Written by Christian Chinonso
Founder, LearnViaHub | Academic Credential & International Student Research
✓ Last Verified: October 2026Primary Sources Sourced
Quick answer
The Stipendium Hungaricum is the Hungarian government’s scholarship for international students, launched in 2013 and coordinated by the Tempus Public Foundation. It pays HUF 43,700 a month for bachelor’s and master’s students (HUF 140,000 then 180,000 for doctoral students), a dormitory place or HUF 40,000 a month towards accommodation, and supplementary health insurance up to HUF 65,000 a year (Kodolányi/KRE; Semmelweis).
You apply on the Tempus platform, and an application is considered only if your country’s sending partner nominates you (Hungarian MFA). Last cycle closed on 15 January 2026 at 14:00 CET. The next call is due to open in mid-November 2026, with dates not yet published (Hungarian embassy in Vientiane).
For other awards, see our fully funded scholarships guide, our Erasmus Mundus guide and our list of fully funded scholarships.
What the Stipendium Hungaricum pays
| Item | Amount for the 2026/27 call | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | Exemption from tuition fees for scholarship holders | University of Szeged, Tomori Pál College |
| Monthly stipend: non-degree, bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier master’s | HUF 43,700, for 12 months a year until the studies end | KRE |
| Monthly stipend: doctoral | HUF 140,000 for the first 4 semesters, then HUF 180,000 for the next 4 | Semmelweis |
| Accommodation | A free dormitory place, or HUF 40,000 a month towards accommodation costs | KRE |
| Health | Care under Hungarian law plus supplementary insurance up to HUF 65,000 a year | KRE |
Tempus describes the scholarship as a financial contribution to tuition and living costs (Semmelweis). If you do not live in a dormitory, the HUF 40,000 is a contribution to rent, and in bigger cities, especially the capital, it does not cover the full cost (KRE). Plan for living costs beyond the stipend.
How applying works
- Apply on the Tempus platform. Applications submitted directly to a university are not considered for the scholarship (Tomori Pál College). You can apply for up to two study programmes (Hungarian embassy in Amman).
- Be nominated by your sending partner. Applications are considered only if the applicant is nominated, and no other applications are considered (Hungarian MFA).
- Sit the host institution’s entrance exam. Because you can choose two programmes, exams run in two rounds, and the date and method vary by institution (Amman).
- Wait for Tempus’s decision. It allocates the places in June and informs applicants between June and the middle of July (Amman).
Some sending partners add their own steps and earlier deadlines. For the 2026/27 call, Panama’s Technological University set 2 January 2026 for applications needing its endorsement, against 15 January 2026 for the others (UTP Panama). Ask your sending partner early.
Timeline: last cycle and the next
| Step | 2026/27 cycle (what happened) |
|---|---|
| Application period | Mid-November 2025 to 15 January 2026, 14:00 CET |
| Nomination by sending partners | February 2026 |
| Entrance exams at host institutions | By the end of May 2026 at the latest |
| Final results | June to mid-July 2026 |
The 2027/28 call is due to open in mid-November 2026 (Hungarian embassy in Vientiane). We found no published deadline yet, so we give none. Last cycle’s deadline was 15 January 2026 at 14:00 CET (KRE). Check stipendiumhungaricum.hu when the call appears.
Applications and acceptance rate
Tempus publishes the number of applications each year, but we found an award count only for 2024.
| Cycle | Applications | Scholarships | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | More than 66,000 | Nearly 4,500 | About 6.8% |
| 2025/26 | 80,000, up 20% on the year before | Not found | Not available |
| 2026/27 | 113,806 | Not found | Not available |
Sources: Hungarian MFA embassy page (2024), Tempus news, February 2025 and Tempus news, January 2026. The 6.8% is our arithmetic (4,500 ÷ 66,000), and the true figure is slightly above it because the awards were “nearly” 4,500 and the applications “more than” 66,000. We give no 2025/26 or 2026/27 rate because no award count was found.
Rates differ by country
Hungary’s ambassador to Morocco said Morocco gets 165 scholarships a year, with 1,806 Moroccan applications in 2024 and more than 5,500 for 2025/26 (Yabiladi). That is about 9.1% for 2024 (165 ÷ 1,806) and at most 3.0% for 2025/26 (165 ÷ 5,500). Other countries have different quotas and application numbers, and Szeged notes that medicine is one of the most competitive fields (University of Szeged Medical School).
Practical points
- Read the Call for Applications for your level and country before preparing documents. It lists the eligible countries and the exact criteria.
- Contact your sending partner before the portal opens, because its rules and deadlines can differ from the Tempus deadline.
- Choose two programmes you qualify for, since each one has its own entrance exam at its host institution.
- Check the host institution’s own admission requirements, including language tests and exam dates.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Stipendium Hungaricum stipend?
HUF 43,700 a month for non-degree, bachelor’s and master’s students, and HUF 140,000 then HUF 180,000 for doctoral students, in the 2026/27 call (Semmelweis).
When does the 2027/28 Stipendium Hungaricum open?
The Hungarian embassy in Vientiane says it will open in mid-November 2026. We found no published dates yet (Vientiane).
What was the last deadline?
15 January 2026 at 14:00 CET for the 2026/27 academic year (KRE).
Can I apply directly to a Hungarian university?
Not for the scholarship. Applications submitted directly to the university are not considered for it (Tomori Pál College), and Tempus considers only nominated applicants (Hungarian MFA).
What is the acceptance rate?
About 6.8% in 2024 (nearly 4,500 scholarships for more than 66,000 applications). Tempus reported 113,806 applications for 2026/27 but we found no award count (Tempus).
How many programmes can I apply for?
Up to two (Amman).
Is tuition covered?
Scholarship holders are exempt from tuition fees, according to university pages. Tempus describes the scholarship as a contribution to tuition and living costs.
How we researched this
Last checked: 19 October 2026. We read Tempus’s news releases on application numbers (stipendiumhungaricum.hu), pages from Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade embassies, and the 2026/27 scholarship pages of six Hungarian universities and one Panamanian university. For Morocco we used a news report quoting Hungary’s ambassador. The rates are our own arithmetic.
This page is general information. LearnViaHub is not affiliated with the Tempus Public Foundation or the Hungarian government. Amounts, dates and rules change each cycle, so confirm them on stipendiumhungaricum.hu and with your sending partner before applying.
Christian Chinonso is the founder of LearnViaHub, with 6+ years of research experience in international education — including GPA systems, scholarships, student financing, and study-abroad guidance — for students worldwide.