Education in Hungary

Important facts about education in Hungary:

• cost - roughly in line with the European average, ranging from USD 4,500 to USD 7,800;
• requirements - after completing grade 11, you can apply for a bachelor's program, and the applicant must be 18 years old; if the applicant is a minor, the enrollment agreement must be signed in person by the parents, or with a notarized power of attorney signed by them;
• legalization - notarized diplomas and certificates from Russia can be submitted; apostilling these documents is not required;
• language - Hungarian universities offer the option to study in Hungarian and English, and many applicants choose English-language programs specifically because Hungarian is difficult to learn;
• scholarships - the country runs the national Stipendium Hungaricum program, which covers tuition, health insurance and accommodation, plus a monthly stipend, though becoming a participant is not easy due to high competition. Hungary also hosts branches of educational institutions from the UK and the US, where students can qualify for grants and discounts.

Education in Hungary: pros and cons

Pros:

• relatively low cost of living - in Hungary, prices for groceries and utilities, as well as the cost of accommodation and tuition, are noticeably lower than in many Western European countries; the subsistence minimum is 4 times lower than in neighboring Austria;
• the possibility of receiving grants and financial support for students - the country runs national programs, such as Stipendium Hungaricum, as well as international programs that help ease the financial burden on students by fully or partly covering tuition, accommodation and health insurance;
• the possibility of studying and communicating in English - Hungarian is quite difficult to learn, so to attract students from other countries, Hungarian universities offer courses in English and sometimes also German and French. In turn, Hungarian students are eager to learn English as an international language of communication, which makes it easy to communicate with them and build friendly relationships;
• pleasant relaxation and easy travel - Hungary has plenty to offer tourists, including UNESCO World Heritage sites, and thanks to its convenient location practically in the center of Europe and well-developed transport, you can quickly reach many countries from here, such as Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany.

Cons:

• low ranking of local universities - in the QS 2020 rankings, one of the world's leading university rankings, Hungarian universities do not place higher than 500th;
• traditional approach to education - most institutes and universities focus mainly on practice rather than theory, so employers are often unhappy that graduates lack the skills needed for effective work;
• difficulty finding employment in Hungary - Hungarian companies prefer to hire local residents, and you may find you need to put in considerable effort to convince a recruiter to hire you rather than someone else for the position you're interested in.

Hungarian universities: how to enroll, main requirements

To enroll at a Hungarian institute or university, a foreign national needs to have completed 11 years of school. The applicant must also be 18 years old.

For enrollment, you need to choose the language of instruction. Foreigners rarely choose Hungarian; the alternatives are English, and less often German and French.

Documents that need to be provided:

• a school certificate, or for master's programs, a diploma with a supplement confirming completion of school;
• a certificate confirming language proficiency level - depends on the university you're applying to;
• letters of recommendation from school or university teachers;
• a motivation letter - it should explain why you want to enroll at this particular university, state your life goals, and describe how the studies will help achieve them;
• an academic CV - describing your achievements in your chosen field;
• an application form;
• a copy of your passport.

Documents need to be translated into Hungarian or English. After that, they are certified by a notary.

If the documents are accepted, the applicant has to go through entrance exams. Hungarian education does not have a unified exam system, and each university develops its own program of exams and tests, depending on the direction of the program. Exams are taken either at the university or online.

You can apply to Hungarian universities twice a year, in September and January. If you want to start studying in the fall, documents need to be submitted in January. Planning to start in January? Applications and other documents need to be submitted in December.

Foreign students applying to Hungarian universities pay an admission fee and pay for the exams.

Legalization and diploma recognition in Hungary

As a reminder, apostilling Russian educational documents is not required in Hungary. The university where you plan to study has the right to recognize a certificate or diploma. But this recognition alone is not enough for your Russian diploma to grant the right to work in Hungary in your field. You need to apply to MEIK, Magyar Ekvivalencia és Információs Központ - the Hungarian Equivalence and Information Center. This organization is responsible for recognizing professional qualifications and localizing academic degrees.

The recognition procedure is paid. Recognizing a qualification costs USD 132, recognizing a qualification level costs USD 44, for a total of USD 176.

Specialists trained in medicine and pharmaceutics need to apply to a different body - the State Center for Healthcare.

Main education levels

Education in Hungary consists of several levels. As a rule, public and private educational institutions offer foreigners the chance to take preparatory courses. During this time, students improve their foreign-language skills and, in parallel, get acquainted with the basic knowledge they will need in the future.

