study in Budapest
Hungary's capital and its only real international job market — the widest choice of programmes, at the highest cost in the country.
Budapest holds the general universities — ELTE for humanities and computing, BME for engineering, Corvinus for business — alongside Semmelweis, the country's best-known medical university, which has taught medicine in English for decades.
It is also where Hungary's international economy sits. The shared-services centres, technology firms and engineering employers that hire graduates in English are concentrated here almost to the exclusion of the rest of the country, which matters a great deal given Hungary offers a job-search permit after graduation.
The cost is the trade. Budapest sits above the national range on housing and daily spending, and for a scholarship holder that means the stipend covers less of the month here than it would in Debrecen or Szeged.
The general universities plus the country's leading medical school.
Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)
Hungary's largest general university; humanities, sciences, informatics and law.Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME)
The country's principal engineering and technology university.Semmelweis University
Medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, with long-established English-language programmes.Budapest is the most expensive place to study in Hungary, though still cheap by EU standards. What the premium buys is the job market — and if you intend to use Hungary's post-study job-search permit in a non-medical field, that is worth paying for.
Against the other cities we cover in Hungary, Budapest is one of the more expensive. That is our reading of this country’s own spread, not a published index.
Living costs across Hungary run roughly €500–700 a month — and the gap between Budapest and the regional cities is the largest single saving you control.
The practical texture of the place — what a week actually looks like.
Climate
Continental — cold winters with some snow, hot summers. More extreme than the Mediterranean destinations in this guide.
Getting around
An extensive metro, tram and bus network with heavy student discounts. One of the better-served capitals in Europe for its size.
Housing
University dormitories where available, and a private market that is the most expensive in Hungary. Scholarship holders receive a dorm place or a housing contribution.
Working
Substantial term-time hours are permitted, though sources disagree on the exact cap. Budapest has by far the most part-time work available in English.
Language
More English than anywhere else in Hungary, and still a Hungarian-speaking city. Hungarian is the gate to most non-international employment.
The city
A genuinely major European capital — thermal baths, a serious music scene, and the Danube through the middle of it.
The reason to pay Budapest prices: the English-speaking graduate job market — shared services, technology and engineering — is concentrated almost entirely in Budapest
And what the city does not change: Stipendium Hungaricum covers tuition, a stipend and accommodation at around thirty universities nationwide — the award does not depend on which city you choose
Be honest with yourself about which of those matters to you. If you are studying computing, engineering or business and hope to work in Hungary afterwards, Budapest is close to the only answer and the higher cost is buying something real. If you are studying medicine and expect to return to Nepal or move within the EU, you are paying a premium for a job market you will never use — and Debrecen, Szeged or Pécs give you the same EU-recognised degree for less.
Budapest is one of 4 cities we cover in Hungary. Tap any pin to compare — the city you pick moves your total cost more than almost any other choice you make.