Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship 2027–2028 for Africans: Eligibility, Benefits, Documents and How to Apply

Stipendium Hungaricum is a Hungarian government scholarship for international students. It started in 2013 and is based on bilateral education agreements between Hungary and more than 100 partner countries and organisations. For 2026–2027, 30 Hungarian higher education institutions offered about 900 study programmes in foreign languages, mainly in English.

This guide is for African students who want to apply in the 2027–2028 round. As of 2 November 2026, the official website has not yet published the 2027–2028 Call for Applications or the new dates. Below, we explain how the programme works using the official 2026–2027 Call for Applications, so you can prepare your documents before the new round opens. When the 2027–2028 call is published, check it against this guide, because details can change between rounds.

How Stipendium Hungaricum 2027–2028 works

The key thing to understand is that you have to deal with two bodies:

1. Tempus Public Foundation (Hungary): you submit your full application through the official online system at apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu.
2. Your country’s Sending Partner: usually your Ministry of Education or national scholarship agency. It decides which applicants to nominate, and it can have its own extra rules, documents and deadlines. If your Sending Partner does not nominate you, you cannot get the scholarship.

After nomination, the Hungarian universities you chose assess you, usually through an entrance exam or interview. Tempus Public Foundation then allocates the scholarships.

Which African countries can apply?

According to the official Sending Partners page, African partners for full-degree study include Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, the Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda.

Each country agrees with Hungary which levels and fields its citizens may apply for, so check your country’s entry before you choose a course. Some examples from the 2026–2027 list:

• Nigeria: the Sending Partner is the Department of Scholarship Awards (DSA). Bachelor’s and master’s study in a long list of fields, including agriculture, engineering, computer science, health, economics, law and the arts.
• Ghana: Ghana Scholarships Secretariat, with a similarly broad list of fields.
• Kenya, Egypt and Ethiopia: all levels, in any field of interest.
• South Africa: limited fields. Bachelor’s study is open only in agricultural science, computer science/IT and engineering. Master’s study covers a longer but still limited list, and doctoral study is open in any field.

If your country is not on the list, you cannot apply through this programme.

Who can apply: eligibility in plain English

Based on the 2026–2027 Call for Applications, you can apply if you:

• are a citizen of a country with a participating Sending Partner, and apply through the partner of your own citizenship;
• are at least 18 years old when your studies start (for 2026–2027, applicants had to be born before 1 September 2008);
• meet the entry requirements of the programme you choose, including the language level set by the university;
• hold the qualification needed for your level: a secondary school leaving certificate for bachelor’s study, or a bachelor’s degree for master’s study (final-year students can usually apply and submit the degree later).

You cannot apply if you are a Hungarian citizen (including dual citizens), if you have refugee status or are stateless, or if you are applying for a PhD in the same round. Former scholarship holders also face some restrictions. These are listed in the call.

What the scholarship pays (2026–2027 figures)

The 2027–2028 amounts are not yet announced. In the 2026–2027 call, the benefits were:

• Tuition: free of charge.
• Monthly stipend: HUF 43,700 (about EUR 110), paid 12 months a year, for bachelor’s, master’s and one-tier master’s students. PhD students get HUF 140,000 (about EUR 355) a month in the first four semesters and HUF 180,000 (about EUR 460) after that.
• Accommodation: a free dormitory place, or HUF 40,000 (about EUR 100) a month towards housing costs.
• Medical insurance: under the Hungarian national health system, plus supplementary insurance worth up to HUF 65,000 a year.

The call says plainly that the stipend is a contribution to living costs. You will still need your own money for your flight, your visa and part of your living expenses, so plan for this before you accept an offer.

Study obligations to know about

• Bachelor’s and master’s scholarship holders must take a Hungarian as a foreign language course in their first year.
• Your scholarship can be ended if you do not earn at least 18 credits per semester on average during the last two semesters of active status.
• You can choose up to two study programmes, in order of preference. You cannot change your choices after the deadline.

