User’S guide to Hungary User’s Guide to Hungary User’s Guide to Hungary

4 5 Chief Editor: Gábor Dobos Content Responsible for publication: Péter Tordai, director Design and layout: Szilvia Sebestyén, Attila Kopecskó Print: D-Plus Nyomda Kft. Welcome to Study in Hungary ...... 7

Written by: Zuzsanna Angyal, Anett Arany, Bettina Cseke, Andrea Dányi, Dávid Dimák, Things to Know about Hungary...... 10 Gábor Dobos, Benedek Bence Gáll, Katalin Horváth, Orsolya Jánosik, Alina Juhász, Introduction...... 12 Krisztina Kvassay, Anna Lócsi, Viktória Nagy, Tímea Mester-Takács, András Áron Climate and Weather...... 13 Szilágyi, Péter Tordai, Tamás Tossenberger, Csenge Tóth, Bettina Ugrósdy-Beregi, Geography...... 14 Nóra Vaski, Mariann Veress, Tímea Vicze World Heritage Sites ...... 16 Photos: Bernadett Baukó, Tamás Fodor, Levente Szalma, Attila Terbócs Brief History...... 20 and other Tempus Public Foundation colleagues’ photos, Shutterstock Hungaricums...... 22 Language...... 25 Tempus Public Foundation Public Holidays...... 25 1077 Budapest, Kéthly Anna tér 1., Phone: +36 1 237 1300 Infoline: +36 1 237 1320, E-mail: [email protected] Famous Hungarians...... 26 www.tka.hu Biggest Towns...... 31 www.studyinhungary.hu sTUDYING IN Hungary...... 35 Why Hungary ...... 37 Tempus Public Foundation © 2017 Foreign Students about Hungary ...... 37 Higher Education...... 41 All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, Credit System...... 44 stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, Entry and Admission Requirements...... 45 electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording and otherwise, without the prior per- Application Process (for Fee-Paying Students)...... 46 mission of the publishers. Tuition Fees...... 47 Useful Links...... 48 On behalf of Tempus Public Foundation, the booklet was published in the framework of Széchenyi 2020 Programme, within Campus Mundi Hungarian Institutions of Higher Education...... 49 (mobility and internationalisation in higher education) Programme (project num- Learning Hungarian...... 50 ber: EFOP-3.4.2-VEKOP-15-2015-00001), co-financed by European Structural and Scholarship Programmes ...... 54 Investment Funds. Internship in Hungary...... 61 Student Networks...... 62 Please note that views expressed within the Guide are not necessarily those of the European Comission.

7 Practical Information...... 63 Persons with the Right of Free Movement and Residence...... 65 Dear Friend, Third Country Nationals...... 66 Insurance...... 69 Welcome to our lovely country. Here you can study for one or two se- Customs Regulations...... 70 mesters or take a full-time degree with one of our scholarships. Whatever Student ID...... 71 you choose, you can be sure you will fall in love with the Hungarian spirit. Embassies...... 72 Whether you study medicine, economics, agriculture, art or something else, Frequently Asked Questions...... 73 here in the centre of Europe you are in the right place to achieve your goals. Before Arrival...... 80 Invest in your dreams in Hungary! After Arrival...... 81 This is not only the land of talent and quality education, but is also a spe- Everyday Life...... 83 cial place to live. Budapest, Balaton, Hortobágy, the spas, the festivals, the Public Transport...... 85 vivid cultural life – get the most out of everything Hungary has to offer! Currency...... 90 Accommodation...... 91 Let Hungary be the place where you step out of your comfort zone. Let us Shopping and Cost of Living ...... 92 give you the chance to change your life and move forwards. Communication...... 93 Hungarian Cuisine...... 94 See you soon! Electricity...... 97 Medications...... 97 Best regards, Driving...... 97 The Editorial Team How to Pay in Hungary...... 98 Culture...... 99 International Cultural Institutes...... 102 Mini Dictionary...... 103 About Tempus Public Foundation...... 109

8 9 tHings to KnoW ABoUt HUngArY

10 Things to Know about Hungary 13 Other large cities: Debrecen, Other large Győr Pécs, Miskolc, Szeged, (HUF) Forint Currency: (GMT +1) CET zone: Time Danube River Major rivers: (417 km), (597 km) Tisza River Lake Balaton, Lake lakes: Largest Velence Lake Tisza, level: sea above point Highest Hills m) in the Mátra (1014 Kékes 2 Hungary Climate and Weather Climate cli- dry continental and has a relatively zone is in the temperate Hungary seasons: four the between temperature in erences big diff are There mate. from range temperatures cold. Average are hot, while winters are summers 21 °C in July. to °C in January -1 Basic Information Basic name: cial O km 93,030 Area: 9,830,485 Population: Austria, countries: Neighbouring Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, Serbia, Slovenia Croatia, Hungarian language: cial O Republic of state: Form Budapest city: largest and Capital (po pulation: 1,700,000) Convention. Schengen the and EU NATO, OECD, of member a is Hungary of city with the capital 19 counties is divided into Hungary Administratively, government. county of any Budapest being independent with the world in destinations most popular tourist is one of the 25 Hungary its relatively Despite most beautiful cities. as one of the regarded a capital UNESCO Sites, Heritage World numerous is home to the country small size, (Lake in the world thermal lake largest the second Reserves, Biosphere and the largest Balaton), (Lake Europe in Central lake the largest Hévíz), (Hortobágy). in Europe grassland natural

Slovakia Ukraine Austria Hungary Slovenia Romania Croatia Serbia 14 Things to Know about Hungary metres above sea level. of 1,000 metres. Two-thirds ofHungary’s geographic area isless than200 Hungary’s ‘mountains’ are actuallyhills, whichseldom exceed anelevation Dunabe and Tisza, and the Trans-Tisza region (to the east of the Tisza). Transdanubia (to the west of the Danube), the plain between the Rivers two longest rivers called Danube and Tisza divide Hungary into three parts: Szolgálat). mountain ranges, theAlpsandCarpathians. Hungary isprotected from extreme weather conditionsby thesurrounding water warms upquicklyinthesummer. of thecountry. Theaverage depthofthelake istwo to three metres, so the Geography Lake Balaton Lake Balaton, covering 598km Hungary isalandlocked country, situated intheCarpathian Basin.Its Weather forecast isavailable at: www.met.hu (Országos Meteorológiai 2 , isoneofthebiggest tourist attractions rivers, lakes andwetlands. 450 vertebrates are birds, especially waterfowls, whichare attracted by the cies (wildcat, lake Pannonian bat, lizard), andthree-quarters ofthecountry’s European animalshere (deer, wildhare, boar, otter) aswell assome rare spe- of which are notnormally found at this latitude. There are alotof common are situated at theAustrian border. try, at theCroatian border. Őrség andthesmallestnational parkat Lake Fertő West andDuna-Dráva National Park is located intheSouth-west ofthecoun- Duna-Ipoly National Park isinCentral Hungary, Balaton Uplands isinthe Bükk HillsandintheAggtelek region withitsextensive system ofkarst caves. Twopuszta. ofthemare located inthenorth:almostcompletely wooded the wildlife andfragile wetlands, marshes andsaline grasslands oftheopen Great Plain–Hortobágy, Kiskunság andKörös-Maros –provide protection to Grey cattle inHortobágy Hungary ishometo more than2,000 flowering plant species, many There are ten national parks inHungary. Three ofthemsituated onthe

15 Things to Know about Hungary about Know to Things 16 Things to Know about Hungary has preserved itsdistinctive traditions to thisday. Hollókő was thefirst The oldpartofthevillage Hollókő, asettlement nestling intheCserhát Hills, The OldVillage ofHollókő anditsSurroundings necting ElizabethSquare inthecapital’s innermost area withHeroes’ Square. added to the list as it presents a unique architectural imagecon- of Budapest, the Pest abutment ofMargaret Bridge to Petőfi Bridge. Andrássy Avenue was (Várhegy) andWater Town andonthePest (Víziváros), sideitextends from Buda abutment of Petőfi Bridge across Gellért Hill and Tabán up to Castle Hill This quarter encompasses thearea ontheBudaside,whichstretches from the Andrássy Avenue Budapest: Banks oftheDanube View, Buda Castle Quarterand Today Hungary haseight locations onthe World Heritage List: World Heritage Sites Hollókő a monasticcommunity even today. monastic buildings (theoldestdating from 1224), whichhouse aschool and the Archabbey isdetectable inthesuccession ofarchitectural styles ofthe first Benedictinemonks settled here in996. The 1000-year-long history of The Archabbey isoneoftheoldesthistorical monuments inHungary. The Environment Millenary BenedictineAbbey ofPannonhalma anditsNatural on adifferent range ofguided tours. well asdozens ofunderground lakes andwindingpassages can beexplored ing Dragon’s Head, Tiger, Mother inLaw’s Tongue andtheHall ofGiants, as caves intheregion. Dazzlingrock andcrystal formations withnamesinclud- tremely richincaves. There isaspectacular22-kilometre-long system of This area, whichstretches border, across theHungarian-Slovakian isex- Aggtelek National Park in hand. tions, butalso alivingvillage where traditions andeveryday life go hand stones ofthecastle away. the devil to rescue thegirl:devil’s minions, disguised asravens, took the witch, andlocked herinto aroom ofthecastle. Thenurse madeapactwith in which the lord of a castle kidnapped a pretty maiden, whose nurse was a Szár Hill.Thename(holló=raven, kő=stone) perhapscomesfrom thelegend back to the 13 village to bedeclared aWorld Heritage Site. Thehistory ofthevillage goes www.bences.hu anp.nemzetipark.gov.hu www.hollokotourism.hu The village isnotjustanopen-airmuseum, whichexhibits folk tradi- th century, when after the Mongol invasion a castle was built on

17 Things to Know about Hungary about Know to Things 18 Things to Know about Hungary heritage site are opento thepublic. of theapostlesPeter andPaul, aswell asfloral andanimalmotifs. Parts ofthe were discovered in1780. They are ornamented with Biblical scenes, images tomb chapel,acemetery buildingandamausoleum. The first painted crypts ered various burial constructionsandover ahundred burialsites around a Hungary. Thearea ofthePark isover 800km The area became anational parkin1973, makingitthefirst ofitskindin Hortobágy National Park back to the4 St Stephan’s Square (Szent István tér), there isaChristiancemetery dating In the centre of the town of Pécs, beneath Cathedral Square (Dóm tér) and Early Christian Necropolis ofPécs time. largest protected area andthelargest natural grassland inEurope at the same the Park ischaracterised by traditional sweep-wells. Hortobágy isHungary’s registered). Itsemblematic sight istheNine-holedBridge; andapartfrom this, and itprovides ahabitat for various species(342bird specieshave been it isagrassy plainwithcattle, sheep, oxen andhorses tended by herdsmen, The Nine-holed Bridge www.pecsorokseg.hu www.hnp.hu th – 6 th centuries. Research andexcavations so far have uncov- 2 . Hortobágy issimilarto asteppe:

