Hungary Scholarships 2026-2027 for Undergraduate, Masters & PhD [No IELTS, Apply Now]

What if you could study at a world-class European university fully funded without ever sitting an IELTS exam? Not a loophole. Not a workaround. Just a legitimate, well-documented path that thousands of international students are quietly taking every single year while everyone else is still googling “cheapest English-speaking countries to study abroad.”

Hungary has slowly, almost secretly, become one of the most rewarding study destinations in all of Europe. And the students who’ve figured that out? They’re living in stunning Budapest apartments, attending top-ranked universities, collecting monthly stipends, and graduating with degrees that open doors across the globe. All of it funded. None of it requiring an IELTS score.

If you have been sitting on the idea of studying abroad because of cost, language tests, or just not knowing where to start. This article is going to change the way you think about your options and provisions will be made where you can apply for each of these well detailed scholarships at the end of this article.

 

Why Hungary? Here’s What Most Students Overlook

Ask someone to name the top study destinations in Europe and you’ll hear the usual suspects — UK, Germany, the Netherlands. Hungary rarely gets mentioned in those conversations. And honestly? That’s part of what makes it such a smart choice right now.

Home to institutions like Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), and the University of Szeged, Hungary punches well above its weight academically. These aren’t obscure regional colleges.  They are globally ranked universities with decades of strong research output, internationally recognized degrees, and faculty who’ve contributed meaningfully to their fields. ELTE alone has produced 5 Nobel Prize winners. That’s not a minor detail.

Tuition fees and living costs here are significantly lower than in Western Europe. Where a single year of study in the UK or Netherlands might cost you tens of thousands of euros out of pocket, Hungary offers comparable academic quality at a fraction of the price and that is before you factor in any scholarship funding.

Then there is Budapest itself. Regularly ranked among the most beautiful cities in Europe, it is a place where Ottoman-era thermal baths sit next to Gothic cathedrals, where the Danube cuts through the city at night with a view that genuinely stops people in their tracks. The student life is vibrant, the food is incredible, the public transport works, and the cost of living won’t drain your savings the way London or Amsterdam would. Studying here isn’t just an academic decision, it is a quality of life upgrade.

 

Hungary Scholarships 2026-2027: Full List for Undergraduate, Masters & PhD

There’s no shortage of funding options for international students in Hungary. From large government-backed programs to targeted university-specific awards, the scholarship ecosystem here is surprisingly rich — and much of it goes unclaimed simply because students don’t know it exists. Here is a full breakdown of every major scholarship available for 2026-2027, what each one covers, and what you need to know before applying.

 

#1 Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship

This is the one that gets the most attention — and for good reason. The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Program is Hungary’s flagship international scholarship, managed by the Tempus Public Foundation on behalf of the Hungarian government. It is open to students from over 70 partner countries and covers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs across virtually every academic discipline you can think of.

The financial package is genuinely comprehensive. It covers your full tuition fees, so you never receive a bill from your university. On top of that, bachelor’s, master’s, and one-tier master’s students receive a monthly living stipend of HUF 43,700 paid consistently for 12 months a year, every year, until you complete your degree. That’s not a one-year award that disappears after your first semester. It stays with you for the full duration of your studies.

Accommodation is covered too. You’ll either receive free dormitory housing on or near campus, or a monthly housing allowance of HUF 40,000 to help cover private rental costs. Healthcare is included under Hungarian law, and you’ll also receive supplementary medical insurance worth up to HUF 65,000 per person per year.

Put all of that together and you have a scholarship that genuinely removes the financial barriers to studying abroad tuition, rent, food, healthcare. The Stipendium Hungaricum is the kind of opportunity that students in previous generations simply didn’t have access to, and it’s available right now to students from dozens of countries who don’t even know it exists.

 

#2 CEU University Hungary Scholarships 2026

Central European University occupies a unique position in the Hungarian academic landscape. It’s internationally accredited, deeply research-focused, and has built a reputation over decades for producing graduates who go on to lead in academia, policy, civil society, and business. CEU attracts students from over 100 countries, and the campus culture reflects that diverse, intellectually rigorous, and genuinely open.

To attract the best candidates from around the world, CEU maintains a robust internal scholarship program covering undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students. These awards are competitive, but they are also generous — and unlike many scholarships that only cover partial costs, several CEU awards are designed to make studying here genuinely financially viable even for students coming from lower-income backgrounds.

