Market report Hungary

The Hungarian Study Abroad Market

This market report on Hungary examines key socio-economic, education system, and student mobility trends relevant to international student recruitment.

Hungary has a long tradition of strong academic standards, particularly in mathematics, science, and medicine. However, its education system remains comparatively traditional in structure and pedagogy when measured against other European countries. In recent years, this has been reinforced by the growing role of church-funded public schools, which incorporate religious elements into their curricula and now educate a significant share of secondary-level students.

Structural Challenges in the Education System
According to the OECD, Hungary faces several systemic challenges that are likely to shape student decision-making over the coming decade.

One key issue is the limited uptake of vocational education and training (VET). Despite a large proportion of adults holding upper-secondary qualifications, vocational pathways remain under-developed by international standards. Fewer than one quarter of first-time upper-secondary graduates obtain a vocational qualification, well below the OECD average. This contributes to skills mismatches in the labour market and limits applied career pathways for students.

At the same time, tertiary attainment among younger adults (aged 25–34) remains significantly below the OECD average. While participation in higher education is stable, Hungary continues to underperform in terms of degree completion and progression into advanced qualifications.

Access to Higher Education
Admission to Hungarian tertiary education is competitive and centrally regulated. Entry decisions are based on a combination of:

• Grade point averages from secondary education
• Results from secondary school leaving examinations
• Additional points linked to socio-economic background, language skills, or personal achievements

This system can act as a filtering mechanism, particularly disadvantaging students from rural areas or lower-income households, and contributes to unmet demand for higher education places.

Funding and Quality Considerations
Public expenditure on tertiary education has declined in real terms over the past decade. Spending per student remains below the OECD average, particularly in core educational services such as teaching, student support, and academic infrastructure. While Hungary continues to produce strong outcomes in selected disciplines, constrained funding has led to:

• Larger class sizes
• Limited internationalization at institutional level
• Fewer English-taught programs outside flagship universities

Implications for International Student Recruitment
These structural characteristics create clear outbound mobility drivers:

• Students seeking greater academic flexibility, innovative teaching methods, or broader subject choice are increasingly open to studying abroad
• Limited domestic capacity and competitive admissions push high-achieving students to look internationally
• Strong English proficiency among urban and academically oriented students supports outward mobility, particularly at bachelor’s and master’s level

Hungarian students are generally cost-conscious, academically capable, and value clear links between education and employment outcomes, making them a good fit for institutions offering transparent career pathways, post-study work options, and scholarships.

Hungarian Education System

Secondary education

Secondary education in Hungary includes three traditional types of schools focused on different academic levels:

• Gimnázium: non-vocational; prepares students for higher education; teaches at least 2 foreign languages
• Szakközépiskola: secondary vocational school. It also provides a “secondary school leaving examination” opening higher education curriculum.
• Szakmunkásképző Szakiskola: vocational school. It also offers “bridge” programs to help low achieving students in primary school to catch up and join the usual vocational school curriculum.

Admission to Higher Education

Until recently, applicants for Bachelor studies were not required to sit for an entrance examination; the condition for admission was to reach a certain number of points comprising of upper secondary grades and the grades obtained at the secondary school leaving examination. The new Higher Education Act re-introduces the oral entrance examination with the stipulation that higher education institutions offering education in the same program should define standard oral examination criteria for each program.

Higher Education

Hungarian higher education has a long history, dating back to the 14th century. The country’s first university was founded in 1367 in Pécs around the same time as other central European universities, such as those in Prague, Krakow and Vienna. Due to the expansion of higher education in the last two decades, the number of enrolled students and the capacity of the institutions have increased considerably. From 1990 to 2010 the student population in higher education quadrupled, from 90,000 to around 400,000.

Hungary has been taking part in the Bologna Process since 1999. The Higher Education Act currently in force is in accordance with the principles of the Bologna process, – three cycle degree structure (BA/BSc, MA/MSc, PhD/DLA).

Bachelor
Bachelor programs have a duration of 3 to 4 years. The entrance requirement is a secondary school leaving certificate. Some bachelor’s programs grant access to the master’s program. The educational content of these programs is regulated. Upon completion of the program, institutions awards the Alapfokozat (bachelor’s degree).

Master
Master programs (mesterképzés) that follow the bachelor’s programs have a duration of 1 to 2 years. The entrance requirement is a relevant bachelor’s or College level degree. These master’s programs also grant access to the PhD. The educational content of these programs is regulated. Upon completion of the program, institutions awards the Mesterfokozat (master’s degree).

Doctorate/PhD
Academic PhD programs award the degree of Doktori képzés . In addition to the PhD, Hungary also has the academic title of DLA (Doctor of Liberal Arts). Although the PhD trajectory in Hungary has a nominal duration of 3 years, the trajectory often lasts longer in actuality. During the program, students conduct independent research culminating in the public defense of a dissertation.

(Source: campushungary.org)

Latest Hungarian Higher Education study abroad stats

At this point a total number of 18,391 Hungarian students are studying abroad (source: UNESCO). These are the most popular study abroad destinations for Hungarian students:

IB schools in Hungary

• American International School – Budapest – https://www.aisb.hu/
• Brittanica International School – Budapest – https://britannicaschool.hu/
• British International School – Budapest – https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/budapest
• International Christian School – Budapest – https://www.icsbudapest.org/
• International School of Budapest – Budapest – https://www.isb.hu/

Scholarships for Hungarian students