Louis XIV called the ‘king ofwinesandthe wineofkings’.Louis XIVcalled the ‘king It isthehomeofworld famous wineTokaji Aszú,whichFrench King The region consistsof 28villages and7,000 hectares ofclassified vineyards. Tokaj-Hegyalja isahistoric wineregion located innorth-eastern Hungary. Tokaj Wine RegionHistoric Cultural Landscape ray oflandscape withitsethnographic andcultural historic assets. wetland, haspreserved auniqueflora and as fauna, well asaninvaluable ar- territory, which hassurvived of the originally enormous area of marsh and and theAustrian sides, provide theHeritage Site withauniqueimage. The and therural architecture surrounding Lake Fertő, onboththeHungarian Austrian side,while75 km the Austrian–Hungarian border. Thelake covers 315km Lake Fertő isthesecond largest lake inCentral Europe, anditislocated at Fertő Cultural Landscape Lake Fertő www.tokaj.hu www.fertopart.hu 2 isontheHungarian side.Thespecialhabitats 2 : 240 km 2 isonthe

19 Things to Know about Hungary about Know to Things 20 Things to Know about Hungary ence. the south-east asthestronghold ofHungarian culture and independ- parts; Turks inthecentral area; andthePrincipality ofTransylvania in the country into three parts:theHabsburgs inthewestern andnorthern In 1526 after the calamity of the Battle of Mohács the Ottomans divided cluded, establishing theAustro-Hungarian Empire. Russian Czar andin1867acompromise withtheHabsburgs was con- revolution was suppressed by theHabsburgs withthe help ofthe Europe, theHungarians revolted against theAustrian emperor. The Following otherrebellions intheperiodofSpring ofNations in Central European countries. king ever, leading Hungary to become oneofthemost important Matthias Corvinus theRighteous reigned asthegreatest Hungarian One ofHungary’s mostgloriouseras was thetimeofHunyadi, inwhich state andintegrated thecountry into theEuropean Christiannations. hundred years later our first king, Stephen I, founded theHungarian Basin in895-896, thenconquered theterritory andsettled down. One Hungarian peoplecomingfrom theUrals arrived intheCarpathian Revolution andWarofIndependence of1848-49 Matthias CorvinusandtheHunyadiera Brief hstor Hungarian conquest Turkish occupation y the first time. of 2011,itheldthe Presidency of theCouncil ofthe European Union for European Union in2004alongwith9other countries. Inthefirst half After joiningNATO in1999, Hungary became amember ofthe time. Thefirst democratic, multi-party elections were heldin1990. came free from Soviet ruleandHungary became arepublic for thethird political changes intheentire eastern partofEurope. Thecountries be- ments ledto thefall oftheBerlinWall on9November 1989, leadingto The rapid changes intheSoviet bloc and otherinternational develop- not sustainable. casualties), itwas aclearmessage to theSoviets that theirplanswere Although the revolution was suppressed (with approximately 3,000 of thesymbols ofresistance against theSoviets duringthecold war. Along withmany others intheEastern bloc,therevolution of’56isone Soviet bloc. for thenext four andahalfdecades, incorporating thecountry into the Soviets drove theGermansoutofcountry in1945andstayed here again, includingadeath toll ofapproximately onemillioncitizens. The After entering thewar in1941,Hungary suffered enormousdamages denly became citizens ofHungary’s neighbouring countries. Hungary losttwo thirds ofitsterritory and3.3 millionHungarians sud- 1918 andthemonarchy fellFollowing apart. theTreaty ofVersailles As partoftheEmpire, Hungary lostagainst theAlliedPowers in Democratic transformationafterthefallofSovietbloc The revolutionandfreedomfightof1956 Joining theEU World WarII World WarI

21 Things to Know about Hungary about Know to Things 22 Things to Know about Hungary Hungarian people. Someof them are listed below. uniqueness, specialty andquality, they the embody top performance of the Hungaricums are high value products of Hungary, which show Hungarian Hungaricums the occupying Turkish forces. dressed upasfearsome monsters to frighten away back to the Battle ofMohács in1526, whenvillagers According to legend, theroots ofthefestival date ing wooden masks and large sheepskin coats. of theawesome-looking costumed menwear- inacknowledgementThe festival isnamed‘busó’ dance until dawn. welcome to spring.Thenthevillagers andvisitors of winter and giving a symbolizes the “burning” ter’s coffin” is burned at the main square, which six days. Thecarnival endsonTuesday, when“win- gins theFriday before AshWednesday andlastsfor February to marktheendofwinter. Theevent be- ern Hungary. These festivities are heldinlate It isanannualfestival inMohács, located insouth- Busó Festivities imitation, withtheaccompaniment oflive music. dances from tradition bearers by observation and method ofteaching folk dance:participants learn The Táncház (dance-house) model isaspecial Preserving Intangible Cultural Heritage Táncház Method: aHungarian Model for www.mohacsibusojaras.hu www.tanchaz.hu broidery fillingon textile andornamented objects. This folk artischaracterised by special floral em- Catholic religiosity. as well as a cultural identity imbued with strong tic style, colourfulfolk artanduniquecostumes, culture, whichisembodied by theircharacteris - of theethnographic group’s livingtraditional Hungary. Theheritage ofthecommuity consists town ofMezőkövesd inthenorth-eastern partof The Matyó community lives in and around the Traditional Community Folk ArtoftheMatyó: Embroidery ofa Victoria andFrancis Joseph I. eral European royal courts, amongthemQueen Herend, whichresulted inorders onbehalfofsev- Universelle brought the highest appreciation for international exhibition inParis, theExposition Herend Porcelain was soon to follow. In1855, the village ofHerend nearthetown ofVeszprém. tory was founded in1826thesmallHungarian tories inEurope, theHerend Porcelain manufac- celain. Now amongthebiggest porcelain manufac- Herend offers luxury handpainted andgildedpor- Porcelain ofHerend ka distilleriescan befound inKecskemét. apricots andpears. Hungary’s mostfamous pálin- often distilledby farmers from homegrown plums, Pálinka isageneric namefor thefieryfruitbrandy Pálinka

23 Things to Know about Hungary about Know to Things 24 Things to Know about Hungary are the heartofpaprika production. Kalocsa andSzeged inthesouthern partofHungary a bright red colourandadistinctively rich flavour. and geographical conditions, Hungarian paprika has of Hungarian cuisine. Due to the favourable climate Paprika powder isoneofthemostwidelyused spice Hungarian Paprika tant ingredient oftraditional Hungarian cuisine. Hungary, isfamous for itsonionwhichisanimpor- The town ofMakó, situated insouth-eastern Makó Onion noble-mould isformed onthesurface oftheproduct. ly smoked. Duringthedryripeningprocess, aspecial spices, winter salami iscured incoldairandisslow- years, usingasecret recipe. Made from porkand this famousand popularsalami brand for about140 The PICKfactory inSzeged hasbeenproducing Original Hungarian Wintersalami high concentration ofsugar andrichflavours. and shrivel. Theresulting Aszúberrieshave avery botrytismouldcausesright, sweet grapes to dryout cinerea, also known asnoble rot. Ifconditionsare of grapes that have succumbed to fungusbotrytis of theworld’s finestdessert wines. Aszúismade to even intheHungarian national anthem. Itisone wines andthewineofkings”, Aszúisinfact referred Described by LouisXIVofFrance as“the kingof Tokaji Aszú Public Holidays of Hungarian speakers also live inCanada, Croatia, Slovenia andAustria. Slovakia, Ukraine, Serbia, Israel, theU.S., andAustralia. Smallerpockets sizable populations ofHungarian speakers theCzech inRomania, Republic, any ofthelanguages that surround thecountry. Although Hungary islocated inCentral Europe, Hungarian isnotrelated to Finno–Ugric language family. Hungarians call theirlanguage magyar. The officiallanguage ofthecountry isHungarian, which formspartofthe Language Pentecost Monday 1 May: LabourDay Easter Monday Good Friday tion andwar ofindependence of theoutbreak ofthe1848revolu- 15 March: National Day inmemory 1 January: New year’s Day Hungarian isspoken by 10 millionpeopleinHungary. There are also 25–26 December: Christmas 1 November: AllSaints’ Day of Hungary was proclaimed the day in1989whentheRepublic memory ofthe1956 revolution and 23 October: National Day in (founder ofthe Hunga rian state) 20 August: Saint Stephen’s Day

25 Things to Know about Hungary about Know to Things 26 Things to Know about Hungary romantic musicandthegreatest pianistofhistime. Composer arevolutionary andpianist, figure in leading to himbeingknown asthe‘saviour ofmothers’. behind childbed fever was insufficient hand washing, The physician whodiscovered that theprincipal reason and otherfolk musictraditions. themes, modes and rhythmic patterns of Hungarian of the20thcentury, whose musicisinvigorated by the One of the most significant musicians and composers his astonishing escape acts. Magician famous andillusionistborninBudapest, for leading to himbeingknown asthe‘saviour ofmothers’. behind childbedfever was insufficient hand washing, The physician whodiscovered that theprincipalreason I BélaBartók HarríHoudini Joseph Pulitzer Franz Liszt gnác Semmelweis and peopleofHun F amous Hun (1818-1965) (1881-1945) (1874-1926) (1847-1911) (1811-1886) garians garian origin

vitamin C and peopleofHun referred to asabiro inmany English-speaking countries. Inventor oftheballpoint pen,whichisstillwidely Painter, famous for hisgeometrical style ofpainting . Mathematician, ’theFather oftheComputer’. oxidation ofnutrients by thecell. for Physiology orMedicine for hisdescription ofthe The discoverer ofVitamin CandaNobel Prize winner Kodály method. special music-teaching technique known asthe Composer the creator and ethnomusicologist, of a F amous Hun Victor Vasarely Albert Szent- Zoltán Kodály László Bíró John von Neumann garians garian origin Györgyi

