Study Medicine in English in Hungary: Semmelweis, Debrecen, Szeged and Pécs

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Hungary has four universities with a medical school: Semmelweis University in Budapest and the universities of Debrecen, Szeged and Pécs. All four teach Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy in English to international students, and some also in German. You apply to the university directly, outside the national felvi.hu system, and sit its own entrance exam. Our catalogue lists 4 English-taught medicine programmes and 4 English-taught dentistry programmes in Hungary.

What you can study

All three are one-tier (undivided) master's programmes: you enter straight from secondary school. Medicine ends with an internship year in the major clinical disciplines and with state exams.

Semmelweis and Pécs also run Medicine and Dentistry in German, and Semmelweis runs Pharmacy in German. These programmes select on documents only, without an entrance exam, and Semmelweis asks applicants without German, Austrian or Swiss citizenship or school-leaving certificate to prove their German, for example at C1 level.

How selection works

There is no national exam and no points threshold for these programmes. Each university tests you itself, mostly online, on dates spread over the spring. You can usually apply in your final school year and submit the leaving certificate later.

• Semmelweis. An online written test at home in Medical Biology, Medical Chemistry, General English and Biomedical English, 20 questions each. It is followed by an interview with an oral exam in the same subjects, in person or on Zoom. Exams run once or twice a week from early March to the end of June.
• Debrecen. A written test in Biology (compulsory) and Chemistry or Physics (your choice), 45 minutes each, then an oral exam. Your English is assessed at the exam. Exams are arranged through the university's local representatives abroad. The result is admission to the first year, admission to the Basic Medicine Course (see below) or rejection.
• Szeged. Online every second week from the end of February to the end of June: 20 multiple-choice questions each in Biology, Chemistry and English, then a 20-minute Zoom interview with a professor, with two questions in Biology and two in Chemistry. You may take Physics instead of Chemistry, except for Stipendium Hungaricum applicants. Applicants who failed Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or English in their final school year cannot apply.
• Pécs. A 100-minute online multiple-choice test (Biology 20, Chemistry 20, General English 40 and Medical English 20 questions) and a 20 to 30-minute interview with a professor on Zoom or MS Teams. Exams run from the beginning of March to mid-July. Pharmacy applicants have an interview only.

Deadlines for September 2027

Applying early gives you more exam dates, and Szeged and Pécs allow a second attempt. Debrecen also has a January intake, with a deadline of 1 November 2026 for January/February 2027.

What it costs

Fees are the same for EU and non-EU students, and each university sets its own, in euros or US dollars. In our catalogue, English-taught Medicine in Hungary costs from €14,752 to €18,407 a year, typically €15,800. Dentistry runs from €15,200 to €18,407, typically €16,000. Dollar fees are converted to euros.

What each university publishes:

Pharmacy costs roughly half as much: for example USD 8,000 a year at Debrecen in 2026/27 and €8,400 a year at Pécs in 2027/28.

A few details change the real total:

• Semmelweis takes a USD 2,000 deposit that counts towards the first semester and is not refunded if you give up the place. Dentistry students also pay a material fee each semester from year 2, higher in years 3 to 5; the university's fee tables give different amounts for different intakes, so ask for the figure that applies to your year.
• Szeged and Debrecen include health insurance in tuition. Szeged charges summer clinical placements in Szeged separately, from €500 to €1,000 each.
• At Szeged, applicants from countries with visa restrictions must pay the whole first year (both semesters) before the visa documents are issued.

For living costs, see how much it costs to study in Hungary.

Foundation and preparatory years

If your sciences are not strong enough yet, two schools offer a preparatory year. It is not part of the degree.

• Debrecen: Basic Medicine Course. Two semesters from September (USD 7,500 in 2026/27), or one semester from January. You may be placed on it after the entrance exam, and completing it is an accepted route into Medicine.
• Szeged: Foundation Year. About eight months of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and English, €3,400 a semester for 2027/28. You need proof of English but no entrance exam. If you study hard, the school says you have a high chance of being admitted automatically to your first-choice health science programme.

You will also learn Hungarian

At Semmelweis, Medical Hungarian I to IV is a compulsory course in the first four semesters of Medicine. Debrecen has Hungarian Language in the curriculum and says students must learn basic Hungarian to talk to patients from the third year. Szeged's summer practices include Hungarian communication practice.

Stipendium Hungaricum for medicine

The government scholarship, run by Tempus Public Foundation, covers tuition at these schools and pays a monthly stipend. You apply through Tempus and must also be nominated by your home country. The deadline for 2026/27 was 15 January 2026, with entrance exams for scholarship applicants from March to May. Universities set separate exam dates for them.

The call for applications warns that medicine is one of its most competitive fields. Most universities fill their medical places with applicants who chose the programme first, so do not list medicine as your second choice. The number of applicants from one country may be capped, and nobody with an exam result below 56 out of 100 receives a scholarship. Scholarship holders must also take a free Hungarian language and culture course.

Recognition of the degree

Medical degrees from Hungary are covered by automatic recognition across the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. Semmelweis states that the Hungarian Accreditation Committee holds recognition from the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) until 31 March 2032, which matters for graduates who want to train in the United States. If you plan to practise outside Europe, check your own country's licensing rules before you enrol.

Visa and housing

Non-EU students need a residence permit for study, applied for after admission with proof of paid tuition. See our student visa guide for Hungary. For dormitories and private flats in Budapest, Debrecen, Szeged and Pécs, see student housing in Hungary.

Where to look next

• All medicine programmes in Hungary and dentistry programmes
• Study medicine in English in Europe: how Hungary compares with other countries
• How to get into a university in Hungary, including Hungarian-taught medicine for EU citizens
• Study medicine in Europe and study dentistry in Europe

Official sources

• Semmelweis University: General Medicine admission
• University of Debrecen: tuition, application and entrance fees
• University of Szeged: entrance examination
• University of Pécs Medical School: tuition fees and costs
• Stipendium Hungaricum: how to apply

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