Stipendium Hungaricum India: Tempus and UGC

19 min read · Published on August 13, 2026 · Updated on August 13, 2026

Stipendium Hungaricum required an Indian applicant to finish two submissions in the latest 2026/27 cycle, an online Tempus application by 15 January 2026 and a separate UGC paper package by 22 January 2026. The cycle is closed, and no official 2027/28 call was available on 13 August 2026. Completing only one submission didn’t complete the India application, so the first decision for a future applicant is whether both routes have current documents and separate proof of delivery.

For 2026/27, Stipendium Hungaricum removed tuition and added monthly, housing and health support, but it didn’t pay for travel or every living cost. Its selection also continued after UGC nomination and university assessment. The 2026/27 India route linked programme choice, documents, selection, arrival cash and holder rules in one sequence. The broader study in Hungary decision also includes admissions, daily life and other funding routes.

Is Stipendium Hungaricum open to Indian students now?

No, the latest published 2026/27 application is closed, but Indian citizens were eligible through the University Grants Commission, or UGC. The Tempus call closed at 2 pm CET on 15 January 2026, and the separate UGC package had to reach New Delhi by 22 January 2026. A new applicant needs the next official call rather than these old dates.

Under the UGC notice, the 2026/27 baseline required Indian citizenship, birth on or before 31 August 2008, at least 60% in the last examination passed and the most recent study at a recognised Indian institution. This evidence supports planning, not an open application window, and every item can change in the next notice.

Nationality decides the sending partner. A sending partner is the official body that reviews applicants from one participating country. The live India partner entry names UGC and lists natural sciences and life sciences, information technology, economics, business and management, and engineering as priority areas for the current full-degree bachelor, master and doctoral routes.

A priority area isn’t a promise that every related course is available. Exact nationality, host, language and study-mode availability sits in the official programme finder. For applicants outside this route, other Hungary scholarships have different application owners and payment terms.

How do Indian students complete both applications?

Indian applicants complete one scholarship application through two required delivery routes. The Tempus Public Foundation runs the Hungarian online system, while UGC receives and ranks the India paper package. A saved online form isn’t a submission, and a submitted Tempus form doesn’t replace the UGC package.

India’s application is ready for review only when the required online and paper evidence is complete. A Tempus-only or UGC-only file stops before the two records can move through India’s nomination route.

Application item	Tempus online system	UGC paper package	Proof to retain	If one side is missing
Application	Submitted status for the final online form	Printout of the submitted form without annexures	Final PDF and submission confirmation	India’s two-part application is incomplete
Identity	Passport or a permitted temporary identity document	Passport or accepted identity photocopy	Uploaded file and paper-set copy	The relevant reviewer lacks required identity proof
Academic proof	Level-appropriate certificate and full transcript	Last-examination marks in UGC’s stated order	Uploaded files and paper-set copy	The relevant reviewer lacks required academic proof
CGPA conversion	Material required by the chosen programme	Percentage formula and authenticated proof of the conversion factor	Signed conversion document	UGC cannot verify the stated percentage
Delivery	Submission before the Tempus time	Receipt by UGC before its separate date	Status capture and courier delivery record	The completed route does not cure the omitted route

UGC fixed the paper-package order in its India notice. It asked for the completed UGC form, the submitted Tempus printout, age proof, the last examination mark sheet, authenticated CGPA conversion evidence where relevant and identity proof. A Class 12 student awaiting results could provide Class 11 marks in the paper set, while a graduate awaiting a result could provide earlier semester marks.

Incomplete application and those received after the due date will not be considered.University Grants Commission, India public notice for 2026/27

This is the part that rejects an otherwise eligible Indian application. One route cannot supply evidence to the other after its own closing point. The Tempus confirmation and courier delivery record therefore prove different things.

How should you choose two Stipendium programmes?

You may choose up to two programmes in preference order, but the second choice isn’t a reserved alternative. The 2026/27 call processed the first choice first, then considered the second only where nomination, timing, host capacity and allocation allowed it. The programme, institution, order, language and study mode couldn’t be changed after the deadline.

Preference order should put the strongest academic fit first and an independent option you would genuinely accept second. Both need India availability, host entry, language, study mode and assessment verified before submission.