(1899-1985) (1906-1997) (1893-1986) (1882-1967) (1903-1957) (1903-1957)

27 Things to Know about Hungary about Know to Things 28 Things to Know about Hungary theory, combinatorics andprobability theory. Mathematician, bestknown for hiswork innumber Soldier’ duringthe SpanishCivilWar.Soldier’ best known for thephoto of‘TheDeath ofaLoyalist Hungarian war photographer andphoto journalist, Philharmonic. and musical director oftheHungarian National co-founder of the Budapest Festival Orchestra conductorGlobally andcomposer, acclaimedpianist, Literature, for hisnovel ‘Fateless’. The first Hungarian ever to wina Nobel Prize in most beautifulgoal’ ofthepastyear was namedafter him. league championships. TheFIFA Puskás Award for ‘the Spain for Real Madrid, winningacombined total often Legendary football iconwhoplayed in Hungary andthen

Imre Kertész Ferenc Puskás

Zoltán Kocsis Paul Erdős Robert Capa and peopleofHun

F amous Hun (1913-1954) (1952-2016) (1929-2016) (1927-2006) (1913-1996) garians garian origin

and peopleofHun and director oftheBerlinKonzerthaus. finest orchestras (theBudapest Festival Orchestra) Conductor andcomposer, founder ofonetheworld’s Language Film withMephisto (1981). Hungarian to wintheAcademy Award for BestForeign Film and opera director, screen writer, the first ever education withamainfocus onproblem solving. and founder ofmany initiatives concerningscience in The inventor oftheRubik’s Cube, aninfluential designer Language Film withMephisto (1981). Hungarian to wintheAcademy Award for BestForeign Film and opera director, screen writer, the first ever leading researcher onpositive psychology. Psychologist, father of the flow and the concept, world’s F amous Hun I Ernő Rubik István Szabó Mihály Csíkszentmihályi Charles Simonyi (1948-) ván Fischer garians garian origin

(1951-) (1944-) (1938-) (1944-)

29 Things to Know about Hungary about Know to Things 30 Things to Know about Hungary reality environment Leonar3Do. Founder oftheentirely three-dimensional virtual chess player ofalltime. Chess grandmaster, considered thegreatest female Film for hismovie SonofSaul(2016). to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film director andscreenwriter, thesecond Hungarian Inventor oflight-transmitting concrete, Litracon. and five-time long-course world champion. Competitive swimmer, three-time Olympic champion László Nemes-Jeles Dániel Rátai Áron Losonczi Katinka Hosszú Judit Polgár and peopleofHun

F amous Hun (1977-) (1985-) (1977-) (1989-) (1976-) garians garian origin

Leonar3Do www.budapestinfo.hu, www.budpocketguide.com, english.budapest.hu flatter Pest. the city into two dominated parts:Buda, by hillsandslopes, andthemuch too, whiletheproportion ofresearchers working inBudapestiseven higher. sity students studyinthecapital, andthemajority ofprofessors work here and over halfofthenation’s GDPisgenerated here. Half ofHungary’s univer- town inthecountry. Oneinevery five Hungarian citizens lives in Budapest, two million inhabitants, Budapest is the biggest and most densely-populated cal, cultural, commercial, industrialandtransportation centre. With almost Budapest isthecapital city ofHungary andthecountry’s principalpoliti- Budapest Important University Towns The town itself stretches alongthebanks oftheDanube,whichdivides The Parliament inBudapest

31 Things to Know about Hungary about Know to Things 32 Things to Know about Hungary cantile character andalso hasarichcultural life. and theseat ofHajdú-Bihar county. Thecity haspreserved itsancient mer- lation of200,000. Itistheregional centre oftheNorthern Great Plainregion DebrecenAfter Budapest, isthesecond largest city inHungary withapopu- Debrecen rounded by alarge parkandvarious sportsfacilities. founded in1949. Builtinthe style oftheAmerican campus model,itissur- and theregional centre oftheNorthern Hungary region. largest town inHungary. Itisalso theseat ofBorsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county its heavy industry. With apopulation close to 190,000, Miskolc isthethird Miskolc is a town situated in north-east Hungary, and is mostly known for Miskolc in Europe. ture. Theuniversity hasmany departments andisamajorresearch centre www.miskolc.hu www.debrecen.hu a relatively young highereducation institution, ore minesnearby. The University ofMiskolc is came anindustrialcentre thanks to thecoaland the industrialization ofthecountry, Miskolc be- centre dueto itsgeographical location. Later, with century ithadbecomeanimportant commercial Miskolc is not a very historic city, but by the 19th city every year on20 flower carnival takes placeinthe which isuniqueinthecountry. A Church, built in classicist style, The symbol ofDebrecen istheGreat a widely-praised pieceofarchitec- of Debrecen, whose mainbuildingis Debrecen ishometo theUniversity th August. and boastsnumerous historical buildings suchas theBasilica ofPécs, Pécs has arichcultural life, hostsawidevariety ofgalleries and museums, Empire, theRomans founded several wine-producing colonieshere. Hungary was aprovince oftheRoman Mediterranean climate. When western Mecsek Hills, and hasamoderate, almost town liesonthesouthern slopes of the nomic centre ofBaranya county. The country. Itistheadministrative andeco- Pécs islocated inthesouth-west ofthe Pécs to business studiesorhealthsciences. faculties, where you can studyalmosteverything, ranging from humanities The University of Szeged was founded in 1872. At present it consists of 12 Memorial Park ofÓpusztaszer. of Kecskemét, the Kiskunság National Park or the National Historical sunshine. Thecharmingwarm weather isgreat for excursions to thetown try, withthehighestamount ofannual Szeged isthesunniesttown inthecoun- Festival. air theatre to hosttheSzeged Open-Air the Cathedral transforms into ahuge open- centre. Every summer the square in front of the Cathedral, whichislocated inthetown The city’s most impressive monument is county. Szeged anditsarea have beeninhabited sinceancient times. It istheregional centre ofSouth-Eastern Hungary andtheseat ofCsongrád Szeged isthefourth largest town inHungary, withapopulation of175,000. Szeged www.szegedportal.hu

33 Things to Know about Hungary about Know to Things constructed in the 11th century. Several Turkish buildings dating back to the age of the Ottoman Empire (16th and 17th centuries) give the city a multicul- tural atmosphere. The town of Pécs was selected as one of the European Capitals of Culture for 2010. The University of Pécs was founded in 1367, making it the oldest university in Hungary. It now ranks among the top European universities. It has 10 fac- ulties and offers a wide range of courses, covering nearly every possible field of study. www.pecs.hu Things to Know about Hungary Know to Things győr stUdYing Győr is located in the north-western part of Hungary. The seat of Győr- Moson-Sopron county is located on one of the most important roads of Central Europe, halfway between in HUngArY Budapest and Vienna. The area has been inhabited since an- cient times. Győr has an enchanting town centre and is abundant in beauti- ful baroque buildings. The oldest part of the town is Káptalan Hill at the con- fluence of the Danube, Rába and Rábca rivers. Today, Győr is one of the most important administrative and cultural centres of Hungary. The city is also a university town and a popular tourist destination. www.gyor.hu

34 35 Studying in Hungary 37

Hungary is also known as the home of academic excellence with its 650 its with excellence academic of home the as known also is Hungary of experience. years capita. per Winners Prize Nobel investment. good ). 2016 Report Index Peace (Global the world around region. European the Central explore can you nationwide. activities. outdoor Why Hungary? reputation; international has an impressive education higher Hungarian • of number with the highest 20 of countries the top be in to is proud Hungary • is a price – studying in Hungary a fair for degree a European get can you • students. for international available are scholarships • Different countries safest the 20 is amongst Hungary official statistics, to According • easily – and around travel can and you of Europe, is in the heart Hungary • sites Heritage World with numerous discover, place to is a great Hungary • and long-standing traditions. life has a rich cultural • The country indoor and young people with many for life a vibrant offers Hungary • need it. you help whenever to helpful and ready are • People 36 38 Studying in Hungary noise andinformation. It feels like homehere, everything isso natural. InTokyo there istoo much Narihito, Japan: a lotofresearch opportunities. I chose ELTE because ofitscomprehensive studyprogramme, whichoffers Silvana, Ecuador: Europe, thanks to whichitiseasy to travel around thecontinent. Studying inHungary isagood choiceconsideringitscentral location in Erká, Mongolia: think aboutHungary andHungarians. Here iswhat they said: We interviewed some students studyinginHungary to findoutwhat they Foreign StudentsaboutHungary accepted allaround theworld. international reputation. Diplomasanddegrees granted by Hungary are you whenyou [...] Hungarian needit. highereducation hasanimpressive I love peoplehere because always they’re helpfuland they are ready to help Ruba, Syria: go to bedat theendofday. every day whenyou get up, lookforward to theday andfeel content whenyou me everywhere. It is the kind of positivity that makes you feel so motivated I have to mention the positive energy ofHungarian people.It surrounds Ambuj, India: Budapest andtheDanube–so beautiful! There are many things. Butthepurest love for meisthearchitecture of Cristina, Ecuador: can test theresults ofmy research. a lot of opportunities to publish in Europe or to attend conferences where I the necessary courses that Ican increase my knowledge with.There are also dent andIreceived alotofhelpfrom my professor, whoprovided mewithall Hungary, andthequality ofeducation isalso very highhere. IamaPhDstu- Mongolian research laboratories are notaswell equippedasthose in Mongolia: Khulan, in research projects. I came here because oftheNobel Prize Winners ofBME,andto get involved Nayara, Brazil:

39 Studying in Hungary in Studying 40 Studying in Hungary about anything. [...]Y Y Elias, Lebanon: problems. It’s very multicultural. [...]It’s quite affordable. For me,Idon’t have financial Rafael, Mexico: [...] It’s like theperfect blendoflocation, priceandquality ofstudy. Hungary is in the middle and you can go wherever you want to at any time. Anelle, Kazakhstan: exploring new cultures andnew mentalities. share your experience withthemandalso improve your personal skillsby ou can also enjoy thesafety. Y ou can findalotofinternational students here. Y ou can go anywhere andyou won’t worry ou can ity highereducation system. There are three key aspectsofthisstrategy: and amendedlegislation accordingly to create acompetitive andhighqual- December 2016 aspartofitsChange ofPace inHigher Education initiative egies: they offer 550courses inEnglish,German, French andotherlanguages. Internationalisation isbecominganessential partoftheirdevelopment strat- ing from minor universities of applied sciences to top research universities. 66 highereducation institutions(29publicand37 private) inHungary, rang- Pécs, whichislocated intheSouthernregion ofHungary. Today, there are lence for more than600years. Thefirst university was founded in1367 Higher Education III. II. I. The Hungarian Government approved theHigherEducation Strategy in Hungarian HigherEducation hasbeenrepresenting academic excel-

institutions should actasregional catalysts. research shouldbebeneficial for society andthe national economy; labor market; the knowledge passed onto thestudents shouldberelevant onthe