#3 CEU Partial Tuition Award (Undergraduate)

For undergraduate applicants, CEU offers a limited number of Partial Tuition Awards targeted at exceptional candidates applying to three specific programs: the BA/BSc in Data Science and Society, the BA in Culture, Politics and Society, and the BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. These are merit-based awards that can cover up to 50% of your annual tuition worth a maximum of €3,500 per academic year.

If you’re a strong applicant with a genuine academic track record, this award is well within reach. The key is presenting an application that goes beyond grades and reflects real intellectual curiosity and engagement with your chosen field.

#4 CEU Presidential Scholar Award (Undergraduate)

This is arguably the most prestigious undergraduate award CEU offers. Only two students per year receive it which tells you something about how seriously it’s taken. The Presidential Scholar Award was established personally by CEU President Michael Ignatieff and his wife Zsuzsanna Zsohar, and it’s designed to recognize students who combine outstanding academic ability with demonstrated leadership potential.

The award is worth €5,000 in total, distributed across four years of study in a progressively increasing structure €500 in Year 1, €1,000 in Year 2, €1,500 in Year 3, and €2,000 in Year 4. The increasing value is intentional — it’s designed to grow with you as your academic journey deepens and your contributions to the university community become more visible.

Being named a Presidential Scholar is the kind of recognition that follows you through your career. It signals something meaningful about the kind of student and thinker you are.

 

#5 CEU Master’s Excellence Scholarship

The Master’s Excellence Scholarship is CEU’s top-tier award for postgraduate students, providing a monthly stipend of €1,000 for the full duration of the master’s program. It’s awarded to the most academically distinguished applicants in each cohort, and it reflects CEU’s commitment to ensuring that financial circumstances never prevent the brightest students from accessing world-class education.

For context, €1,000 per month goes a long way in Budapest. Combined with your academic workload, it gives you the financial breathing room to focus entirely on your studies, your research, and making the most of the extraordinary academic environment CEU provides.

#6 CEU Master’s Distinction Scholarship

Slightly below the Excellence tier, the Master’s Distinction Scholarship provides €750 per month to eligible master’s students. It’s awarded on the basis of academic merit and is typically given to applicants whose profiles rank just below the threshold for the Excellence award. For many students, this is still a life-changing amount of financial support — and it stacks meaningfully with other living cost savings in a city as affordable as Budapest.

 

#7 CEU Master’s Scholarship

The Master’s Scholarship provides €500 per month and is designed to support a broader range of high-performing students who demonstrate strong academic potential but may not yet have the profile to compete for the top-tier awards. If you’re considering applying to CEU for a master’s degree, this scholarship is absolutely worth targeting — the application process for internal awards runs alongside your general admission application, so you’re not adding significant extra work.

#8 CEU Master’s Partial Scholarship

The Partial Scholarship offers €300 per month and is typically awarded alongside other forms of financial support or external funding. It may seem modest compared to the higher-tier awards, but for students who are part-funding their studies through savings or family contributions, an additional €300 per month covers real, meaningful costs groceries, transport, books, the occasional weekend trip.

#9 CEU Doctoral Scholarship

For PhD candidates, CEU’s doctoral scholarship is one of the most complete funding packages available at the postgraduate research level in Central Europe. It covers your full tuition fees entirely no outstanding balance, no deferred payment and provides a monthly stipend of €1,880 to support your housing and daily living expenses throughout the program.

Doctoral research is already demanding enough without the added stress of financial pressure. This scholarship exists precisely to remove that barrier, giving you the time, focus, and stability you need to produce genuinely original, high-quality research. If you have a research question worth pursuing and CEU has the right supervisors and resources to support it, this scholarship makes the decision straightforward.

#10 Erasmus Mundus Scholarship

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master programs are unlike any other postgraduate offering in Europe. They are co-designed and co-delivered by a consortium of universities across multiple countries, meaning you don’t just study at one institution you move between campuses, absorb different academic cultures, and build an international network that most students never get access to.

The top-ranked applicants to these programs can receive full scholarships that cover tuition fees, travel costs, visa expenses, and monthly living allowances. The competition is real, but so is the reward. An Erasmus Mundus scholarship on your CV is recognized globally as a mark of academic excellence.

 

#11 Hungarian Diaspora Scholarship

This scholarship is specifically designed for students from Hungarian diaspora communities living outside the European Union, Serbia, or the Zakarpattia Oblast of Ukraine. If you have Hungarian heritage and are living in a participating country outside these regions, this is a scholarship that was created with people like you specifically in mind.

Eligibility requires citizenship in one of the participating countries and a Diaspora Recommendation Letter issued by a recognized Hungarian diaspora organization, embassy, or consulate. That letter doesn’t arrive overnight — most advisors recommend beginning the process one to two months before the application deadline. Reach out early, explain your situation clearly, and give yourself enough runway to gather everything you need without rushing.

