EU/EEA citizens can study tuition-free on state-funded places in Hungarian-taught programmes; English-taught ones charge fees set by each university, and students from partner countries outside the EU can have tuition covered by Stipendium Hungaricum. Hungary's 65 institutions offer more than 1,000 programmes in several languages. See how to apply, what a month costs (around €500–600) and how many hours you can work.
How long: about 4 years: a training and research phase of 120 ECTS (usually 2 years full-time) ending in a comprehensive examination, followed by the research and dissertation phase. Doctoral schools work within universities; university doctoral councils award the PhD (DLA in the arts).
Your status: you are a student with rights similar to bachelor's and master's students. State-funded places with a grant are limited (about 2,000); many doctoral students pay fees and work alongside their studies.
How to get in: a master's degree; doctoral schools set their own procedure, usually with an oral entrance examination.
Where to look: doctoral positions and calls are published on the websites of universities and their doctoral schools and on EURAXESS. Programmes in Hungary in our database: Hungary – 303 doctoral programmes (as of September 2026) »
Sources: Eurydice – national description of third-cycle (PhD) programmes (updated 27 November 2023). As of October 2026.
Sources: European Commission – Study in Europe (education.ec.europa.eu/study-in-europe), Eurostat, official national study and residence portals and authorities, Eurodesk, enic-naric.net, studentnews.eu. As of September 2026.
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