41 Studying in Hungary in Studying 42 Studying in Hungary ment recently introduced thefollowing reforms: as well asthird mission for boththesociety andtheeconomy, thegovern- cation system, andto offer quality services inthefieldofeducation, research, • • • • In order to develop acompetitive, effective andhighquality higheredu- institutional development planand theannualbudget programme. goals for theinstitution,including adoptingthemedium-term rector andchancellorofthe institution)sets long-term strategic delegated by theminister responsible for highereducation plusthe governance: afive-member body(three members Institutional responsibility for teaching andresearch decisions. for financial and economic decisions, while rectors retain final institution. Chancellors are executive headswithfinal responsibility appointed by thePrimeMinister ineachpublichighereducation all decisionsmadeby universities. Since2014, there is achancellor Chancellery previously,system: rectors hadfinal responsibility for established highereducational institutions. the necessary infrastructure to accommodate programmes of disadvantaged regions that offer nohighereducation. They provide advantaged regions: These centres are to beestablishedin Community-based highereducation study centres indis- programmes indualform. studies. In 2015, 19 higher education institutions launched 79 BSc salary isequalto theminimumwage for thewholeduration oftheir ment contract, duringwhichstudents receive asalary. Theirnet pany over thewholestudyprogramme. Thisisafixed-term employ ing system, students do22-24 weeks ofpractical training at acom- New practice oriented bachelorprogrammes: inthedualtrain- -

projects andacademic partnerships within Europe, andthroughout theworld. cooperation, offering anumber ofdoubleand joint degree programmes, R&D education institutionsbecomemore andmore active ininternational services, building capacities andacademic networks. Hungarian higher contribute to theincrease ofinternational mobility, withafocus onimproving ment strategies ofHungarian highereducation institutions. Theactivities Framework in2008. dation oftheEuropean Parliament to establishitsNational Qualifications Agencies inHigherEducation in2015. Hungary followed therecommen- Quality Assurance andintheInternational Network for Quality Assurance higher education institutionswas renewed by theEuropean Association of ing quality assurance andevaluating education andresearch programmes at membership oftheHungarian Accreditation Committee incharge ofprovid- ings, andHungarian degrees are ofinternationally recognised quality. The requirements for furtherstudyinanother. graduates coulduse priorqualifications inonecountry asacceptableentry proposing aEuropean HigherEducation Area (EHEA),inwhichstudents and Hungary was amongthe29states signingtheBolognaDeclaration in1999, PhD/DLA), according to MA/MSc, the objectivesBSc, of the Bologna Process. Internationalisation isalso becominganessential part of thedevelop- Hungarian institutionsachieved ahighpositioninmany university rank Hungarian tertiary education hasathree cycle degree structure (BA/ -

43 Studying in Hungary in Studying 44 Studying in Hungary www.studyinhungary.hu More information: decision –thelandwhere traditionally highrequirements meetnew ideas! tions for students wishing to come to Hungary. Choosing Hungary is a great fields students can choose from iswide: are very favorable whencompared to itscompetition.Therange ofstudy Source: Ministry of HumanCapacities Combined withreasonably low livingcosts, these provide optimalcondi- Natural Science • Sport Science • Teacher Training • Social Science • Engineering Science • Arts, Arts and Humanities, Arts Education • Medical and Health Science • Economic Science • Legal Science • Computer Science and Information Technology • Agricultural Science • The foreign language programmes are ofhighstandard andtuitionfees incoming international students from 25,000 to 40,000 by 2021. The aimofthegovernment isto raise thenumber of European Higher Education Area. qualifications inmany countries throughout the ing recognition oflearningachievements and teaching andassessment processes by facilitat- 2004. It ensures transparency of the learning, itially implemented intheacademic year 2003- is theonlyexisting credit system inHungary, in- The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) Credit System MA/MSc degree. MA/MSc master’s degree. Theprerequisite for entering doctoral courses isan requirement isto holdauniversity degree whichisequivalent to a Ifsomeone wishesto obtain aPhDdegree inHungary, the minimum PhDdegree oftheirBachelor’s diploma. In the case of Master’s degrees, applicants have to submit the photocopy Master’s degree andgrades. Somecourses may also require anentrance exam. into Hungarian orEnglishwiththecorresponding transcript ofcourses (orsecondary school leaving certificate), whichhas to betranslated Generally prospective students needto possess ahighschool diploma degree Bachelor’s prospective students mustdemonstrate that they meetcertainrequirements. In order to beadmitted to aHungarian highereducation institution, Entry andadmissionrequirements

45 Studying in Hungary in Studying 46

4 3 2 1 Studying in Hungary . theacademic period. thetuitionfee priorto theenrolment in transfer (partof) furthersteps. Fee-paying students are usuallyrequired to Ifyou are accepted, thecontact person willinform you about Wait toreceive confirmation from theuniversity thecollege andaskthemifthere isanything else you needto do. orsubmittherequired documents. Contact theuniversity or Fill intheonlineapplication form oftheprogramme. Thenupload Apply online therequired documents. Keep to thedeadline. for thedegree programme to whichyou are applying.Collect all Before you make adecision,always read theentry requirements Checkentry requirements and deadlines Read thedescription oftheselected programme(s). Visit thewebsite ofthechosen highereducation institution. Find your university andprogramme higher education institutions, in general the process should be the following. Although the application procedure for enrolment may vary at different Application process (forfee-paying students) tions. Always checktheentry requirements before applying. Theentry requirements can differ at certainhighereducation institu- ers itistypically required that they submitacopy oftheirpassport asproof. intermediate language certificate (B2 level) is sufficient. In case of native speak- students may beasked to provide proof oftheirEnglishskills. Generally, an of theentrance exam isto test andevaluate students’ Englishskills. Otherwise, In order to be admitted to an English-speaking program in Hungary, part . . . found atthe Study inHungary website. the universities for more precise A information. list of the universities can be stitutions websites. Itis highly recommended that you check the websites of These costs are based oninformation available atthe higher education in- enrolment. 150 Euro. In case of most institutions, the tuition fees must be paid prior to tion fee, exam fee andregistration fee, whichare typically between 100 and In additionto tuitionfees students are usuallyrequired to pay anapplica- typically between 1,500 EURand2,000 EUR/semester. Regarding International Relations programmes thepricesare lower, Hungary withanaverage of2,500 EUR/semester. Business Administration programmes usuallyhave lower tuitionfees in are similar, upto 3,300 EUR/semester. In case ofComputer ScienceandComputer ScienceEngineeringtheprices - 4,500 EUR/semester. Hungary. Dependingonthelevel ofstudytuitionfees are between 2,250 portation) are also amongst themostexpensive programmes offered in Engineering programmes (suchasMechanical, Electrical andTrans- tions withfees upto 8,500 EUR/semester. Generally, Medicine, Dentistry andPharmacyare themostexpensive op- zen ornon-EUcitizen). Bachelorprogrammes are generally less expensive. may also differ based onthecitizenship oftheprospective students (EUciti- Tuition fees vary depending on institution, programme andlevel ofstudy. It Tuition fees www.studyinhungary.hu

47 Studying in Hungary in Studying Hungarian Institutions of Higher Education An average student’s annual timetable

Autumn semester Spring semester Internationalisation is becoming an essential part of the development strat- Studying in Hungary First half of September: registration First half of February: registration egies of most Hungarian higher education institutions. As a result, they are and sig ning up for courses and signing up for courses becoming more and more active in international cooperation, offering a Second half of September to middle Second half of February to the fi rst number of double and joint degree programmes, R&D projects, and academic of December: term time half of May: term time partnerships within Europe and throughout the world.

Studying in Hungary Middle of December to beginning of Middle of May to the beginning of February: exam period July: exam period More information: www.studyinhungary.hu/study-in-hungary/menu/ Holidays universities.html Autumn break: end of Oc tober Winter break: end of December Spring break: Easter week

Useful Links

For more information about Hungarian higher education, please, visit the following websites: l Study in Hungary: www.studyinhungary.hu l Study in Hungary Facebook: www.facebook.com/studyinhungaryofficial l Ministry of Human Capacities: www.kormany.hu/en/ministry-of-human-resources l National Higher Education Information Centre: www.felvi.hu/for_foreigners l Hungarian Equivalence and Information Centre: www.naric.hu l Hungarian Accreditation Committee: www.mab.hu 48 49 50 Studying in Hungary A Few Highlights from the Extracurricular Programme: and Kodály Center, the state-of-the-art concerthallofthecity l l l skills: last one,there are even more opportunitiesto develop your communication both for the Semester programme and for the Intensive programme. At the If you attend at the language courses you will be awarded with ECTS credits, favourite state institutionsoffering Hungarian language courses. of Hungarian andgeneral language skills. We have listed some ofthemost available time you want to spend learning the language, your current level There are various optionsto studyHungarian inHungary, dependingonthe Learning Hungarian Discover the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter, a beautiful World Heritage Site, Explore Pécs, Cultural Capital ofEurope in2010 points. l l l l

after theexam, you willgain your well-deserved ECTS credit focusing oncommunication, 30 language lessons perweek, a placement test taken onthefirst day ofthecourse, five levels from beginner to advanced, summer andwinter. (www.isc.pte.hu) two-week-long intensive courses offered in organized inautumnandspring,withfour- and year. Twelve-week-long semester courses are Hungarian language courses throughout the The International StudiesCentre offers (ISC) International Studies Centre U niversity ofPécs, Medical School, U mountains courses respectively. (www.u-szeged.hu/english) programme. The workload equals12-9-6 ECTS credits for the4-3-2-week three-week module.We startbeginnercourses onlyat thebeginningof Hungarian language partners. There isalso apossibility to choose a two- or tain- ment andrecreational programmes aswell asregular contact with ous levels, cultural exposure incombination withacademic classes, enter- least four different levels. dents from 15-20 different countries whilerunninglanguage groups on at besides theculture classes. May. Duringthesemesters we have language classes onfive different levels middle ofDecember andfrom thebeginningofFebruary to themiddleof economics, sociology, current politicsandotherfieldsofthe social sciences. folklore andarts, we also extend oursyllabus towards Eastern-European cultural subjectssuchashistory, literature, modern times:besidesoffering traditional and interests of international students in our in English.We are aware ofthespecialneeds related to Hungary Europe andEast-Central garian language course, andvarious courses University ofSzeged offers intensive l l l l l niversity ofSzeged Practice your Hungarian withnative speakers invarious contexts Explore villages, town sand natural reserves inthesurrounding Mecsek Try outtraditional handicrafts Discover Hungarian folk musicandfolk dances Enjoy Hungarian andinternational gastronomy The four-week program inAugust includes language learningonvari- Our SummerSchoolwas founded in2001.We usuallyhave 50-60stu- We have semester programmes: from thebeginningofSeptember to the Hun-

