For applicants from Russia and the CIS, Hungary offers eight main options with English-taught programmes: ELTE and Semmelweis in Budapest, the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Corvinus, the universities of Debrecen, Szeged and Pécs, and the private Budapest Metropolitan University (METU). Choose by field rather than by ranking position: medicine is strongest at Semmelweis, Debrecen, Pécs and Szeged, engineering at BME, economics and business at Corvinus, and science, computer science and psychology at ELTE. English-taught bachelor's degrees at public universities cost roughly $4,500–8,000 a year, medicine $16,750–21,234. Hungary's best result in the QS World University Rankings 2027 is ELTE at 595th.
| University | City | Strong fields | English-taught fee, example | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELTE | Budapest | science, computer science, psychology, international relations, languages | Computer Science BSc $3,637 (€3,200) per semester | first in Hungary in QS 2027 (595th) |
| Semmelweis | Budapest | medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, health sciences | medicine $10,617 (€9,340) per semester, 2027 intake | almost 16,000 students, a third international |
| BME | Budapest | engineering, computer science, architecture, natural sciences | most bachelor's programmes $3,637 (€3,200) per semester in 2026/27 | founded 1782, 8 faculties |
| Corvinus | Budapest | economics, business, international relations, data | bachelor's $7,957 (€7,000) a year; international relations $7,500 (€6,600) | fees fixed for the whole programme; AACSB and AMBA accredited |
| University of Debrecen | Debrecen | medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, engineering, agriculture | medicine $16,900 a year paid upfront (2026/27) | 7,800+ international students from 140+ countries |
| University of Szeged | Szeged | medicine, pharmacy, natural sciences | medicine $17,960 (€15,800) a year, insurance included | Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó is a professor here |
| University of Pécs | Pécs | medicine, dentistry, pharmacy | medicine $16,750 a year for 2027/28 starters | 3,500 international students at the medical school |
| METU (private) | Budapest | business, tourism, communication, design, media | business programmes $3,978 (€3,500) per semester for non-EU students | applied focus, preparatory programmes |
How to choose a university in Hungary
By field. This is the main filter. No Hungarian university is strong in everything: ELTE has no medicine, Semmelweis no engineering, Corvinus no natural sciences. List English-taught programmes in your field first, then compare universities.
By budget. Fees for the same level can differ twofold. A language and literature bachelor's at ELTE starts at $4,547 (€4,000) a year, business at Corvinus $7,957 (€7,000), medicine at Semmelweis $21,234 (€18,680). Living costs come on top and depend heavily on the city.
By city. Budapest offers more jobs, internships and an international crowd, but housing costs more. Debrecen, Szeged and Pécs are university towns where faculties are easier to reach and a room in a shared flat costs about 40% less.
By scholarship. If you are counting on Stipendium Hungaricum, choose from participating programmes: about 900 at 30 institutions in the 2026/27 cycle. You can pick only two, so prepare a fee-paying backup in parallel.
By admission format. Medical schools run their own biology and chemistry exams; BME and ELTE use written tests and interviews for some programmes; Corvinus and METU rely more on documents, motivation letters and interviews. If you need everything online, check the programme page.
Profiles of the main universities
ELTE (Eötvös Loránd University)
Hungary's largest comprehensive university: about 40,000 students, 5,300 of them international, nine faculties and over 100 programmes for international students. It traces its history to 1635, and six Nobel laureates are among its alumni. English-taught options include computer science, international relations, psychology, economics, chemistry, languages and education; master's programmes include artificial intelligence, data science, mathematics, physics, biology and dozens in the humanities. Bachelor's tuition is $2,260–5,340 (€1,990–4,700) a semester. More in our ELTE profile.
Semmelweis University
Hungary's main medical university, founded in 1769, with six faculties: Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences, Health and Public Administration, and the András Pető Faculty. THE 2026 places it at 251–300 overall and 176–200 for medicine and health; ShanghaiRanking's 2026 subject tables put it 44th in pharmacy. The medical entrance exam is taken online and IELTS is not required. More in our Semmelweis profile.
BME (Budapest University of Technology and Economics)
A technical university founded in 1782, with eight faculties. For non-EU students in 2026/27 most bachelor's programmes (computer science engineering, electrical, civil and chemical engineering, mathematics, physics) cost $3,637 (€3,200) a semester, mechanical engineering $3,978 (€3,500) and five-year architecture $3,637 (€3,200). Master's programmes cost $2,500–4,550 (€2,200–4,000) a semester: the lower end is for economics programmes (finance, management, regional economics), engineering master's cost $3,640–4,550 (€3,200–4,000), and a Pre-Engineering preparatory programme costs $3,640–4,320 (€3,200–3,800) a semester. The application fee is $170 (€150).
