IELTS for Hungary — Stipendium Hungaricum, university scores and the Budapest test fee

Stipendium Hungaricum sets no IELTS or PTE score of its own. Its 2026/27 call for bachelor's, master's and one-tier master's programmes (the latest call on the scheme's site on 14 October 2026) says students must have the proficiency in the language of education that the host institution requires, and the upload must meet a minimum level determined by the host institution. So the score you need is the one on your chosen programme's page.

• Upload your proof of English with your application by the deadline, which was 15 January 2026, 2 p.m. for the 2026/27 round.
• Still waiting for your result? Upload a signed declaration by the deadline and the certificate by 1 August 2026; without the declaration the application is rejected.
• If your previous studies were in the language of your chosen programme, the application guide lets you upload proof of that instead of a test result.
• Bachelor's, master's and one-tier master's scholars must take the free Hungarian as a foreign language course in their first year; failing its exam cuts the monthly stipend to 30,000 HUF.

Medicine is the exception to the score race: Semmelweis tests General and Biomedical English in its own online entrance exam and interview, and Pécs's Medical School assesses English itself whatever certificate you send. For everything else, the programme page is the rule, and some faculties set more than the university minimum.

Several universities accept proof that you studied in English instead of a test, which matters for applicants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria. Read each rule closely, because they differ.

• BME accepts a Medium of Instruction Certificate for BSc and MSc programmes.
• Óbuda waives the requirement if your previous studies were fully in English and your diploma or degree was originally issued in English.
• ELTE's International Relations programmes need no language proof if a notarised attestation and transcript show your former education was entirely in English; Biology and Materials Science MSc accept a certificate that your bachelor's was taught entirely in English.
• Debrecen exempts applicants who completed secondary or higher education in English, with a medium-of-instruction certificate.
• Semmelweis needs no certificate for Medicine, Dentistry or Pharmacy, but its entrance exam tests General and Biomedical English.
• Corvinus is stricter: English listed as the language of instruction is not enough; you need official proof that all your exams, including final high school exams, were taken in English.

Hungary's Immigration and Asylum Office says the language knowledge needed for your studies may be shown by a language exam certificate, an official diploma proving studies in a foreign language, or other credible means. It names no test and no band: your university's admission letter is what proves you met its requirement. Holders of a study residence permit may work up to 30 hours a week during the teaching period and full time for up to 90 days a year outside it, under Act XC of 2023 as quoted by Stipendium Hungaricum.

IELTS in Hungary is run only by the British Council, in Budapest, on computer; IDP has no Hungarian centre. Paper tests are for special arrangements only. Payment is by card online, and the British Council recommends booking two months ahead.