51 Studying in Hungary in Studying 52 Studying in Hungary www.elte.hu/en/summer_university_hungarian andanexcursionBudapest, to Lake Balaton. including museum visits, dancehouse visits, sightseeing inandaround culture, arts, andhistory (8–10–12–16 classes), andcultural programmes, beginner to proficiency levels (60–90–120 classes), lectures onHungarian built upofthree main modules:intensive Hungarian language classes from on Hungarian language andculture. Thesummeruniversity programme is In thesummer, Eötvös Loránd University organizes asummeruniversity UniversitySummer of Hungarian Language andCulture www.elte.hu/en/content/language-courses.t.94?m=53 attend bothcourses inthesame semester. garian language andculture complement eachotherandthusitispossible to The General Hungarian language course andtheSpecialcourse onHun- Students get 3ECTS credits after successfully completingthecourse. Hungarian andforeign students. been developing andmaintaining these relations for thebenefitofboth has international relations with450universities allover theworld andhas versity hasgradually expanded andtoday itconsistsofeight faculties. ELTE teaching hascontinued uninterrupted sinceitsinceptionin1635. Theuni- Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) is Hungary’s oldest university, where Eötvös Loránd U niversity classes per week for aperiod of onesemester. has beendeveloped for oneortwo 90-minute spring andautumnsemesters. Thecurriculum 13-week courses startat thebeginningofboth es onHungarian language andculture. The Hungarian language courses and Special cours- The Department offers full-semester General Language courses classes. are offered onHungarian history andculture inaddition to regular language guages. During the summercourses, lectures teaching Hungarian aswell asforeign lan- staff whoare all recognised as experts in the experienced Debrecen SummerSchool students from 30-40countries are taught by summer school. Every year, more than 1,400 has grown to becomethebiggest Hungarian knowledge ofbothHungarian language andculture. through numerous links. Itsmission isto provide students withathorough independent institution, DSS is connected to the University of Debrecen in teaching Hungarian asaforeign language andHungarian culture. Asan Debrecen SummerSchool(DSS)isaneducation institutionspecializing SchoolSummer -Hungarian language for foreigners since 1927 U niversity ofDebrecen www.nyariegyetem.hu Established in1927, theSummerSchool

53 Studying in Hungary in Studying 54 Studying in Hungary Hungaricum Programme. can begin their studies in Hungary within the framework of the Stipendium each year. In theacademic year 2017/2018 approximately 3,500 students aged by Tempus PublicFoundation. of thesending partner. TheStipendiumHungaricum Programme isman- sidered eligibleiftheapplicant isnominated by theresponsible authorities partner’s Ministryresponsible for highereducation. Applications are con- agreements between theMinistryofHumanCapacities ofHungary andthe Hungarian highereducation institutions. all over theworld are ableto send theirstudents to Opening Policy”. Asaresult now 56partners from 2013 asapartoftheHungarian Government’s ”Global The StipendiumHungaricum Programme started in Stipendium Hungaricum programme Scholarship Programmes Thousands of students apply for higher educational studies in Hungary The Programme isbased oneffective bilateral educational cooperation How does the SHprogramme contribute to your professional development? Full timestudies: l Study fields supportedProgramme: by Hungaricumthe Stipendium tion:EUR100 for Doctoral: EUR 325 for BachelororMaster: EUR130 l l  l l l  l l l l l l l l l l l l l l

medical insurance accommoda- free dormitory placesorcontribution to private monthly stipend: no tuitionfee preparatory courses, specialisation courses) Non degree programmes (professional andlanguage Part-time studies One-tier programme (5years) PhD studies(doctoral, 3years) 1-2 years) (graduate, MA/MSc (undergraduate, 3-3.5BA/BSc years) Tourism, Recreation Technology, Engineering,Architecture Natural Sciences Law, SocialSciences IT, Computer Sciences, Mathematics Humanities, Education, Behavioural Sciences Medicine andHealth Sciences Business, Management andPublicAdministration Arts (visualandperforming) Agriculture, Natural Resources

55 Studying in Hungary in Studying 56 Studying in Hungary www.facebook.com/studyinhungaryofficial Official StudyinHungary Facebook page: www.studyinhungary.hu practical information about livinginHungary: programmes, description oftheHungarian highereducation system and Official multilingualportalabout available Hungarian scholarships, study www.stipendiumhungaricum.hu The official website oftheStipendiumHungaricum Programme: Contacts: gramme’s website: www.stipendiumhungaricum.hu Please keep yourself updated aboutthenewly joinedpartners onthepro- ing partners isexpanding every year. Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uruguay, Vietnam, Y Myanmar, Namibia, Palestine, Nigeria, Philippines, Tunisia, Serbia, Russia, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Macedonia,Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia,Morocco, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kurdistan Regional Government/ Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, China, Iraq, India, Georgia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Hungary’s network oftheStipendiumHungaricum Programme’s send- Argentina, Angola, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, BosniaandHerzegovina, Some of the expanding network of sending partners: emen demic term ortrimester) to amaximumof12months. for additionalfundingafter they have beenselected to studyabroad. and Master’s levels, aswell asDoctoral candidates. country withatraineeship to gain work experience. Y within Erasmus+ Programme countries andto andfrom Partner countries. ence andvolunteer abroad. opportunities for over 4millionEuropeans to study, train, gain work experi- creativity that they needinaknowledge-based society. Erasmus+ provides ou can also combine your periodspent studyingabroad inaProgramme Y Students withphysical, mental orhealth-related conditionsmay apply Opportunities to studyabroad are available to students at Bachelor’s Erasmus+ helps organise student and doctoral candidate exchanges our studyperiodabroad can lastfrom aminimumof3months (or1aca- citizens withtheeducation, skillsand Itaimsto equipEuropeanand sport. gramme for education, training, youth Erasmus+ is the European Union’s pro -

57 Studying in Hungary in Studying you can benefit from an exchange abroad with Erasmus+ multiple times, Central European Exchange Programme either as a student or as a trainee, but your total time abroad (study abroad for university Studies

periods included) may not exceed 12 months within one cycle of study. Studying in Hungary Erasmus+ is open to all learners and trainees in all EU Member States, CEEPUS Programme aims at promot- as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, EU candidate countries that ing teacher and student mobility in Central have a pre-accession strategy, and other countries in the Western Balkans. and South-East Europe. Students can spend a In addition, non-EU neighbouring countries are able to benefit from initia- study period abroad and teachers can undertake a teaching period at a

Studying in Hungary tives aimed at promoting youth activities as well as study and training op- partner university. These opportunities are designed to strengthen pro- portunities abroad. fessional and personal relationships among Central European scholars. In Hungary the programme is managed by Tempus Public Foundation. “During the first year Erasmus+ has proved a true success. The impressive number of participants is proof that the programme is making a difference in Member countries improving young people’s employment prospects, helping them acquire new Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech skills and experiences and supporting the modernisation of Europe’s educa- Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, tion, training and youth systems. We will continue to build on this popular- Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Kosovo. ity to reach out to more people with different interests, profiles and social backgrounds.” - Tibor Navracsics, EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Funding of the scholarship Youth and Sport. The funding of the programme is provided by the CEEPUS partner coun- tries. Students receive their CEEPUS grant from the host country; therefore, the amount is tailored to local living standards. Mobility takes place in the Source on the website of the European Commission: framework of networks. At least three partner universities/faculties/insti- www.ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus tutes are eligible to set up a network, out of which a minimum two must be from different CEEPUS countries. If you study at a university that does not participate in a CEEPUS network, you may join the programme as a freemover.

Note: The home institution has the right to stipulate any further requirements for selecting the students to study at a partner institution.

58 59 Studying in Hungary 61 employers employers Europlacement: www.europlacement.com/en/ Globalplacement: www.globalplacement.com/en/employers www.globalplacement.com/en/employers ErasmusIntern: www.erasmusintern.org/ www.erasmusintern.org/ International internships are becoming more and more popular as they popular and more becoming more are internships International internship in Hungary in Hungary internship vari- are There abroad. experience real-life with priceless students provide supports Erasmus+ instance, For in Hungary. do internships to ous options students for etc.) internships, placements, as work (such abroad traineeships coun- in the Programme institutions in higher education enrolled currently is opportunity this however, level; Master and Bachelor at be can Student tries. from take can abroad traineeship Erasmus candidates. doctoral open for also an in- seeking are If you a maximum of 12 months. to a minimum of 2 months websites: check the following may you in Hungary, opportunity ternship

