1. The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme

1.1. Mission of the Programme

The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme was launched in 2013 by the Hungarian Government. The main goal of the programme is to support the internationalisation of Hungarian higher education and its development, to strengthen the international relations of the Hungarian academic and research community, to enhance the cultural diversity of higher education institutions and to promote the good reputation and competitiveness of Hungarian higher education throughout the world. The programme is based on bilateral educational cooperation agreements signed between the Ministries responsible for education in the sending countries/territories and Hungary or between institutions. Currently, more than 70 Sending Partners are engaged in the programme on 5 different continents, and the geographical scope of the programme is spreading each year.

The core mission of the programme is to increase the number of foreign students in Hungary and to encourage Hungarian higher education institutions to attract foreign students.

Since 2013, the number of Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship holders has grown significantly, at the same time increasing the ratio of self-paying international students in Hungarian universities. Between 2013 and 2019, the ratio of international students studying in Hungarian higher education has doubled, and the ratio of Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship holders among them has quadrupled.
The number of both Stipendium Hungaricum applicants and awardees is continuously increasing, as well as the number of available scholarship places. In 2020, more than 35,0000 applications were received and more than 5,000 scholarships were awarded, the ratio clearly showing that since its launch, the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship has become a programme of excellence.

The Programme is managed by Tempus Public Foundation (hereinafter referred to as TPF).

1.2. Background of the call for application

Stipendium Hungaricum scholarships are available for bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier master’s, doctoral, and non-degree programmes (preparatory and specialisation courses).

In Hungary, the duration of doctoral programmes is 8 semesters. Doctoral programmes are divided into two different phases: the first phase (4 semesters) is for professional training and research, while the second phase (4 semesters) is for research and dissertation.

In compliance with the effective Hungarian legislation, Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship holders can request the extension of their scholarship at the end of their bachelor’s, master’s and one-tier master’s programmes. According to the law, the doctoral programmes cannot be extended, not even if the scholarship holder has successfully obtained their absolutorium and the only step left for them is to acquire their doctoral title by the defense of their thesis. The aim of this call for application is to grant an opportunity to scholarship holders completing their 4-year doctoral programmes within the framework of the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme and to acquire their doctoral degrees as Dissertation Scholarship Holders. The Dissertation Scholarship can be used for research and dissertation writing purposes only in cases when the scholarship holder’s presence in Hungary is absolutely necessary for finalizing their doctoral activities.

 

2. The Stipendium Hungaricum Dissertation Scholarship

2.1. Eligibility

Only those Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship holders are eligible to apply

• who obtain their absolutorium in the fall semester of the 2020/2021 academic year but shall receive their doctoral degree after the end of their student status and
• for whom it is an absolutue necessity to stay in Hungary to finalize their doctoral activity.

2.2. Non-Eligibility

Applications will not be considered if

• any of the non-eligibility criteria of the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship programme applies to the Applicant
• the Applicant has not obtained their absolutorium by the end of the fall semester of the 2020/21 academic year
• it is not necessary for the Applicant to stay in Hungary for finalizing their doctoral activity
• the application is not supported by the sending partner

2.3. Duration of the scholarship

The duration of the Stipendium Hungaricum dissertation scholarship starts from the month following the last month of the semester in which the doctoral student obtains their absolutorium and lasts for the number of awarded months, but no later than the calendar month of the defense of the thesis.

The maximum duration of the SH dissertation scholarship is 12 months, but no longer than requested in the application.

The final duration of the awarded SH dissertation scholarship will be decided upon the recommendation of the higher education institution and the decision of the Board of Trustees of TPF. The duration of the awarded scholarship may be shorter than the Applicant applied for.

The Stipendium Hungaricum dissertation scholarship will be available as follows for the 2020/2021 fall semester application round:

a) the Stipendium Hungaricum dissertation scholarship will be available for all eligible Applicants for 1 to 12 months with the maximum duration until 31 January 2022, provided that the higher education institution and the sending partner approves and recommends this length. For this, doctoral students in their final year of their studies will have to apply for the dissertation scholarship.