Check	First choice	Second choice	Why the entry changes the decision
India availability	Exact programme appears with India selected	Exact programme appears with India selected	A host’s general participation does not make every course available to India
Host entry standard	Qualification and subject rules recorded	Qualification and subject rules recorded	Each host assesses its own admission requirements
Language	Programme language and accepted proof recorded	Programme language and accepted proof recorded	Language cannot be rewritten after the application deadline
Study mode	Full degree or permitted partial mode recorded	Full degree or permitted partial mode recorded	The India route and programme must match the selected mode
Assessment	Interview, exam or portfolio recorded	Interview, exam or portfolio recorded	A nominated applicant still has to pass the host’s assessment
Preference reason	Strongest academic fit placed first	Independent acceptable option placed second	First-choice applications are examined first
Second-choice treatment	Not applicable	Host treatment recorded from the live call	The second option may never reach assessment

Medicine needs special care. The same call warned that most medical institutions were expected to fill their places from first-choice applicants and might not consider a medical programme placed only second. A medicine applicant therefore cannot treat preference order as cosmetic.

For 2026/27, the non-doctoral call covered about 900 foreign-language programmes at 30 institutions, while the doctoral call covered about 170 programmes at 23 institutions. Interface counts change. Host fit can be narrowed through Hungarian universities, but the live scholarship finder decides whether a specific course is available in the application.

Which documents are required, and what can arrive later?

Most documents had to be uploaded by the main deadline, and only three used the general late-document route in 2026/27. The ordinary set included the online form, a recent photograph, a motivation letter of at least one page, language proof, the relevant school or degree certificate, a complete transcript, identity proof and the online Statement for Application.

Doctoral applicants had extra material. The doctoral call required a research plan of at least two pages, one signed academic recommendation from a tutor or supervisor with a scientific degree, and the relevant master’s documents. A supervisor statement could also apply where the chosen doctoral school required it.

Only a missing final certificate, language certificate or passport could use the 2026/27 general declaration route. A missing transcript couldn’t, and a doctoral supervisor statement followed its own later date.

Document	Could it arrive later?	Declaration required by main deadline?	Latest stated date	Limit
School or degree certificate	Yes, under the stated missing-document route	Yes	1 August 2026	The applicant had to be awaiting the final document
Language certificate	Yes, under the stated missing-document route	Yes	1 August 2026	The host’s programme requirement still applied
Passport	Yes, with permitted temporary identity proof	Yes	1 August 2026	A valid passport still became necessary
Transcript	No	Not applicable	Main deadline	Every completed semester or school year had to appear
Required doctoral supervisor statement	Yes, under its separate route	Yes	15 March 2026	Only where the doctoral school required it
Medical certificate	Not uploaded in the initial application	No	Brought for the host’s medical process	The compulsory examination occurred after arrival

Files were limited to 4 MB under the application guide. Material outside English, Hungarian or the programme language needed an official or notarised translation. All other documents couldn’t be uploaded after the deadline, so a later school result didn’t make a late transcript acceptable.

What happens after you submit the application?

A complete application passes through four separate decisions before it becomes a scholarship award. Tempus first checks the application file, UGC then decides which Indian applicants to nominate, the chosen host assesses admission, and Tempus makes the final allocation under the bilateral framework.

Each successful result only moved the application to the next decision maker. Technical approval preceded UGC nomination, nomination preceded host assessment, and only final allocation produced a funded offer.

Step	Stage	Who decides?	2026/27 timing	What passes forward?	What the result does not prove
1	Technical review	Tempus Public Foundation	After 15 January	A complete and formally eligible file	That UGC will nominate the applicant
2	India nomination	University Grants Commission	Nomination list due by 28 February	A nominated or reserve-ranked Indian file	That a university has admitted the applicant
3	Host assessment	Selected Hungarian institution	First choice from 18 March to 30 April, second choice up to 20 May	An eligible applicant with the host’s score and rank	That Tempus will allocate a funded place
4	Final allocation	Tempus and its Board decision	General result window from late June to mid-July	A scholarship offer or conditional offer	That a visa or dormitory place is guaranteed

A host score of 56 out of 100 was the minimum, not an award mark. Allocation also considered programme preference, host capacity, the host’s score and rank, UGC’s nomination rank, diversity and named strategic priorities. UGC’s reviewed notice didn’t publish a scoring formula or interview weight.

required minimum is 56 points (on a 100-point scale)Tempus Public Foundation, 2026/27 non-doctoral call

Where a programme did not start or lacked capacity, Tempus could consider an admissible second choice or, in specified cases, another institution offering the same programme. These were allocation powers, not an applicant’s right to rewrite choices. The Operational Regulations also say there is no appeal against the Board’s scholarship decision, although a procedural or administrative error can still enter the programme’s complaint process.