15 June 31 October

Application deadlines for freemovers (only for the spring semester): (only for the spring for freemovers deadlines Application 30 November Application deadlines for network mobility: for network deadlines Application autumn semester: the For spring semester: the For Studying in Hungary in Studying 60 62 Studying in Hungary Hungary orAEGEE)viathelinks below. or with international organizations (such as Erasmus Student Network dents andscholarship holders. Ifyou are interested, get intouch with them Almost every Hungarian university hasitsown network to helpforeign stu- Student Networks Erasmus+ Students Network: www.aegee.org www.esn.org AEGEE Erasmus+ Students Network www.aiesec.org www.esn.hu inHungary: AIESEC inForMAtion PrACtiCAL 63 Practical Information 65

visas and residence permits issued by one of the Schengen States are are States one of the Schengen by permits issued and residence visas Hungary, for valid per- and residence abroad representations Hungarian by issued visas en- the for valid also are authorities national Hungarian by mits issued Area. Schengen tire Persons with the Right of Free Movement and Residence Movement of Free with the Right Persons 0 days 9 for a period not exceeding and residence of entry Right and and Liechtenstein) Iceland of the EEA (EU + Norway, Citizens document travel with a valid of Hungary the territory enter may Switzerland for a pe- residence of the right and have document cation identifi or personal of entry. the date from days 90 riod not exceeding Since December 21 2007, Hungary has been a member of the Schengen of the Schengen a member has been Hungary 2007, 21 December Since 22 states, 26 present, At in full. legislation Schengen applies the and Area, Iceland, as Norway, as well Union, of the European states of the 28 member On the oth- Area. part of the Schengen are and Switzerland Liechtenstein Cyprus, Bulgaria, i.e. Union, of the European members er hand, several cooperation. the Schengen in participate do not yet Croatia and Romania area. out the Schengen opted and Ireland Kingdom The United member- Schengen to Hungary’s subsequent changes cant Signifi ship are: States, all Schengen for appearance with the same designed sticker, The visa entry and visa The Schengen States”. Schengen for “valid the words bears a 180 within 90 days exceeding not stay a for only applicable are regulations in the laid down are 90 days exceeding stays to period. Rules relating days concerned. states of the member law national 64 66 Practical Information months. requirements shallhave theright ofresidence for aperiodexceeding three ment orpersonal identification document. certificate hasno expiry date, andis valid together witha valid travel docu- other document for theverification oftheirstudent status. The registration sent acertificate ofadmission issued by theeducation institution orany and Nationality. At thetimeofregistration, students shouldbeableto pre - dents have to register at theregional directorate oftheOfficeImmigration ited programmes. Within ninety-three days from the time of entry, such stu- three months ifthey are enrolled at aneducation institutionoffering accred- Right ofresidence foraperiodexceeding three months applicable EUlegislation oraninternational agreement– withavalid visa. a valid travel document and–unless otherwise prescribed by any directly Hungarian citizen or an EEA citizen may enter the territory of Hungary with of EEAstates butare citizens ofthird countries andfamily members ofa to stay longer thanthree months, they needto have avalid travel document, in the country of the applicant’s nationality. If third country nationals wish where thepermanent ortemporary residence oftheapplicant islocated or plication hasto besubmitted to theHungarian Consulate inthecountry Hungary, because inthiscase there isnoneedofgetting Thevisa avisa. ap- acquis. It is worth to check, if your country has a bilateral agreement with come from acountry that isundervisa obligation according to theSchengen of Hungary andalso for astay ofupto 90days withina180days periodifthey Third country nationals are required to have avisa for entering theterritory Third CountryNationals The spouse andchildren ofstudents whosatisfy theabove-mentioned Students who are EEA citizens can reside in Hungary for more than Family members oftheabove mentioned citizens whoare notcitizens requirements. nized higher education institution and can prove to meet the language skill participate inapreparatory course for studiesorganized by a state-recog- studies organized by a state-recognized higher education institution, or to formation system, orwishto stay inHungary inorder to carry on fulltime public educational institutionworking inlinewiththepubliceducation in- if they have fulltimelegal student relationship witharegistered Hungarian the competent regional directorate. Those already residing inHungary can submittheirapplication directly to ality and will be judged by the competent Hungarian regional directorate. idence oftheapplicant islocated orinthecountry oftheapplicant’s nation- Hungarian Consulate in the country where the permanent or temporary res- two years. Theapplication for aresidence permitshouldbesubmitted to the als to reside inHungary for aperiodofminimum90days butnotexceeding out healthcare services. Aresidence permitauthorizes third country nation- healthcare insurance orsufficient financial resources necessary for taking modation andenoughfinancial resources to cover theircostsplusafull able to verify thepurpose ofentry andstay, they shouldhave bothaccom- the necessary permitsfor return orcontinued travel andthey shouldbe

Students who are third country nationals can obtain a residence permit 67 Information Practical 68 Practical Information country. are granted thesame social andlabourrights asthecitizens ofthereceiving After 4 years, the card can be renewed for another 4 years. Blue Card holders Blue Card isvalid for aperiodofminimum1year andmaximum 4 years. enabling highly-skilled non-EU citizens to work and live TheEU EU-wide. theEUBlueCard,ometric document, awork permitandaresidence permit organization accredited inlinewithspecificlegislation. out aresearch project underahostingagreement concludedwitharesearch Researchers can get aresidence permitwhentheirpurpose ofstay isto carry Cases ofsingleapplication procedures: specific employer inthe territory ofHungary. try national to establishresidence andlegal employment relationship witha territory ofHungary onthebasisofhisapplication for more thanninety days. relationship ofthethird country nationals withaspecificemployer inthe cedure aimstheauthorization oftheestablishment ofalegal employment Since 1 For citizens ofthird countries, theImmigration Office issues a new bi- sued for family reunification, or isin possession of anEUBlue Card. ment relationship, andhe/she isinpossession ofaresidence permitis- In case thethird country nationals intends to establishalegal employ for family reunification, orsubmitsanapplication for EUBlue Card; ment relationship, andhe/she submitsaresidence permitapplication In case thethird country nationals intends to establishalegal employ gal employment relationship withaspecificemployer; for residence permitfor gainful activity aimstheestablishment ofale- In case thestay ofthethird country national submitting anapplication The singlepermitisaresidence whichentitles thethird permit, coun- st January 2014 asaresult oflaw changes asingleapplication pro - - -

you are allowed to use thefacilities oftheHungarian social security system. Based onthevalid agreement between thehostandhome universities, gramme or studyat astate-run institute, you are entitled to free medical care. pational activity. If you participate in an international student exchange pro- Those withjobs are insured inthecountry where they exercise theiroccu- rights andhave thesame obligations ascitizens ofthat given member state. state andare, from thepoint ofview ofsocial security, entitled to thesame the European Health Insurance Card whenthey are inanothermember First aidisfree for every foreigner. EUcitizens are insured onthebasisof Insurance yond theirterm-time orduringaperiodnotexceeding ninety days. maximum oftwenty-four hours weekly, andsixty-six working days be- as partofacooperation programme can work intheirterm-time for a Students from athird country carrying outregular studiesinHungary

69 Practical Information Practical 70 Practical Information If you arrive from athird country we recommend takingouthealthinsurance. Health Insurance Fund at acostof30%thelocal minimum wage. independent ofany you placement, can take outhealthinsurance withthe please contact the local Health Insurance Fund. If you study in Hungary In possession ofyour residence permitandyour attendance certificate, striction ofdenomination value. (Ifthevalue ofthecurrency brought inor HUF andotherconvertible currencies outofthecountry withoutany re- types offood are also forbidden to Y importorexport. It is, for example, forbidden to bringgunsinorthrough thecountry. Certain tries. It is, for example, forbidden to bringgunsinorthrough thecountry. These regulations are notvery different from therulesofotherEuropean coun- Customs Regulations ou may carry andtake ing your state grant. institution inquestionand(ifthisisastate scholarship) theletter confirm- can present your attendance certificate, your letter ofacceptancefrom the details. Whenyou submityour application for astudent ID, make sure you tion at whichthey are please, studying; contact your institutionfor further ID from theInternational Department ortheRegistrar’s Officeoftheinstitu- ship. Students planningto beginpartialstudiesusuallyreceive aHungarian Thiswillbeindicatedplaced asastudent. intheconditionsofyour scholar- accommodation, library memberships and will offer various other discounts. reductions ontrain andcoachtickets, museum entrance fees, Y ternational student IDpriorto your visitto Hungary. Thiswillentitle you to If you have astudent IDinyour own country, allyou need to doisobtain anin- Student ID help ofacustoms officeonce you are already inthecountry.the Hungarian Embassy can inform you aboutthese rules, oryou can request limit ofEUR15,000, thismustbedeclared at thecustoms office.) Every taken outthrough theexternal border oftheEuropean Union exceeds the A Hungarian student ID willbe supplied by theinstitute to which you are

outh Hostel 71 Information Practical 72 Practical Information formalities/embassies.html www.studyinhungary.hu/living-in-hungary/menu/ A listoftheEuropean Embassies inHungary: www.bmbah.hu Phone: +3614639100 Budafoki1117 Budapest, u.60. Office ofImmigration and Nationality www.en.nav.gov.hu Phone: +3614285100 Széchenyi1054 Budapest, u.2. National Tax andCustoms Office http://studyinhungary.hu/study-in-hungary/menu/scholarships Explore sources offundingfor your studiesinHungary: with Erasmus+, CEEPUS orEEAgrants. participate intheProgramme. Students from Europe can studyinHungary nents. Please visitthewebsite below andcheckwhetheryou are eligibleto ner countries are engaged intheprogramme throughout 4different conti - Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship. Currently more than 50 sending part- arships. For example, students from non-EU countries can apply for a Y Is there any scholarship available forforeign students? and otherforeign languages. Y Can Istudy inEnglishHungary? things-to-know-about-hungary/basic-information.html http://studyinhungary.hu/why-hungary/menu/ More information: Union since2004. Hungaryto thenortheast. hasbeenamember state oftheEuropean west, Slovenia to thewest, Austria to thenorthwest, andtheUkraine the north,RomaniaSerbiato tothesouth, theeast, Croatia to thesouth- situated intheCarpathian Basin.Hungary isbordered withSlovakia to Hungary isalandlocked country inCentral Europe. Thecountry is Where isHungary located? Frequently Asked Questions

es. Foreign students have theopportunity to studyinHungary withschol- es. There are more than550studyprogrammes offered inEnglish,German, 73 Information Practical 74 Practical Information http://studyinhungary.hu/study-in-hungary/menu/universities.html The listofHungarian universities isavailable here: eastern, western andsouthern partsofHungary as well. Foreign students are welcome butinthe to studynotonlyinBudapest, What kindofcultural and recreational activities are available there? Apart from Budapest, are there otheruniversity towns inHungary? Hungary inorder to study. Y Are there many international students at Hungarian universities? learning-hungarian.html http://studyinhungary.hu/study-in-hungary/menu/studying-in-hungary/ courses provided by Hungarian highereducation institutions: If you are interested inlearningHungarian, checkthefollowing linkfor heavily onsuffixes and prefixes. Furthermore, Hungarian isanagglutinative language, meaningthat itrelies vowels, for é,í,ó, instance:á, ö, ő, ú,ü,ű.InHungarian there isnogender. Hungarianof theLatin alphabet, uses several additionalletters, especially no similarity with Finnish or Estonian. In addition to the standard letters has followed avery different development path andnowadays shares almost language family together withFinnish andEstonian. However, Hungarian belong to theIndo-European language family, Hungarian ispartoftheUralic Hungarians call theirlanguage ‘magyar’. WhilemostEuropean languages is oneofthemost difficultlanguages? How difficultisittolearnHungarian? Why dopeople say Hungarian es. Annually, about25,000 foreign students from all over theworld arrive in

http://studyinhungary.hu/why-hungary/menu/university-towns.html If you would like to read more abouttheuniversity towns inHungary: current programme offers. It isworth visitingtheofficial websites oftheabove mentioned cities for ous cultural andleisure activities. Including,butnotlimited to: Universities anduniversity towns inthecountry-side also offer you numer- - In2017, the city ofGyőr hoststheEuropean Y - - - - City Award” in2017; Culture for 2010. Thecity was awarded „Global theUNESCO Learning the town ofPécs was selected asoneoftheEuropean Capitals of success; tional film festival hasbeenorganized every year since2004withhuge the Miskolc International Film Festival, Hungary’s leadinginterna- Festival; forms into ahuge open-air theatre to hosttheSzeged Open-Air in Szeged, every summer the square in front of the Cathedral trans- most popularcultural events inHungary; the Flower Carnival inDebrecen, whichisoneofthebiggest andthe outh OlympicFestival.

