The Hungarian Government is offering 100 scholarships for South African students to study at participating public universities in Hungary. All courses available for South Africans are taught in English.
Degree level
– Bachelor’s
– Master’s
– PhD
Who can apply for the scholarship?
– South African citizens in good health;
– Have a strong academic record:
Bachelor’s applicants require a minimum average of 70% in their NSC (excluding LO);
Postgraduate applications should have performed well in their previous studies with a minimum 65% average mark achieved in their previous studies.
– Available and eligible to study in Hungary from September 2022;
– Meet the entry criteria for their selected programme in Hungary;
– Meet the minimum academic requirements for entry into a similar programme at a South African university;
– An interest in studying in Hungary and demonstrated commitment to the development of South Africa.
Priorities / preferences:
– Bachelor’s applicants below the age of 30 as of 1 September 2022;
– Postgraduate applicants below the age of 45 as of 1 September 2022;
– Applicants who do not already have a degree at the same level as the one for which they are applying.
Deadline
15 January 2022
Fields of Study
Kindly refer to the list with specific fields of study supported for 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;
– All Bachelor’s and Master’s students will be required to do a course called Hungarian as a foreign language.
Please note: Scholarship recipients may be required to cover their own international travel and any additional cost not listed above.
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 not be considered):
| Applications for Bachelor’s programmes | Applications for Master’s programmes | Applications for PhD programmes |
| 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.
A minimum of 70% average is required, excluding Life Orientation. 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 or Hungary is required. A minimum of 65% average in the Bachelor’s and Honours 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 or Hungary is required. A minimum of 65% average is required for the Master’s degree. |
| 2. Official transcripts of all previous university studies. | 2. Official transcripts of all previous university studies. | |
| 3. A maximum 1 page motivation for the scholarship AND choice of field of study AND your intended research topic. | 3. A maximum 1 page motivation for the scholarship AND choice of field of study. | |
| 4. Research proposal including the following headings: Title |
||
| 2. A maximum 1 page 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 school teacher. The second letter can be from either a teacher or 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. |
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. |
| All documents uploaded must be clear and in PDF format (no photographs of documents will be accepted). | ||
Only applications submitted on the Stipendium Hungaricum website by 15 January 2022 will be assessed by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training for nominations.
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 during January and February 2022. This is likely to be conducted online, and candidates are required to make the necessary arrangements to access the interview. No interviews will be done telephonically. Candidates who cannot be contacted on the phone number provided in the application or who do not respond to emails will be disqualified, candidates who do not arrive for their scheduled and confirmed interview will be disqualified.
Stage four: A limited number of PhD applicants will be reviewed by academics.
Stage five: Bachelor’s and Master’s applicants will be nominated based on their academic results, the outcome of the interview, and reference check. PhD applicants will be nominated based on the combined outcome of their academic results, interviews, reference checks and the academic review of their thesis proposal.
Stage six: Nominated candidates will be informed that they have been nominated for the scholarship by mid March 2022. Their documents will then be reviewed by their first choice of 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 by end of March 2022.
Stage seven: Nominated candidates will be informed of their selection results by end June 2022.
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 2022.
Queries
Queries about the nomination process can be submitted to internationalscholarships@dhet.gov.za (South African applicants only)
Queries about specific study programmes should be addressed to the relevant institutions.