Preparatory courses last 1-2 semesters. They can be divided into three groups:

• English-only - for those whose knowledge level allows them to start studying right away, but who have some language difficulties (usually English below B2 level);
• knowledge-only - English proficiency at B2 level or higher, but the student is not very well versed in specialized subjects;
• combined courses - both the foreign language and specialized subjects need work.

Hungary has so-called Felsöoktatási szakképzés, FSZ - advanced vocational programs. This is not higher education, but the level of knowledge and skills they provide is higher than in technical schools. A credit system is used, meaning it's possible in the future to transfer from FSZ to higher education in the same field, shortening the university study period by 1-2 years. Classes are held at colleges and universities, or at secondary vocational schools under the supervision of a partner university.

FSZ diplomas are not highly valued in the labor market. Many employers are not aware of this system and view documents obtained by its graduates with suspicion.

Higher education is divided into three levels.

Bachelor's (Undergraduate), master's (Graduate/Postgraduate), and doctorate (Postgraduate).

Bachelor's is the basic level. Most programs are designed for 3 years of study, but there are also 3.5-year and 4-year programs. The state sets general requirements for the study process, for example determining which subjects must be included in the program and how many hours are allocated to them. But everything else is determined by the university. There are no standardized approaches - teachers can independently choose their teaching methodology and recommend textbooks and other materials. As a rule, bachelor's programs include mandatory internships.

Master's is the next level of qualification. When applying to a master's program, applicants are assessed on a 100-point scale. A bachelor's diploma, work experience, and knowledge of foreign languages are taken into account. Each university decides for itself which entrance exams to hold. The program is designed for 1-2 years, and students are required to write coursework and defend a thesis.

A doctorate allows for obtaining a PhD degree. Doctoral studies assume the person wants to pursue academic research. Therefore, when applying, you need to provide a research project plan and convince the committee that you have the professional or academic experience needed to carry out such research. Doctoral students study according to an individual schedule and teach future bachelor's and master's students. Each doctoral student is assigned a research supervisor who tracks their progress.

After successfully completing a doctorate, an academic career is possible. Universities often post academic vacancies on their websites. An open competition is held, after which a contract is signed with the winner. A university lecturer is usually required to spend at least 25% of their paid time on research work.

The possibility of staying and immigrating to Hungary

Hungarian law allows for obtaining a residence permit for the purpose of job searching. This kind of residence permit is valid for 9 months and is not renewable. An application for a job-search residence permit must be submitted 15 days before the study residence permit expires. The application must be accompanied by:

• a photo taken no more than 90 days before submitting the application;
• documents confirming your financial situation;
• a certificate of registration with the state employment agency, or a statement from a commercial organization confirming that you will be hired within 3 months;
• health insurance.

You also need to pay a fee of USD 31 and provide your address in Hungary.

Many universities have career offices. The simplest way to find work is to approach such an office. Their staff have up-to-date information on what's currently happening in the labor market in Hungary and neighboring countries. Universities also often hold job fairs.

Another way to find work in Hungary is through dual programs - agreements signed between universities and employer companies. A student has the opportunity to study while working in their field at the same time. After finishing their studies, they can continue working at the same company. In Hungary, such programs operate in the fields of business, engineering, IT and agriculture.

A serious problem is that Hungarian firms can only be joined with knowledge of the Hungarian language. But there are also plenty of branches of foreign and international companies in the country that offer jobs to those fluent in English.

Employment prospects

Between March and May 2023, the unemployment rate in Hungary was 3.9%. Unemployment is slightly higher among men than among women. This is not a very high figure, but the Hungarian labor market has one feature that is unpleasant for foreign nationals. Under local labor law, companies may only hire foreigners if no Hungarian citizen is suitable for the open position.

Another problem is that hiring foreigners requires more paperwork. That's why Hungarian employers prefer to hire Hungarian citizens.

At the same time, education in Hungary follows the Bologna system. Because of this, diplomas from Hungarian universities are recognized in EU and CIS countries, the UK, Canada, the US, Australia, and New Zealand. The only exception is Greece. There is also an agreement on the mutual recognition of education, qualifications, and academic degrees signed between Hungary and Russia. So with a Hungarian diploma, you can look for work in many countries.

If you'd prefer to work specifically in Hungary, you need at least a general understanding of the local economy. Hungary has developed agriculture, produces food and makes wine. Heavy industry is one of the important sectors - mining, metallurgy, and steel production. The country manufactures machinery, and its medicine and pharmaceutics sectors are also well developed.