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ELTE

Eötvös Loránd University

2026–27 informationApplications: apply.elte.hu
Apply on apply.elte.hu

Programs​

21

ELTE was founded in 1635 by Cardinal Péter Pázmány in Nagyszombat (now Trnava, Slovakia) as a Catholic university teaching Theology and Philosophy; it moved to Buda and then Pest in the 1770s-80s and took its present name in 1950. It is Hungary's largest and oldest continuously operating university, based in Budapest, with about 33,000 students a year and about 1,800 academic staff, and counts 4 Nobel-laureate alumni or former faculty. Its programs sit under 9 faculties: Economics, Education and Psychology, Humanities, Informatics, Law, Primary and Pre-School Education, Science, Social Sciences, and the Bárczi Gusztáv Faculty of Special Needs Education. ELTE runs on the ECTS credit system, so its credits transfer directly across the EU.

ELTE lists 21 Bachelor's programs open to international applicants through its English-language admissions process (confirmed live via ELTE's own program directory; see the majors table below). Most of these are also taught in English; 6 are taught in the target language itself instead — German, Netherlandistic (Dutch), Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and French Studies — with English required only at a modest, recommended level for administration (ELTE's own wording: applicants should "speak a minimum of A2 level of English, even if it is not the language of tuition of their chosen programme"). The majors table's language column gives each program's actual language of instruction. Admissions, fees and deadlines are set per program rather than university-wide — ELTE's own guidance for self-funded applicants states plainly that "fees, deadlines, admission requirements, application procedures, and the procedure of the entrance examination are all specified separately for each degree program." This page summarizes the common pattern and gives concrete examples; each program's own page (linked in the majors table) carries its exact, current figures.

Sources:Brief History of ELTEFacultiesFor Self-Funded Applicants

Faculty of Science (SCI)1 program​

  • ChemistryInstitute of ChemistryBSc3 years180 creditsEN

Faculty of Informatics (INF)2 programs​

  • Computer ScienceFaculty of InformaticsBSc3 years180 creditsEN
  • Mechanical Engineering (7 semesters)Savaria Institute of TechnologyBSc4 years210 creditsEN

Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education (PPE)2 programs​

  • Kindergarten EducationFaculty of Primary and Pre-School EducationBA3 years180 creditsEN
  • Early Childhood EducationFaculty of Primary and Pre-School EducationBA3 years180 creditsEN

Bárczi Gusztáv Faculty of Special Needs Education (SNE)1 program​

  • Special Needs EducationBárczi Gusztáv Faculty of Special Needs EducationBA4 years240 creditsEN

Faculty of Humanities (HUM)9 programs​

  • English and American StudiesSchool of English and American StudiesBA3 years180 creditsEN
  • HungarianInstitute of Hungarian Linguistics and Finno-Ugric StudiesBA3 years180 creditsEN

Application​

Application Tracks​

ELTE evaluates two separate application tracks. Stipendium Hungaricum (SH) is a fully funded Hungarian government scholarship: it is applied for centrally, not through ELTE's own portal, is highly competitive, and covers all levels from Bachelor's to Doctoral. Self-Funded is the main route for fee-paying international students: each program runs its own rolling review (typically a document check followed by an entrance exam, usually an online written test and/or interview) through ELTE's own online application system.

Important: ELTE's own program pages do not keep a historical record of past application cycles. As of Sep 27, 2026, most Faculty of Humanities, Informatics, Science, Engineering and Primary/Pre-School/Special-Needs-Education program pages already display the next published intake — 1 September 2027 — because their AY 2026-2027 cycle has closed and no longer appears on the live site. A minority of programs (Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Economics, and Psychology under the Faculty of Education and Psychology) still show their real, now-closed AY 2026-2027 dates, not yet replaced. The table below reflects exactly what each program's own page shows today, labelled by which cycle it is.

There is no February/Spring intake for any Bachelor's program: every program page checked answers "No" to its own "Is there a February intake?" FAQ.

Documents and Application Procedure​

Self-Funded applicants register directly at apply.elte.hu, select a program, and submit: the online application form, transcripts for the final two years of secondary school, the secondary-school leaving certificate (or proof of pending graduation), a CV, a motivation letter, a copy of a valid passport, a passport photo, a medical certificate, and a language certificate where available. Non-English documents need an official translation. Applications are only processed once the application fee (and, where charged, a separate entrance-exam fee) has been paid.

Stipendium Hungaricum applicants apply only at apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu, selecting ELTE among the 30 partner institutions; ELTE does not run a separate SH application. See Scholarships below for the SH timeline and benefits.

Sources:How to ApplyFor Self-Funded ApplicantsSH Applicants Guide

Tuition (AY 2026-2027)​

Tuition is set per program and per semester. A majority of the 21 programs (13 of 21) charge EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA students the same rate; a minority (8 of 21 — Chemistry in the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Economics, and the two Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education programs) charge non-EU/EEA students more. Non-EU/EEA per-semester tuition ranges from about €1,990 (Special Needs Education) to €4,700 (Psychology). By faculty: most Humanities and language programs are a flat €2,000-2,300; Faculty of Science and Informatics programs run €3,150-3,200 for non-EU/EEA students (Chemistry's EU/EEA rate is lower, at €1,575); Faculty of Social Sciences programs (Sociology, Applied Economics, International Relations) split €1,200 EU/EEA vs. €2,700 non-EU/EEA; and Faculty of Economics programs (Finance and Accounting, International Business Economics) split €2,700 EU/EEA vs. €3,600 non-EU/EEA. Stipendium Hungaricum scholars pay no tuition at all (see Scholarships). Each program's own page (linked in the majors table below) states its exact current rate.