What does the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship cover?

For the latest 2026/27 cycle, the scholarship covered tuition and provided monthly, housing and health support without covering the student’s whole budget. These amounts are not promises for 2027/28.

Students without an available dormitory received HUF 40,000 a month towards housing, not a replacement for full rent. Tuition was exempt, while living and travel costs remained partly or fully personal.

Benefit	Bachelor, master, one-tier and non-degree	Doctoral	What the student still funds
Tuition	Tuition exemption	Tuition exemption	Other study, travel and living costs outside the award
Monthly stipend	HUF 43,700 for 12 months each year	HUF 140,000 in semesters 1 to 4 and HUF 180,000 in semesters 5 to 8	The balance of monthly living costs
Housing	Dormitory place subject to capacity or HUF 40,000 monthly	Same support	Any rent, deposit or utilities above the available support
Health	Hungarian statutory care plus supplementary insurance up to HUF 65,000 a person each year	Same support	Costs outside the covered care and insurance terms
Travel to Hungary	Not funded by the Hungarian side	Not funded by the Hungarian side	The full travel cost

Ordinary amounts and limits come from the 2026/27 non-doctoral call, while the two doctoral stipend phases come from the doctoral call. No travel funding or extra contribution for accompanying family members came from the Hungarian side.

only a contribution to the living expensesTempus Public Foundation, 2026/27 non-doctoral call

HUF 43,700 plus HUF 40,000 is not a published full-cost budget. Rent, a private housing deposit, food, local transport and personal expenses can exceed the award. Those categories belong in a complete Hungary living-cost budget without changing what the scholarship itself pays.

How much money should you keep for arrival?

Your arrival reserve should cover the period before the first scholarship payment, along with travel and any housing deposit. The scholarship terms and practical arrival guidance describe different parts of the same payment process. The terms start the first-transfer clock after institutional registration and complete payment details, while the arrival page warns about the time needed to finish those steps.

Under the General Terms and Conditions, the first transfer is made within 30 days after registration when the student has supplied the required Hungarian tax and bank details. Regular monthly transfers are due by the 15th. Official arrival guidance separately tells new holders to budget for their first two months.

Arrival reserve = two months of planned spending + travel + housing deposit minus confirmed payments received before arrival

A student planning HUF 220,000 a month, a HUF 180,000 flight and a HUF 160,000 housing deposit, with no payment confirmed before arrival, gets this result.

HUF 780,000 = (2 × HUF 220,000) + HUF 180,000 + HUF 160,000 − HUF 0

This is an illustrative calculation. HUF 220,000, HUF 180,000 and HUF 160,000 are planning inputs, not official averages. They need replacement with the student’s current quotes and personal budget.

you should not expect to receive your first instalment until around NovemberStipendium Hungaricum official arrival guidance

A possible November payment doesn’t cancel the 30-day term. Registration, a Hungarian bank account, tax details and host processing have to exist before the contractual first transfer can be completed. Part-time work therefore isn’t a substitute for cash available on arrival.

How do you accept the award and start in Hungary?

You accept through the online system by the personal deadline in the result notice, then complete any remaining conditions before enrolment. The 2026/27 call said this response period was usually one week, sometimes shorter, and never later than 1 August 2026. The personal notification date controlled.

Read the result type. A conditional offer still depends on the named missing document or condition.
Respond in the system. Acceptance and withdrawal are recorded online, and withdrawal is final.
Complete the residence process. The scholarship award does not guarantee a Hungarian visa or residence permit.
Coordinate arrival. The host needs arrival information, enrolment and the documents required for registration.
Supply payment details. A Hungarian bank account and tax information are needed before the first transfer.

Acceptance doesn’t reopen the host, programme, study mode or language. The holder starts under that allocation. Official scholarship acceptance and the separate Hungary student visa process then run on their own documents and dates.

Failing to start has a longer consequence when the award has already been accepted. Under the 2026/27 call, a holder who did not travel or begin and did not notify Tempus could become ineligible for the next three application cycles. Autumn entrants generally had to enrol by the host’s date, no later than 30 September, and withdraw by 15 October if they were not beginning.

What must you do to keep the scholarship?