#12 Bilateral State Scholarships

Hungary maintains bilateral science and education cooperation agreements with a significant number of countries around the world. Under these agreements, both Hungary and the partner country exchange scholarship recipients meaning if your home country has an active agreement with Hungary, there may be a government-funded scholarship waiting for you that most of your peers have never heard of.

These scholarships cover bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral studies. Recipients attend their chosen Hungarian university tuition-free and receive a monthly stipend. Depending on the specific bilateral arrangement, additional support for housing may also be available. The nomination process runs through your home country’s designated scholarship office, so start there, find out whether your country has an agreement, contact the relevant body, and ask directly about the application process and deadlines.

#13 CEEPUS

CEEPUS, the Central European Exchange Program for University Studies is a multilateral academic exchange network operating across Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe. It’s an often-overlooked program that offers genuine mobility funding for students and faculty within the network.

To be eligible as a student, you need to have completed at least two semesters at a CEEPUS member university and be a citizen of a CEEPUS member state. International students already enrolled at a CEEPUS university may also qualify in certain circumstances, so it’s worth checking your eligibility even if your home country isn’t immediately obvious as a member. The program moves students between network universities, funding their mobility and giving them exposure to academic environments they wouldn’t otherwise access.

 

Hungarian Universities Where You Can Study Without IELTS

One of the most common reasons students hesitate to apply for study abroad opportunities is the IELTS requirement. The test costs money, requires weeks of preparation, and adds a layer of administrative stress to an already complex application process. In Hungary, several universities have removed that barrier entirely for international applicants who can demonstrate English proficiency through other means.

The following institutions offer English-taught programs and do not require an IELTS score for admission:

1. University of Debrecen
2. Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME)
3. Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)
4. University of Pécs
5. University of Szeged
6. Central European University (CEU)

Each of these institutions has established itself as a credible, internationally recognized place of learning — not a shortcut, but a genuine academic destination with strong program offerings, active research culture, and alumni networks that extend well beyond Hungary’s borders.

 

How to Prove Your English Proficiency Without IELTS

Not requiring IELTS doesn’t mean Hungarian universities accept anyone who claims to speak English. What it means is that they recognize a range of valid alternatives that prove the same thing — that you’re capable of succeeding in an English-medium academic environment.

An English Proficiency Certificate issued by your home university is often the most direct and widely accepted option. If you completed your previous degree or a significant portion of your education in English, a letter from your institution confirming this is typically sufficient.

Beyond that, most Hungarian universities also accept TOEFL scores, Cambridge English qualifications such as B2 First or C1 Advanced, the Pearson Test of English, and increasingly, the Duolingo English Test. The Duolingo option in particular is worth knowing about, it is taken entirely online, costs a fraction of IELTS, and is now recognized by a growing number of institutions globally, including several in Hungary.

The most important step is to check the specific language requirements of the program and faculty you’re applying to. Requirements vary, and the sooner you confirm exactly what’s needed, the more time you have to prepare the right documentation without any last-minute stress.

Which Hungary Scholarship Should You Apply For?

With this many options available, it makes sense to be strategic rather than scattergun. The Stipendium Hungaricum is the most accessible starting point for most international students. It covers the widest range of countries, study levels, and academic disciplines, and the financial package is genuinely comprehensive. If you qualify for it, applying should be a priority.

For students specifically targeting CEU, the internal scholarship tiers, from the Partial Scholarship all the way up to the Excellence and Doctoral awards should be explored in detail alongside your general application. You don’t need to choose one or the other. In many cases, students apply for multiple sources of funding simultaneously and combine them.

If you have Hungarian heritage, the Diaspora Scholarship deserves serious attention. If your home country has a bilateral agreement with Hungary, find out about it and pursue that channel. If you’re already at a CEEPUS member university and thinking about a semester or year abroad, CEEPUS is a straightforward mobility option worth investigating.

The point is this, Hungary has built one of the most accessible, generously funded international scholarship ecosystems in Europe. The universities are strong, the city is extraordinary, the cost of living is manageable, and the IELTS barrier has been removed. The only thing standing between you and a fully funded degree abroad right now is the decision to actually apply.

Most people read articles like this and think “I will look into it later.” Later becomes never. The students who actually end up in Budapest, studying on full scholarships, are the ones who read the same information and did something about it today. Be one of those students.

The scholarship application link for each of these scholarship is below. Hurry and apply now!