Corvinus University of Budapest
A specialist university for economics, business and social sciences with more than a century of history; its institutional accreditations include AACSB and AMBA. For non-EEA students bachelor's programmes cost $7,957 (€7,000) a year (international relations and PPE $7,500, or €6,600) and the preparatory programme $6,820 (€6,000). Fees stay the same for the whole programme. After admission you prepay the first semester or year, of which $570 (€500) is a non-refundable registration fee. The application fee is $115 (€100).
University of Debrecen
A large comprehensive university in eastern Hungary with more than 34,000 students, over 7,800 of them international from more than 140 countries, and 13 faculties. It teaches 36 bachelor's, 42 master's, three one-tier medical and 10 preparatory programmes in English, and has run English programmes since 1987. Medicine costs $16,900 a year paid upfront in 2026/27. The university estimates living costs in Debrecen at about $800 a month.
University of Szeged
A comprehensive university in southern Hungary with a strong medical school, the Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School. Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó is a professor at the university. More than 1,500 international students started there in autumn 2026. Medicine costs $17,960 (€15,800) a year for 2026/27 starters, including health insurance, and there is a Foundation Year.
University of Pécs
A university in southern Hungary whose medical school has 3,500 international students from 67 countries. For students starting in 2027/28, medicine costs $16,750 a year, dentistry $17,350 and pharmacy $9,550 (€8,400). Applications for 2026/27 ran from 1 November 2025 to 30 June 2026, and the exam can be taken in Pécs or abroad through the university's representatives.
Budapest Metropolitan University (METU)
A private university of applied sciences in Budapest for business, tourism, communication, design, animation, film and media. Non-EU students pay $3,978 (€3,500) a semester for business bachelor's programmes, $4,320 (€3,800) for human resource management and $3,400–3,640 (€2,990–3,200) a semester for preparatory programmes. More in our Budapest Metropolitan University profile.
This overview does not cover the private Central European University (CEU), which Russia has designated an undesirable organisation.
What rankings do and do not tell you
- QS World University Rankings 2027: ELTE 595th, first in Hungary.
- ARWU 2026 (Shanghai Ranking): ELTE in the 501–600 band, sharing first place in Hungary.
- THE World University Rankings 2026: Semmelweis at 251–300; 176–200 for medicine and health.
- ShanghaiRanking 2026 subject tables: Semmelweis 44th in pharmacy and 187th in dentistry.
No Hungarian university is in the QS top 500, so overall rankings say little about a specific programme. For a specialist medical university like Semmelweis the subject table matters more; for engineers, BME's standing with employers. Look at subject rankings for your field, accreditations (AACSB and AMBA for Corvinus business programmes) and where graduates work.
Tuition compared
| Programme | Per year, US dollars | In euros |
|---|---|---|
| ELTE, English and American Studies BA | $5,229 | €4,600 |
| ELTE, Computer Science BSc | $7,275 | €6,400 |
| BME, most bachelor's programmes | $7,275 | €6,400 |
| Corvinus, bachelor's | $7,957 | €7,000 |
| METU, business programmes | $7,957 | €7,000 |
| Szeged, medicine | $17,960 | €15,800 |
| Pécs, medicine | $16,750 | — |
| Debrecen, medicine (paid upfront) | $16,900 | — |
| Semmelweis, medicine (2027 intake) | $21,234 | €18,680 |
Application fees (usually $115–225, or €100–200, for bachelor's programmes and $150–400 for medicine) and living costs come on top. Full budgets are in our guide to the cost of studying in Hungary.
Budapest or another city?
Average monthly housing costs from Study in Hungary's calculator:
| City | Dormitory (average) | Room in a shared flat | Private flat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budapest | $112 (HUF 36,000) | $435 (HUF 140,000) | $698 (HUF 225,000) |
| Debrecen | $56 (HUF 18,000) | $248 (HUF 80,000) | $512 (HUF 165,000) |
| Pécs | $99 (HUF 32,000) | $248 (HUF 80,000) | $543 (HUF 175,000) |
| Szeged | $40 (HUF 13,000) | $248 (HUF 80,000) | $419 (HUF 135,000) |
Dormitory prices vary by university: an ELTE place costs $155–217 (HUF 50,000–70,000) in 2026/27, and places for international students are limited. Budapest faculties are spread across the city, so factor in the commute. Regional towns are more compact but offer fewer jobs for English speakers.