You keep the scholarship by remaining active, meeting the academic requirement and following the programme’s language, residence and health rules. The consequences differ. Some rules pause cash, some reduce it and some can end scholarship status.

Active semester means a term in which the student is enrolled and studying. Passive semester means a term in which study and the related stipend and housing payments are temporarily suspended. Habitual residence means Hungary remains the holder’s normal place of living during study, subject to the permitted absence rules in the Operational Regulations.

Obligation	Who it affects	Current rule	Consequence if missed
Academic progress	Most full-degree non-doctoral holders	Average 18 credits across the last two continuous active semesters, 36 credits in total	Scholarship status can end, subject to the programme and host rules
Hungarian language and culture	Foreign-language bachelor, master and one-tier holders	Attend in the first year and pass the examination after the second semester	Non-attendance stops the stipend, while examination failure reduces it to HUF 30,000 monthly
Habitual residence	Scholarship holders during the study period	Private absence up to 10 working days, with approval needed for longer stated periods	Long or unapproved absence can suspend status and payments
Compulsory medical examination	New holders after arrival	Attend the free host-arranged screening	Failure to attend can terminate the scholarship
Active semester	Holders receiving monthly and housing support	Maintain active student status	A passive semester pauses the stipend and housing allowance

Under the Operational Regulations, the programme-wide academic floor is 36 credits across the last two continuous active semesters. This floor doesn’t apply to doctoral, foundation, preparatory, short intensive and partial-study students, although their host’s own academic rules still apply.

Missing the language course has a direct cash effect. The non-doctoral call says non-attendance removes the monthly stipend, while attending but failing the examination reduces it to HUF 30,000 a month. Students studying in Hungarian are excepted.

A third-country student residence holder may work up to 30 hours a week during the teaching period and full time for up to 90 days a year outside it. Those hours don’t change the scholarship’s arrival-payment timetable.

Can self-funded students, former holders or current scholars change route?

Yes, some applicants and holders have a route, but none of these changes is automatic. A current self-funded student applies again, a former holder faces level and prior-award restrictions, and a current scholar uses a controlled change or extension process after enrolment.

Cumulative corrected credit index means the current Hungarian university’s cumulative academic-performance figure for completed study. Present status then determines whether the person makes a new application, requests a change or asks for more study time, with a different approval and cash consequence for each route.

Current situation	Possible route	Current condition	Main timing or money effect	Primary source
Self-funded bachelor, master or one-tier student in Hungary applying at the same level	New Stipendium application	Present-host recommendation and cumulative corrected credit index above the programme average	Recommendation was due by 15 March 2026 after the main application	Non-doctoral call
Self-funded doctoral student in Hungary applying at the same level	New doctoral Stipendium application	Recommendation from the present university	The doctoral call does not import the non-doctoral above-average index wording	Doctoral call
Former full-degree scholarship holder	Usually a higher study cycle	Prior level, award type, status and year all affect eligibility	A same or lower cycle is generally excluded	Non-doctoral call
Current holder seeking a different host, programme or study language	Post-enrolment change request	Once only, ordinarily within the first full-time year and at a semester end	Tempus deadlines are 1 December for spring and 15 May for autumn changes	Official change guide
Eligible bachelor, master or one-tier holder needing extra time	Extension through the host	Up to two semesters in total, requested while scholarship status is active	No stipend or housing allowance during the extension	Official extension guide

A fee-paying student doesn’t convert the existing place by asking the scholarship office. The non-doctoral route requires a new application, a present-host recommendation and an above-programme-average corrected credit index. The doctoral route requires the recommendation but states its academic condition differently. The level-specific call therefore controls.

A host, programme or study language can be changed only once after enrolment. The official change guide normally limits the route to the first year of a full-time degree, first possible after the first semester. The student supplies the reason, current-host position and future-host acceptance where relevant, and Tempus decides. An unapproved change can lead to withdrawal of the scholarship.

An extension covers time, not living support. The extension guide allows eligible full-time bachelor, master and one-tier holders up to two extra semesters, one at a time. Doctoral, preparatory, partial-study and several other routes can’t use it. Approved extension semesters carry no monthly stipend or housing allowance.

Is one-tier study available to Indian applicants?

Official 2026/27 records don’t support one simple yes or no answer for India. A one-tier programme combines bachelor and master’s level study in one uninterrupted course, commonly in fields such as medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. Three official records disagree about whether India had access.

