.

After you graduate

A residence permit for seeking a job or starting a business, valid for up to nine months and not extendable. To qualify you must hold a valid study residence permit, have completed your studies successfully, and be looking for work or starting a business at the level of your degree.

Apply at least 15 days before your study permit expires. You also need to show you can support yourself during the search, with income or bank documents. Once you have a qualifying job, you move onto a Hungarian Card or an EU Blue Card.

Language

English-taught degrees are widely available, especially in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, engineering, business and IT. Your university sets the English requirement for your programme, and OIF asks for a language certificate as part of the permit application.

Hungarian is a hard language for most learners and daily life outside the university runs in it: landlords, doctors outside international clinics, most part-time jobs and many government offices. Medical students in English-taught programmes still meet Hungarian-speaking patients in clinical years, so check how much Hungarian your curriculum includes and budget time for it.

When to apply

The main intake is September. Deadlines vary by university and programme, and medicine programmes run entrance exams.

• Semmelweis General Medicine: application deadline 31 May 2027 for the 2027 intake
• Stipendium Hungaricum: the 2026-2027 call closed on 15 January 2026 at 2 pm CET. Expect the next call to follow a similar winter timetable, and check the official site.

After admission, apply for the permit straight away: the 60-day decision period plus embassy appointments means a June or July application is tight for September.

What to watch out for

No published minimum does not mean a low bar. Students assume that because Hungary sets no figure, any balance will do. The authority decides whether your money is enough for your actual stay. A statement showing a large deposit a week before you apply, with no history, invites refusal.

A real address is required. The application asks for an existing Hungarian address. Addresses supplied by agents for form-filling purposes cause problems at the registration and renewal stage. Arrange genuine accommodation, a dormitory place or a signed lease, before you apply.

Extensions are online only. Enter Hungary is the only channel for extending your permit, and you must file at least 30 days before expiry. Keep your login details and documents current throughout your studies.

Medicine is a six-year commitment in euros. At Semmelweis, tuition alone is €18,680 a year. Fees are set per semester and universities can change them, so budget for the whole programme, not year one.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure above carries the date we checked it. Check the official source before you rely on it.