Required documents (based on the 2026–2027 call)

Have these ready, as PDF or image files of no more than 4 MB each:

1. The completed online application form, in English, with a photo taken within the last two years.
2. A motivation letter of at least one page, in Times New Roman 12-point, written in the language of your chosen programme.
3. Proof of language proficiency at the level the university requires.
4. Your certificates: the secondary school leaving certificate for bachelor’s applicants, or your bachelor’s degree for master’s applicants, with certified translations if they are not in English or the language of study.
5. Transcripts of your grades.
6. A copy of the data page of your valid passport, or your national ID card plus the required declaration.
7. The Statement for Application, which you accept in the online system.
8. For art and music programmes, the portfolio the university asks for.
9. Any extra documents your Sending Partner requires.

A medical certificate is not uploaded with the application. If you win the scholarship, you bring it with you and present it at the compulsory medical examination in Hungary.

How to apply, step by step

1. Check your country’s entry on the Sending Partners page: the levels, the fields and your Sending Partner’s own instructions.
2. Choose up to two programmes in the official Study Finder, and read each programme’s entry requirements and entrance exam format.
3. Prepare your documents early, especially translations, certified copies and language test results.
4. Register on apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu once the 2027–2028 round opens. Keep your registration number safe.
5. Fill in the form, upload your documents and press Submit before the deadline. An application that is only saved is not submitted.
6. Complete your Sending Partner’s process at the same time, if it has one (some partners have earlier internal deadlines or their own forms).
7. Prepare for the university exam or interview. In the last round these took place from March to May. Applicants need at least 56 out of 100 points to be offered a scholarship.
8. Wait for the results. In the last round, final decisions were expected by the end of June or early July.

Tips from reading the rules closely

• Put your strongest choice first. Universities assess first-choice applicants first. For medicine, the call warns that places usually fill with first-choice applicants.
• Use a reliable email address that you check every day. The call advises against Hotmail and Yahoo addresses, because letters from Tempus Public Foundation usually end up in the spam folder there.
• Make your motivation letter specific. Name the programme, explain why it fits your background and say how you will use the degree back home.
• Do not wait for the opening date. Translations and certified copies can take weeks in many countries.

Common mistakes that get applications rejected

• Applying to Hungary but not completing your Sending Partner’s process, or the other way round.
• Choosing a field or level that your country’s agreement does not cover.
• Uploading blurred scans, missing translations, or files over 4 MB.
• Saving the application without submitting it.
• Paying an “agent” to apply for you. The call says the application has no additional costs and strongly advises against applying through agencies. Nobody can guarantee you a place.

Frequently asked questions

When does the 2027–2028 application open?
The date is not yet announced. In the last round, the opening was announced on 6 November 2025 and applications ran from 14 November 2025 to 15 January 2026. Check the official news page regularly.

Is Stipendium Hungaricum fully funded?
It covers tuition, a monthly stipend, housing (a dorm place or a housing contribution) and medical insurance. It does not cover flights, and the stipend is a contribution rather than full living costs.

Do I need IELTS?
Not always. Each university sets its own language requirement and decides which proofs it accepts. Check the entry requirements of your chosen programme in the Study Finder.

Can I apply for a PhD?
Yes, but doctoral study has a separate call with its own rules, including a statement from a supervisor. You cannot apply for a PhD and another level in the same round.

Is there an application fee?
No. The call says the application has no additional costs, and it advises against paying agencies to apply for you.

Related opportunities on OpportunityHanger

• Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2027–2028 for Africans
• Mastercard Foundation Scholarship at Sciences Po 2027
• Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2027/28

Official sources

• Stipendium Hungaricum: How to apply and Call for Applications
• Stipendium Hungaricum: Sending Partners by country
• Stipendium Hungaricum: About the programme
• Stipendium Hungaricum: News and announcements

Disclaimer: OpportunityHanger is an independent information website. We are not the Government of Hungary, Tempus Public Foundation or any Sending Partner, we do not select scholarship holders, and we never charge any fee. The 2027–2028 dates are not yet announced and the rules can change, so always confirm the details on the official pages above before you apply.