The Hungarian Government is offering 100 scholarships to South African students to study at participating public universities in Hungary. All courses available for South African students are taught in English, however some Bachelor’s and Master’s students may be required to pass a course in Hungarian as a foreign language.

Degree level

Bachelor's
Master's
One-Tier Master’s
Doctoral
Short term mobility opportunities or Exchange Programmes ( 1 or 2 semesters) for registered Master or Doctoral

Who can apply for the scholarship?

  • South African citizens in good health;
  • Have a strong academic record;
  • An interest in studying in Hungary and demonstrated commitment to the development of South Africa;
  • Available and eligible to study in Hungary from September 2023;
  • Meet the entry criteria for their selected programmes in Hungary;
  • Meet the minimum academic requirement for entry into a similar programme at a South African university.

Deadline

Applications are the 2023/24 academic is open and will close on 16 January 2023, this includes both full degree programmes and partial/exchange programmes

Fields of Study

Kindly refer to the list with specific fields of study available to South African applicants.
Bachelor’s and Master’s applicants must apply for a course on this list to be considered for the scholarship.

Doctoral applicants can apply for any field of study. The available study programmes and institutions are available in the online application system (https://apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu/). Doctoral applicants must have a letter from their proposed Hungarian supervisor and submit this with their application.

What the scholarship offers

The Hungarian Government offers:
• Tuition fees
• Monthly stipend
• University accommodation or a contribution towards private accommodation
• Medical insurance

The South African Government, subject to the availability of funding, may provide:
• International travel
• Contribution towards monthly stipend
• Settlement allowance
• Pre-departure orientation
• SAQA verification of qualification

Application process

Applicants are required to complete the online application on the Stipendium Hungaricum website by the deadline indicated and fulfil all requirements as stipulated https://apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu/.

In addition to the requirements indicated on the Stipendium Hungaricum website, South African applicants must upload the following documents as part of their online application (applications that do not comply with the below will be ineligible):

Applications for Bachelor's programmes (Both full degree and partial/exchange)

Applications for Master's programmes (Both full degree and partial/exchange)

Applications for PhD programmes (Both full degree and partial/exchange)

1. Copy of South African National Senior Certificate (NSC) with a Bachelor's pass OR a certificate of equivalence (from the Matriculation Board) if a school leaving certificate other than the NSC was obtained.

Marks of pre-requisite subjects for chosen field of study (eg for Engineering applicants, NSC Maths and Physics marks OR for social sciences, NSC English marks) will be reviewed separately

1. Copy of degree certificate(s), which must be a minimum of a Bachelor's degree with Honours, or a full qualification equivalent to South African National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 8.

SAQA verification for any degrees obtained outside South Africa is required.

1. Copy of degree certificates, which must include a Master's degree, or full qualification equivalent to South African National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 9.

SAQA verification for any degrees obtained outside South Africa is required. 

2. Official transcripts of all previous university studies.

2. Transcripts of all previous university studies.

3. A maximum 1 page letter of motivation for the scholarship AND choice of field of study.

3. A maximum 1 page letter of motivation for the scholarship AND choice of field of study.

4. Research proposal (1000 words) including the following headings:

Title
Objectives
Rationale
Methodology
Relevance of study
(plus any other scholarship requirements)
References

4. Research proposal (1000 words) including the following headings:

Title
Objectives
Rationale
Methodology
Relevance of study
(plus any other scholarship requirements)
References

2. A maximum 1 page letter of motivation for the scholarship AND their choice of field of study.

3. Two reference letters, signed and on an official letterhead, with a contact number and email address.

At least one reference must be from a schoolteacher. The second letter can be from either a teacher or a work supervisor.

The letters must attest to the following: reliability, integrity, academic excellence and suitability for an international scholarship.

5. Two reference letters, signed and on an official letterhead, with a contact number and email address.

At least one reference must be from a lecturer or professor. The second letter can be from either a lecturer or a work supervisor.

The letters must attest to the following: reliability, integrity, academic excellence and suitability for an international scholarship.

5. Two reference letters, signed and on an official letterhead, with a contact number and email address.

At least one reference must be from a lecturer or professor. The second letter can be from either a lecturer or work supervisor.

The letters must attest to the following: reliability, integrity, academic excellence and suitability for an international scholarship.

 

 

6. Some doctoral schools request students applying for their doctoral programmes to have a supervisor at the Host Institution, who, in the case of the successful application process, will undertake the supervising of the student’s doctoral education and research activities within the frameworks of the doctoral programme chosen by the applicant. In case it is required by the doctoral programme you are applying for, a statement of acceptance issued by the supervisor must be attached to the application. Please make sure whether the doctoral programme you are applying for requires a statement of acceptance.

All documents uploaded must be clear and in PDF format (no photographs of documents will be accepted).

PHD applicants are required to visit the Hungarian Doctoral Council website before submitting their application. The website provides information about the Hungarian doctoral schools, available research field and research topics as well as the supervisors of the doctoral students. Thesis topic proposals are also available http://www.doktori.hu/index.php?menuid=115&lang=EN

Review process

Stage one: Your documents will be screened by both the Hungarian Government and the DHET, only applicants who meet all the minimum requirements and have uploaded ALL documents required by both the DHET and the Hungarian Government will be considered for the scholarship.

Stage two: Applications will be ranked according to past academic performance and a limited number of applications will move forward to Stage Three.

Stage three: Applicants who pass the second stage will be invited to attend an interview in person, or online in special circumstances. Candidates will also be required to complete a written questionnaire at the time of the interview. No interviews will be done telephonically. Any candidate who does not arrive on time for their confirmed interview without informing the Department in advance, will be immediately disqualified, regardless of the reason. Candidates who cannot be contacted on the phone number provided in the application or who do not respond to emails will be disqualified.

Stage four: A limited number of Master's and PhD applicants will be reviewed by two academics.

Stage five: Bachelor's applicants will be nominated based on their academic results, the outcome of the interview, and reference checks. Master's and PhD applicants will be nominated based on the combined outcome of the interview, reference check and the academic review.

Stage six: Nominated candidates will be informed that they have been nominated for the scholarship. Their documents will then be reviewed by their first choice of the institution that they have identified in their application. They will be contacted directly by the institution for assessments and/or telephone interviews.

Please note that nominations are based on a competitive process due to the limited number of available scholarships. Applicants who are not nominated for the scholarship will be notified by email.

Successful candidates will be required to sign a contract with the Department of Higher Education and Training and to attend the orientation which is scheduled to take place in August 2023 in Pretoria.

Contact

Queries about the nomination process can be submitted to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (South African applicants only).

Queries about specific study programmes should be addressed to the relevant institutions.

For more information about what the scholarship covers, Hungarian institutions and studying in Hungary please visit the website: http://studyinhungary.hu/

Documents and links

Letter confirming English as a medium of instruction in South Africa

Identified programmes of study in priority fields for South African participation in the Stipendium Hungaricum

Guide for the Hungarian online application

List of available courses and institutions

Website to apply for language preparatory course

Information for PhD candidates

PhD proposed research topic

The online application system

Information about studying and living in Hungary

Note

Please note this scholarship is not offered by the Department of Higher Education and Training. Applicants are required to undertake their own research into programmes and institutions and are responsible for ensuring that the qualifications will be recognised in South Africa. If there are any discrepancies in the details provided regarding the scholarship, the information given by the sponsor supersedes the details provided above. No additional financial support will be provided by the Department of Higher Education and Training other than stated above.

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