One-tier study is safe to select only when the exact programme appears for India and the official India records agree. These three 2026/27 records do not agree.

Official record	What the record says	Safe interpretation for a future applicant
Live India partner entry	Full-degree one-tier master studies are not available	The partner entry alone does not explain the cycle outcomes below
2026/27 eligible-programme workbook	India is marked yes on nine one-tier rows	Workbook rows show cycle listings, not a next-cycle promise or nine guaranteed awards
UGC 2026/27 result	Five Indian one-tier award or conditional-award entries appear	One-tier awards occurred, but the result does not establish future availability

UGC’s homepage listed the result on 27 July 2026. PDF metadata records 24 June 2026, while the visible PDF has no printed date. The 28 July date on the homepage belongs to the preceding, unrelated notice and must not be assigned to this result.

A future applicant needs the exact programme to appear for India in the live system at the intended host, language and study mode. The new eligible-programme workbook, UGC notice and India partner entry then provide the cross-check. A remaining conflict needs written clarification from both UGC and Tempus before the choice carries application weight. Medical admission and Indian licensing sit within the Hungary medicine route.

Key takeaways

Indian applicants needed both the Tempus online submission and the separate UGC paper package in the latest 2026/27 cycle.
Two programme choices are ordered, freeze after the deadline and are not equally likely to reach host assessment.
UGC nomination and host admission are steps before the final scholarship allocation.
The award removes tuition but leaves travel, part of living costs and a cash reserve for arrival.
India’s one-tier availability needs a fresh comparison across the next official records.

Frequently asked questions

Is Stipendium Hungaricum open for Indian students now?

No. The latest published 2026/27 application closed on 15 January 2026, and India’s separate UGC package was due by 22 January 2026. No official 2027/28 call was available on 13 August 2026. A future application needs the new Tempus call and the matching UGC notice before any old date or rule is reused.

Do Indian students need to apply through both Tempus and UGC?

Yes, that was the latest 2026/27 India process. The applicant submitted online through Tempus and sent UGC the separate paper package in its required order. A Tempus confirmation did not replace UGC delivery. The next cycle may change its dates or documents, but both official routes need to be checked together.

Does UGC nomination mean I have won the scholarship?

No. UGC nomination moved an Indian application to the selected Hungarian host for assessment. The host then applied its admission process and score. Tempus made the final allocation using programme preference, capacity, host results and nomination rank. A nomination or university admission message was therefore progress, not the final funded award.

Can I choose two programmes at different universities?

Yes. The latest call allowed up to two programmes at one or two host institutions, placed in preference order. Both choices had to fit the applicant’s permitted level and India route. The first choice was processed first, and the second could remain unexamined if timing, nomination or host capacity prevented it.

Can Class 12 students apply before their final result?

Yes, the 2026/27 UGC notice allowed an applicant awaiting Class 12 results to include Class 11 marks in the India paper package. Tempus still required the missing-certificate declaration by the main deadline and the final certificate by its later date. The transcript itself did not use the general late-upload route.

Does Stipendium Hungaricum cover flights and all living costs?

No. The Hungarian side did not fund travel, and the official call described the stipend and accommodation amount as contributions. A dormitory place also depended on institutional capacity. The student still needed money for the flight, any private housing deposit and the part of food, rent, transport and personal costs above the award.

When does the first stipend payment arrive?

The terms set the first transfer within 30 days after institutional registration when all payment details are complete. Official arrival guidance separately warns that a new student may not receive the first instalment until around November. These rules support a reserve for the first two months rather than a promised September payment date.

Can a self-funded student in Hungary apply at the same level?

Yes, but it is a new application rather than an automatic conversion. For a non-doctoral same-level applicant, the latest call required a recommendation from the current Hungarian host and a cumulative corrected credit index above the programme average. The doctoral call required the host recommendation but stated the academic condition differently.

Can I change university after accepting the award?

Not before starting under the awarded allocation. After enrolment, the official change route can permit one host, programme or study-language change, ordinarily within the first year and at a semester end. The request needs the stated documents and Tempus approval. An unapproved change can lead to withdrawal of the scholarship.

Is one-tier medicine available to Indian applicants?

The latest official records conflict. The live India partner entry says one-tier study is unavailable, while the 2026/27 workbook contains India-marked one-tier rows and the UGC result includes five one-tier outcomes. The next cycle’s live course listing, workbook, UGC notice and partner entry must agree before an applicant relies on medicine as a choice.