Program (example)Tuition/semester — EU/EEA

Special Needs Education (BA)Tuition/semester — non-EU/EEA: €1,990
€1,990
Hungarian (BA)Tuition/semester — non-EU/EEA: €2,000
€2,000
Computer Science (BSc)Tuition/semester — non-EU/EEA: €3,200
€3,200
Sociology (BA)Tuition/semester — non-EU/EEA: €2,700
€1,200
Psychology (BA)Tuition/semester — non-EU/EEA: €4,700
€4,700

Other mandatory costs (both funding tracks, where applicable): a valid health insurance policy for the full stay (self-funded students arrange this privately; SH scholars receive supplementary medical insurance, see Scholarships); Budapest living expenses are commonly estimated at roughly €600-800/month for housing, food and transport (not an ELTE-published figure; a general cost-of-living estimate, carried over from the 2025-26 page and not independently re-verified this cycle).

Source:For Self-Funded Applicants

Scholarships​

Stipendium Hungaricum​

Stipendium Hungaricum (SH) is a Hungarian government scholarship administered by Tempus Public Foundation, covering Bachelor's, Master's, one-tier Master's, Doctoral and non-degree studies at 30 partner institutions including ELTE. For the AY 2026-2027 cycle (now closed): the deadline for submitting the complete application was Jan 15, 2026; a first (technical/nomination) selection point followed on Feb 28, 2026; recommendation letters for self-financed applicants were due Mar 15, 2026; the second, institutional selection point ran from mid-March to end of May 2026; results were announced end of June to mid-July 2026; the visa process ran July-August 2026; and scholars were expected to arrive in Hungary by Sep 30, 2026.

  • Full tuition-fee exemption.
  • Monthly stipend of HUF 43,700 (about €110 at the call's own Oct 13, 2025 exchange rate) for 12 months a year, at Bachelor's/Master's/one-tier-Master's/non-degree level.
  • A free dormitory place where capacity allows, or a housing contribution of HUF 40,000/month (about €100) otherwise.
  • Supplementary medical insurance of up to HUF 65,000/year (about €165).

Applicants apply centrally at apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu, selecting ELTE's program(s) of interest; ELTE runs no separate SH application. The next SH cycle (AY 2027-2028) is expected to open around mid-November 2026.

Other Hungarian state scholarships​

Hungarian Diaspora Scholarship
for applicants of Hungarian heritage abroad.
Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People
for Christian international students.
Hungarian State Scholarships (bilateral)
partial/semester studies, full degree programs, study visits and summer courses for foreign students, graduates, lecturers and researchers, administered by Tempus Public Foundation.

Sources:SH Call for Applications 2026/2027 (PDF)ELTE — Stipendium HungaricumHungarian State ScholarshipsDiaspora / Christian Young People

Requirements​

Entrance exam​

ELTE does not use the SAT or ACT for Bachelor's admission. Every program runs its own entrance exam instead, typically after a document review: STEM programs (e.g. Computer Science) usually give a written online test on secondary-school-level mathematics and logic, followed by an interview; Humanities and Social Sciences programs usually give an online interview or, for some (e.g. Sociology), a short recorded video submission, assessing motivation and — depending on the program — either general English proficiency (where no language certificate is submitted) or the program's own target language (Hungarian BA's interview, for instance, assesses Hungarian ability, since B2 Hungarian is itself a requirement for that program). Many programs also charge a separate, non-refundable entrance-exam fee alongside the application fee: commonly €50-120 for Education-faculty programs (e.g. Kindergarten Education) and a flat €100 for most Humanities language programs (e.g. Hungarian, German Studies); Sociology, Applied Economics, International Relations, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Finance and Accounting, and International Business Economics charge no separate entrance-exam fee.

High-school / academic background​

  • A recognized secondary-school leaving certificate (High School Diploma, IB, A-Levels, or a local national equivalent) or, for a student still finishing school, proof of enrollment and expected graduation by the application deadline.
  • Transcripts covering the final two years of secondary school, translated into English if not already in English.
  • A CV, a motivation letter and, for some programs, letters of recommendation.

English proficiency​

Programs generally require B2-level English (a few, such as Psychology, ask for a specific score — e.g. IELTS 6.5+ or TOEFL iBT 79-93). Typical accepted certificates are IELTS, TOEFL iBT and Cambridge English Scale scores, with each program's own page giving its exact thresholds. Applicants who completed their entire secondary education in English can usually waive the formal test by submitting a notarized medium-of-instruction attestation along with a detailed transcript; where no certificate is submitted, some faculties (e.g. Social Sciences) instead assess English proficiency from the admission interview itself.

Source:For Self-Funded Applicants

Contacts​

OfficePhoneEmailAddress
Faculty of Economics—degreeprogramme@gtk.elte.hu1088 Budapest, Rákóczi út 7
Faculty of Education and Psychology+36 1 461 4500deans.office@ppk.elte.hu1075 Budapest, Kazinczy utca 23-27
Faculty of Humanities — Department of International Affairs+36-1-411-6500admission@btk.elte.hu1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 4/A (Ground floor, rooms 30-32, 44-45)
Faculty of Informatics+36 1 372 2500international@inf.elte.hu1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C
Faculty of Law+36 1 411 6500dttitk@ajk.elte.hu1053 Budapest, Egyetem tér 1-3
Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education+36 1 487 8100admission@tok.elte.hu1126 Budapest, Kiss János altábornagy utca 40

ELTE has no single, university-wide undergraduate admissions office — applicants should contact the faculty that offers their chosen program. The Department of International Affairs listed above is specific to the Faculty of Humanities, not a university-wide office.

Source:Faculties