75 Information Practical Is it easy to travel around neighbouring countries of Hungary? How organized is urban public transport in Hungary? Hungary is situated in the heart of Central Europe. Capitals of Central Urban transport is well-developed in Hungary. Budapest has a network

European countries, like Vienna or Bratislava are easily accessible by train of several bus, tram- and trolleybus routes, as well as four metro lines. You Practical Information from Budapest. In Central Europe there are no big distances, therefore your must purchase transport tickets and validate them once aboard. If you travel trips should not take too long, a couple of hours only. The website of the without a ticket, you can be fined on the spot. Usually penalty fares are rather Hungarian State Railways is available in English; therefore, you can plan high, therefore do not forget to validate your ticket. Other university towns, your journey to the surrounding countries. such as Szeged, Miskolc and Debrecen have a tram system and all have a net- work of local buses as well. Practical Information Practical More information about international destinations is available at the web- site of the Hungarian State Railways (MÁV): How much money do you need (monthly) to live comfortably in Hungary? https://www.mavcsoport.hu/en/mav-start/domestic-travels/international- A Cost of Living Calculator is available for foreign students to inform them travel-information about prospective monthly expenses regarding accommodation, food, recre- ation and transportation on the Study in Hungary website. Prices are shown Is it difficult to visit other Hungarian cities by public transport? in different towns in various currencies (HUF, GBP, EUR, USD, JPY and Travelling within the country is very convenient. The country has a mod- CNY). ern and well-developed road system and an extended railway network. University towns can be reached on motorways or by train. Railway services Cost of Living Calculator: http://studyinhungary.hu/living-in-hungary/ are operated by the Hungarian State Railway, also known as MÁV. All main menu/your-costs-of-living.html cities are linked to each other, usually via Budapest. Regular coach services connect towns throughout the country. The national bus company is called Volánbusz.

More information about domestic destinations is available at the website of the Hungarian State Railways (MÁV): https://www.mavcsoport.hu/en/mav-start/domestic-travels/preparing- journey

Volánbusz: http://www.volanbusz.hu/en

76 77 78 Practical Information also provide access to religious food. is available. However bigger university towns, suchasDebrecen orSzeged halal food. Dueto itssize, Budapesthasthemostplaceswhere religious food Y Are there any Kosher orHalalrestaurants inHungary? which usuallylastsuntil theend ofFebruary. nights are longest at thistime.Heavy snowfalls are possible duringwinter, autumn, November israther rainy inHungary. ning ofNovember thetemperature falls significantly. As thelastmonth of are stillwarm butnotashotinthesummer. At theendofOctober, begin- in September in Hungary and officially starts on 23rd September, the days is thewarmest month withanaverage temperature of21°C. Autumn begins warm andthenights are cool.Summerofficiallystartson22nd June. July the mostpleasant weather isbetween May andSeptember, whendays are tation occurs inlate springandearlysummer(May andJune). Generally, to 21°CinJuly. Springofficiallystartson21st March. Mostofthe precipi- winters are fairly cold.Average temperatures range from -1 °CinJanuary ferences intemperature between thefour seasons: summers are while hot, perate zone and has a relatively dry continental climate. There are big dif mountain ranges, theAlpsandCarpathians. Thecountry isinthetem- Hungary isprotected from extreme weather conditionsby thesurrounding What’s theweather like inHungary? es, there are numerous restaurants and supermarkets selling kosher and Winter officiallystartson21stDecember. The days are shortest andthe - 6 5 4 3 2 1 ...... Career Centre ofyour hostinstitution. or duringaperiodnotexceeding ninety days. twenty-four hours a week, and sixty-six working days beyond their term-time of acooperation programme can work intheirterm-time for amaximumof Students from athird country carrying outregular studiesinHungary aspart staff assist you in getting ajob? Is itpossibletowork alongside university studies? Cantheuniversity tion-wide. In addition,wholegrain products have becomemore andmore popularna- For instance,awiderange ofmilksubstitute products are available instores. trends. Y Just like otherEuropean countries, Hungary hascaught upwithhealthy food Is itpossibletokeep agluten-free orlactose-free dietinHungary? specialize intheneedsofvegetarians orvegans. in Hungarian cuisine and are popular. There are several restaurants, which tato, cauliflower, cheese, mushroom orzucchini.Saladsare also well-known or animalproducts. There are numerous Hungarian dishesprepared withpo- you would besurprised how easy itisto findplaces to eat well withoutmeat Although Hungarian cuisineisfamous for itsgoulash andbeingmeat-based, Can Iget vegetarian /vegan foodinHungary? For career guidanceandcounselling, please contact theCareer Officeor

ou can buygluten andlactose-free products inmostsupermarkets. 79 Information Practical 80 Practical Information . Check thebasicinformation abouttheweather ofHungary, 6. Plan your arrival, checkthewebpage of 5. Google your prospective university 4. If itispossible, askfor amentor/tutor/buddy at your institution 3. Attend thewebinars organized 2. Contact theInternational Alumni Volunteers for more information 1. from international students Before Arrival –recommendations pack diff erent clothes! the local publictransport provider. and university town. or contact local Erasmus Student Network. by Tempus PublicFoundation. and theirexperiences aboutHungary and university life. 12. Try local food. you will notregret it! 11. Explore your city! 10. BUBIinBudapest) Buy abike orcheckwhethercommunity bikes (like 9. If you lose your passport you can contact your Embassy inBudapest. 8. Always bring your insurance card with you when travelling in case of 7. Always checktheexpiry date ofyour residence permitand arrange 6. The initialmedical check-up isnecessary. Iflater there issomething If available,5. tryto jointheHungarian class to enhancethedailyroutine 4. Use thefi rst coupleof weeks to meetnew people. Try to communicate 3. Visit your international coordinator, checkthat everything isOKwith 2. In case you have already missed theorientation week, go to theinter- 1. Don’t miss theorientation week, itisvery helpful! from international students After Arrival –recommendations

make sure thevalidity covers thetravel. when you want to travel to anotherSchengen country, you have to an appointment to applyfor anew residence permitcard. Especially are available inyour university town. able ontheirwebsite. The address, telephone numbers andworking hours are usually avail- in Hungarian. your documents. fore any real emergency occurs. check-up. Becomeacquainted withthedoctor-visiting procedure be- wrong, you can go backandvisittheGPwhocarried outyour initial emergency. tion. national offi ceof yourinstitutionandaskaboutthemissed informa- more withprofessors andclassmates, too. 81 Information Practical eVerYdAY LiFe

83 Public Transport

Budapest has an effi cient network of public transport, including bus, trolley Everyday Life bus, tram, metro services plus suburban railway lines called HÉV lines and boat services. Passes are available for various lengths of time (eg. monthly) and are valid for each form of transport – metro, bus, tram, trolleybus, boat – within the boundaries of Budapest. Single tickets that can be used on any form of trans- port are also available at metro sta- tions or street kiosks. They are valid for a single journey without transfer on the whole length of a line (within the boundaries of Budapest), which means multiple tickets are needed when your journey involves changes. Bus drivers on specifi c routes do sell tickets but passengers need to prepare exact amounts as no change will be given back. If one regularly uses public transport, it is economically more viable to buy a monthly or yearly pass. Students are entitled to reduced rates. For current ticket types and prices, visit: www.bkk.hu.

Public transport fare reductions for students Holders of a valid student card are entitled to fare reductions. The reduc- tions currently available for students are as follows: l 63% discount on monthly pass for public transport in Buda pest. l 50% discount on travelling by train. l 50% discount on HÉV and boat fares.

85 Trains Most train lines in Hungary use Budapest as a central point, which is the most common place for transfers. Although the train network has lines connecting Everyday Life cities and towns, to reach your final destination quickly, it is sometimes faster to travel through Budapest. Budapest has three major train stations: the Eastern Railway Station (Keleti pályaudvar)­ and the Southern Railway Station (Déli pályaudvar), both of which are situated at stops along metro line M2 (Red Line), and the Western Railway Station (Nyugati pályaudvar), which is situated on metro line M3 (Blue Line). Metro Budapest metro has four lines l M1: the Yellow Line between Vörösmarty tér and Mexikói út. In fact, this was the first subway line in Mainland Europe, and was opened in 1896 for the Hungarian Millennium. l M2: the Red Line between Déli pályaudvar and Örs vezér tere. l M3: the Blue Line between Újpest Központ and Kőbánya-Kispest. l M4: the Green Line between Kelenföld vasútállomás and Keleti pálya­udvar. Metro services run from 4:30 until 23:30.

HÉV The suburban train service of Buda­pest called HÉV connects Budapest with its suburban areas. HÉV lines are also numbered: H5, H6, H7, H8, H9.

If you leave the administrative border of Budapest, you need to purchase a spe- Stadler FLIRT railcar cial ticket to your destination. Coaches Buses If you travel outside Budapest, you can also take a coach. Coach drivers sell Budapest has more than 200 bus routes covering most inner city and subur- tickets on the coach, but to secure seat reservations, the tickets should be ban areas. Some routes offer an express service, indicated with an E following purchased in advance. the bus number.