2.4. Provisions Covered by the Scholarship

The scholarship holder shall receive the following provisions in the duration of the Scholarship:
Monthly stipend
– HUF 180,000/month as a contribution to the living costs in Hungary.
Accommodation contribution
– free dormitory place or a contribution of HUF 40,000/month to accommodation costs in Hungary for the whole duration of the scholarship period
Medical insurance
– medical insurance for up to HUF 100,000 arranged by the host institution

The monthly stipend and accommodation contribution (if applicable) shall be paid by the host instution on a monthly basis.

Please bear in mind that the scholarship holder does not have a student status and these provisions are only a contribution to the living expenses of the scholarship holder in Hungary, meaning that they may not fully cover all the costs of living during the scholarship period.

 

3. The Application Process

3.1. Preliminary Application Timeline

3.2. Application documents

The Applicant is required to submit the following documents to their host institution:

• motivation letter, containing the detailed explanation for the need of the scholarship and the necessity of the scholarship holder’s presence in Hungary during the scholarship period
• monthly workplan for the proposed scholarship period
• a letter of justification from their supervisor, which explains why the applicant needs the scholarship.The letter of justification must be signed by the supervisor and the Head of the Doctoral School (template attached)
• any further documents the host institution might require

The letter of justification must explain and justify why it is essential for the scholarship holder to stay in Hungary for the requested period, and which of the proposed activities cannot be done online. The Tempus Public Foundation will not consider applications where the absolute necessity of the applicant’s presence in Hungary during the scholarship period is not justified clearly. The scholarship will be awarded only for those applicants who have submitted complete and well-founded justification, workplan and motivation letter.

Examples of activites which require personal attendance in Hungary: laboratory work, any research activities at a Hungarian institution (eg. library, archives), fieldwork, experiment, any research activities which require to meet someone in Hungary in person (eg. interview, activities at a Hungarian stakeholder that cannot be implemented online) etc. Please note that these are only examples, and the Call fo Application does not cover all the acceptable activities.

The exact scope of the documents to be submitted, as well as the mode and platform of submitting the application will be determined by the host institution. The applicant does not have to send any documents directly to TPF.

The appointed contact person regarding the application process of the Stipendium Hungaricum dissertation scholarship between the host institution and TPF is the current Stipendium Hungaricum programme coordinator at the host institution.The application deadline is 1 December 2020 23:59 CET.

No applications or missing documents will be accepted after the deadline.

3.3. Selection Procedure

The host institution will send the list of applicants suggested for funding with the submitted documents of the Applicant to the TPF Study in Hungary Department by 10 December 2020. Submitted applications will be assessed by the TPF Study in Hungary Department on the basis of the documents received. The most important criteria of the decision is the necessity of the applicant’s presence in Hungary.

The Study in Hungary Department of TPF then proceeds to officially contact the relevant sending partners in order to seek their approval regarding the dissertation scholarship for the applicants. (The Applicant does not have to contact their sending partner directly.) In case the partner does not respond within 10 days of receiving the approval request from TPF, the applications are considered to be approved by the sending partner. Applications not supported by the sending partner will automatically be rejected.

The list of scholarship awardees will be decided upon at the TPF Board of Trustees’ meeting in January 2021.
The host institutions, the awardees and sending partners will be informed of the final results by the Study in Hungary Department of TPF.

In case the Applicant is due to obtain their absolutorium during the fall semester of the 2020/21academic year (i.e: the absolutorium is expected after the decision of the TPF Board of Trustees), the dissertation scholarship will be awarded conditionally to the Applicant. In this case, the Letter of Award granting the scholarship will be issued by TPF after the higher education institution confirms the successful obtaining of the absolutorium.

The Tempus Public Foundation’s decision shall not be a subject to appeal.

3.4. Amendment of the scholarship contract

The original SH scholarship agreement of all awarded applicants will be amended. The original SH scholarship cannot be amended until the Scholarship Holder does not obtain their absolutorium.

The amended scholarship agreement – among all mandatory points set out in the Operational Regulations of the Stipendium Hungaricum Programme – will contain the following:

• the start, duration and estimated end of the dissertation scholarship period
• the scope of provisions covered by the dissertation scholarship.

 

4. Termination of Scholarship Status

The dissertation scholarship holder status automatically expires:
a) at the end of the awarded period.
at the end of the calendar months of the defense of the thesis
Furthermore, the scholarship status is terminated in full accordance with the relevant provisions of the Operational Regulations of the programme.

Annex:
1. Operational Regulations of the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme
2. Template for the Letter of Justification