How admission works
There is no national application system for international students: you apply to each university through its own portal (ELTE and Pécs use DreamApply, Semmelweis uses SEMAPHOR). A Russian school-leaving certificate gives direct access to bachelor's programmes and medicine without a foundation year, provided your English and grades meet the programme's requirements. You usually need translated certificates and transcripts, a language certificate (often B2, IELTS 5.5–6.5), a motivation letter, an interview or exam and an application fee. Deadlines vary: for September 2027, ELTE's Computer Science BSc closes on 30 April, Semmelweis medicine on 31 May and Debrecen medicine on 15 May. Step by step: applying to Hungarian universities; visas: Hungary student visa.
Recognition of Hungarian degrees
Hungary is part of the Bologna Process, and degrees follow the European framework of levels and ECTS credits. Russia and Hungary signed an intergovernmental agreement on the mutual recognition of education, qualifications and academic degrees on 22 November 2018. For regulated professions, above all medicine, recognition does not replace a licence to practise, which you obtain under the rules of the country where you want to work.
Common mistakes
- Choosing by overall ranking. A hundred places in QS say almost nothing about your programme.
- Not checking the language of instruction. The same field may run in Hungarian and in English, with different fees and requirements.
- Reading a semester fee as annual. Most universities quote per semester; double it.
- Applying in the last period. ELTE faculties may close an application period once places fill, and Debrecen stopped taking medicine and dentistry applications for September 2026 early because of the volume received.
- Forgetting housing. Dormitory places for international students are scarce, and Budapest rent takes a large share of the budget.
- Relying only on the scholarship. Stipendium Hungaricum results come at the end of June, when many fee-paying intakes are already closed.
FAQ
There is no single answer. ELTE leads in QS 2027 and ARWU 2026, Semmelweis in THE 2026. For medicine the strongest are Semmelweis, Debrecen, Szeged and Pécs; for engineering, BME; for business, Corvinus.
Only through the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship, which includes Russia, Kazakhstan and most CIS countries. There are no state-funded places that international students can win on grades alone.
At public universities, English-taught bachelor's programmes typically run about $4,500–8,000 per year, and medicine $16,750–21,234. Living in Budapest costs more than in Debrecen, Szeged or Pécs, mainly because of rent.
Yes. A Russian school-leaving certificate gives direct access to bachelor's programmes and medicine. If your English or subject preparation falls short, universities offer preparatory programmes: ELTE's Foundation Course, BME's Pre-Engineering, Debrecen's Basic Medicine Course, Szeged's Foundation Year.
Semmelweis and the universities of Debrecen, Pécs and Szeged. All teach six-year medicine in English with their own entrance exams and similar fees. Compare them in studying medicine in Hungary.
Russia and Hungary have an agreement on mutual recognition of education and qualifications dated 22 November 2018. Regulated professions such as medicine also require Russia's own licensing procedure.
Sources
- ELTE: rankings, elte.hu/en/ranking-news; prospective students, elte.hu/en/prospective-students; programme catalogue, apply.elte.hu/courses; dormitories, elte.hu/en/dormitory-centre
- Semmelweis University: facts and rankings, semmelweis.hu/admission/about/facts-figures/; medicine, semmelweis.hu/admission/programs/medicine/
- BME: 2026/27 fees, xplore.bme.hu/tuition-fees/; admission, bme.hu/en/application_and_admission; history, bme.hu/en/history
- Corvinus University of Budapest: fees, uni-corvinus.hu/post/landing-page/application/fees-and-costs/; about, uni-corvinus.hu/post/landing-page/about-corvinus-university-of-budapest/
- University of Debrecen: facts, edu.unideb.hu/p/facts-and-figures; fees, edu.unideb.hu/p/tuition-fees; cost of living, edu.unideb.hu/p/cost-of-living
- University of Szeged: u-szeged.hu/english; medical school fees, med.u-szeged.hu/english/fees-and-discounts/tuition-fees
- University of Pécs Medical School: admissions.medschool.pte.hu/tuition-fees-and-costs
- Budapest Metropolitan University: metropolitan.hu/en/tuition-fees
- Stipendium Hungaricum, Call for Applications 2026/27: stipendiumhungaricum.hu/apply/
- Study in Hungary, cost of living calculator: studyinhungary.hu/living-in-hungary/menu/your-costs-of-living.html
- Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, recognition agreements: minobrnauki.gov.ru/action/foreign_scientists/contracts/
Dollar amounts use the ECB reference rate of 24 September 2026: €1 = $1.1367 = HUF 366.15. Information checked on 28 September 2026. General information is on our study in Hungary page.
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