How to Get Into a University in Hungary as an International Student

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Hungary has two admission systems side by side. Programmes taught in Hungarian go through one national application on felvi.hu, where everyone is ranked by points. Programmes taught in English or German for international students, including the well-known medical schools, are mostly applied for directly at the university.

The first choice: Hungarian or English

• Programmes taught in Hungarian. You apply through E-felvételi, the online system of the Educational Authority (Oktatási Hivatal) on felvi.hu. Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland compete for state-funded places on the same terms as Hungarians. You need fluent Hungarian and the same exam subjects as local applicants.
• Programmes taught in English or German. Each university runs its own application, entrance exam and deadlines. These programmes are paid. Our catalogue lists 224 undergraduate programmes taught in English.

How the national points system works

Applicants to Hungarian-taught programmes are ranked by a score of up to 500 points:

• up to 400 points from school grades and the results of the school-leaving exam (érettségi), or from a practical exam in some arts and sports programmes;
• up to 100 institutional points, which each university awards on its own published list, for example for an advanced-level exam, language skills or competitions.

Many programmes require at least one subject at advanced level. Without it, your score for that programme is zero.

After the deadline, the Educational Authority publishes a cutoff (ponthatár) for every programme, separately for state-funded and self-financed places. In the latest round in our data, state-funded places in Medicine taught in Hungarian needed between 393 and 423 points. You will find the cutoffs for each programme from 2024 to 2026 in our entry scores for Hungary.

Foreign school certificates

Certificates covered by an international agreement or by Hungarian law count as equal to the Hungarian one. Other certificates need recognition for further study, which the university decides, sometimes with an opinion from the Educational Authority.

The Educational Authority converts foreign grades and exam results into Hungarian points. Two details matter:

• Foreign results are generally counted as medium-level exams. An advanced exam abroad is not automatically accepted as a Hungarian advanced exam.
• If a required subject or level is missing from your certificate, you have to sit that exam in Hungary.

Ask early whether you will need sworn translations or an apostille.

Step by step for Hungarian-taught programmes

1. Check that your certificate is recognised and which subjects your programmes count.
2. Register in E-felvételi. You log in through Hungary's central e-government ID (Ügyfélkapu+ or DÁP); if you do not have one, ask the felvi.hu helpdesk early.
3. List up to six programmes in order of preference. Three are free; each extra one costs a small fee.
4. Submit and confirm the application by 15 February, the date set by government decree for the September intake.
5. Upload documents you receive after the deadline, such as final exam results, during the spring and early summer.
6. Wait for the cutoffs and results in late July, then enrol at the university that admitted you.

English-taught programmes and medicine

Semmelweis, Debrecen, Szeged and Pécs teach Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy in English, and some also in German. You apply on the university's own portal. Selection for the English programmes is an entrance exam in biology and chemistry (sometimes physics instead) plus English: usually a written test and an interview, online or through local representatives abroad. The German-taught programmes often select on documents alone, without an exam. Deadlines are set by each university and mostly fall in spring and early summer. Other English-taught bachelor's programmes are also applied for at the university and ask for proof of English, such as IELTS or TOEFL.

If you are not an EU citizen

• You can study in Hungarian, but only on a self-financed place, unless you hold a scholarship.
• Stipendium Hungaricum, the government scholarship run by Tempus Public Foundation, covers tuition for students from partner countries. You are nominated by your home country's partner body, and the deadline has been in mid-January.
• After admission you need a residence permit for study. If you need a visa to enter Hungary, you apply at a Hungarian consulate before you travel. You need your admission letter, proof of paid tuition, health insurance, accommodation and enough money to live on. See our student visa overview.

Where to look next

• How much it costs to study in Hungary
• All 1,381 programmes in Hungary by city and field

Official sources

• Felvi.hu: national admissions portal of the Educational Authority
• Felvi.hu: foreign qualifications: recognition and points for foreign certificates
• Study in Hungary: official portal for international students
• Stipendium Hungaricum: government scholarship programme
• National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing: residence permit for study

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.