86 87 Boat services Budapest has 3 public boat lines: l D-11: Müpa, Nemzeti Színház –Újpest, Árpád út Everyday Life l D-12 and D-13: Müpa, Nemzeti Színház–Rómaifürdő Please check the timetable for boat services on BKK’s website: http://www.bkk.hu/en/timetables

By car Visitors don’t need a Hungarian driving license to drive in Hungary but they need to keep all car documents, their driving license and passport with them. If they are stopped by a traffi c warden or a police offi cer, some form of identifi cation including these documents will have to be presented and driving without any documents is an off ence. Speed limits in Hungary vary according to road types. In urban areas the speed limit is 50 km per hour, on highways it is 90 km per hour. If you drive on a motorway, the speed limit is 130 km per hour and you have to buy a motorway vignette. you can get it mainly at petrol stations. It costs HUF 2,975 per week for passenger cars. Renting a car is also possible if you are 21 years old or older and have had your driving license for at least a year. Most car suppliers require an inter- Coach stations in Budapest: national driving license as well. Hungary has a zero tolerance policy towards a drink-driving off ence. l Stadionok | Budapest District 14, Hungária kör út 48-52. (on metro line M2) | Coach de par tures to eastern Hungary. Taxi l Árpád-híd | Budapest District 13, Árbóc u. 1-3. (on metro line M3) | Coach When taking a taxi, tourists should avoid hailing unmarked taxi cabs. Even if departures to Pilisvörösvár and Szent endre. they have a taxi sign on the roof and are seen standing at taxi ranks, do not get l Népliget | Budapest District 9, Üllői út 131. (on metro line M3) | Coach in the car unless they have a company name on the outside of the car. you can services to Trans da nu bia and international coach services. always hail a taxi in the streets but it is cheaper to book one over the phone. l Etele tér | Budapest District 11, (take Bus 7E to get here) | Depar tures From September 2013 every taxi is uniformly yellow in Budapest. to Biatorbágy, Érd, and Százha lom bat ta. l Széna tér | Budapest District 1, (take Tram 4 or 6 to get here) | De- partures to Zsámbék and the Zsámbék area.

88 89 Currency Accomodation

Forint (HUF) has been the local currency in Hungary since August 1946. It There are several kinds of accommodation alternatives in Hungary but the Everyday Life was named after the city of Florence, where golden coins had been minted cheapest one should be a dormitory belonging to the students’ homes sec- since 1252. tion of the university you attend. One advantage is that it is cheap, it is an easy way of making friends and it provides you with the facility of regular Change 1 partying. l 1.0 USD = 274 HUF On the other hand, renting an apartment is a more feasible option if l 1.0 EUR = 310 HUF you prefer privacy. You can rent a room at about HUF 25,000 a month. But l 1.0 GBP = 347 HUF renting a whole flat is also an option to follow. It is more expensive but a flat l 1.0 CNY = 40 HUF share will reduce your costs. We are talking about HUF 60,000–HUF 80,000 l 1.0 JPY = 2,5 HUF a month plus overhead. Renting a flat outside the capital is always cheaper, l 1.0 RUB = 4,8 HUF depending on the location of the university you attend.

Banknotes come in denominations of 500; 1,000; 2,000; 5,000; 10,000 and 20,000. All of them are watermarked, contain an embedded vertical security strip of thin metal and are designed to be suitable for visually impaired in- dividuals. Six different coins are in use: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 forint coins.

You can also open a bank account as the non-residential account service is designed especially for foreign nationals. All you need is your passport. You can open a HUF account or any other currency account.

1: The exact datas were valid in 2017 June 90 91 Shopping and Cost of Living Here is a list of essential items to give you an idea of prices in Hungary: l lone litre of milk: HUF 220 ≈EUR 0.7 Most stores are open from Monday till Friday between 10:00–18:00 or 19:00 l lone small bottle of beer: HUF 300 ≈ 1 Everyday Life and on Saturday between 10:00–14:00. Shopping centres have longer open- l lone bottle of red table wine: HUF 600–1,500 ≈EUR 2–5 ing hours, from Monday till Sunday between 10.00–20.00. l lone litre of petrol: HUF 350 ≈EUR 1.13 Stores of the following chains can be found in most cities in Hungary: l lone litre of bottled water: HUF 75–150 ≈EUR 0.24–0.5 Aldi, CBA, Lidl, Spar and Tesco. l lone loaf of bread: HUF 270 ≈EUR 0.87 Food shops are open Monday–Saturday 7.00–18.00. There are many markets in Budapest and in other towns. These are the best places to buy It’s worth to visit www.studyinhungary.hu/living-in-hungary/menu/your- fresh vegetables and fruit. The renovated Nagycsarnok (Central Market costs-of-living.html page, to easily calculate your costs, in the biggest Hungarian Hall) on Fővám tér is Budapest’s finest one. In Nagycsarnok, there are some cities. quite good food stalls on the upper floor serving everything from Chinese spring rolls to enormous German sausages. Communication There are summer and winter sales periods, when you can buy high- quality clothes at a reasonable price. Phones The minimum wage in Hungary is HUF 105,000 (EUR 350), which al- Hungary’s country code is 36. To make a long distance call within Hungary, lows for a very modest living. To be able to pay your rent, buy proper food you have to dial 06 followed by the area code, then the actual number. ‘Green and afford an occasional evening out, you need more money than this: a mini- numbers’ starting with 06 80 are free of charge, while calling ‘blue numbers’ mum of HUF 120,000 (EUR 400) is necessary. (starting with 06 40) entails a local call charge. There are three service mobile providers: Telekom, Telenor and Vodafone, whose networks can be accessed all over the country. They all offer prepaid cards, which you can buy at newsstands, post offices and petrol stations.

Postal services There are numerous post offices throughout the country. Opening hours vary, depending on office locations. In Budapest, the Central Post Office is situated near the Western Railway Station and is open weekdays from 7.00 to 20.00, and from 8.00 to 18.00 on Saturdays. The post office near Keleti Railway Station (Baross tér 11/C) is open 0-24 hours. Mail boxes are red and bear the word: ‘Posta’.

92 93 Besides mailing your letters at a post offi ce, this is also a place where you And if you feel like having a drink after a can pay your bills, transfer money, send faxes, buy phone cards, order a news- good meal, taste one of the fi ne Hungarian paper or open a PO box if you do not have a permanent address. wines. Hungary has 22 wine regions, and Everyday Life www.posta.hu the most well-known among foreigners are the Tokaj, Villány, Balaton Highland and internet Eger regions, but it is also worth visiting There are plenty of possibilities to access the Internet in Hungary. To help other regions for their local special wines. you check your e-mail or surf the net wifi access is off ered in many cafés, Typical wine types of the country are hotels, bookstores and public buildings. Almost every university campus has kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch), olaszrizling its own wifi hotspots. (Welsh Riesling), zöldveltelini, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. Hungarians Hungarian Cuisine like drinking fröccs especially in summer, which is white or rosé wine mixed with Hungarian cooking is actually quite diffi cult to defi ne. It frequently uses fresh sodawater, also known as wine spitzer. If you like short drinks, you paprika, black pepper and onion. Potatoes are also commonly used in many should not miss the famous Unicum and pálinka, either. types of meal. There are two remarkable elements of Hungarian cuisine that locals take no or little notice of but which seem quite unusual to foreigners. One is known as “főzelék” (various vegetables prepared in a special way, Typical dishes you should try while in Hungary: served cooked and bearing some similarity to a very thick soup) and the oth- er one is soup itself prepared in diff erent kinds of ways. Hungarian cuisine gulyásleves (goulash soup), húsleves (meat soup), halászlé (fi sh soup), off ers a bunch of soups from vegetables or meats or both. These soups come hideg meggyleves (cold sour cherry soup), Jókai bableves (bean soup Jókai in creamy types, as fresh fruit soups and also as heavy meat soups. style), Hortobágyi palacsinta (pancake fi lled with meat),túrós csusza In Hungary, a typical breakfast may consist of fresh bread, cold sausage type (pasta with cottage cheese), töltött káposzta (stuff ed cabbage), pörkölt minced meat products (such as kolbász or szalámi), some vegetables or jam. (stew made of diff erent kinds of meat),lecsó (stewed onions, tomatoes and Lunch is the major meal of the day, usually consisting of three courses: soup peppers), paprikás krumpli (potatoes with paprika), mákos guba (dump- is followed by a main dish and a dessert. What is locally referred to as ‘salad’ lings with poppy seed), szilvás gombóc (dump lings fi lled with plum),Dobos is absolutely diff erent from your notion of salad in that it usually means torta (chocolate cake with a special caramel top on it), rétes (strudel), sza- pickled vegetables eaten along with the main course (in Hungarian these are loncukor (special Christ mas sweet), bejgli (Christmas cake fi lled a with wal- called “savanyúság”). Green salad is not part of the traditional Hungarian nut or poppy seed fi lling),túró rudi (sweet curd bar coated with chocolate), cuisine. Normally, dinner is far less signifi cant a meal than lunch. It is a bit lángos (Hun garian fried bread), pogácsa (small savoury biscuits) and the list like breakfast, consisting mainly of a cold meal. is endless in fact.

94 95 electricity Electricity in Hungary is the standard European 220 volts, with the plug having two round prongs and generally recessed sockets. Everyday Life

Medications The Hungarian word for pharmacy is ‘Gyógyszertár’ or ‘Patika’. Pharmacies in Budapest are generally marked by green signs or a fl ashing cross. Opening

szilvás gombóc lángos hours may vary from pharmacy to pharmacy, but usually they are open till 7 pm or 8 pm on weekdays. Drug stores, like DM and Rossman carry a mini- mum amount of light medicines, for instance pain killers. Mákos guba (dumplings with poppy seed ) driving INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4 PEOPLE): Hungarians drive on the right side of the road. Speed limits are defi ned and posted in kilometres-per-hour: 6-8 dry crescent rolls or croissants 1 tablespoon butter Urban areas: 50km/h (30mph) half litre of milk 50-70 poppy seed (without sugar) Rural areas: 110 km/h (68 mph) or 90 km/h (55 mph) 2 egg yolks app. 10 tablespoon of honey Motorways: 130 km/h (80 mph) 2 oz sugar 1 lemon peels Hungary has a zero-tolerance for driving under the infl uence of alcohol. 1 vanilla stick Police often conduct routine roadside checks to check the drivers’ identity documents and the vehicle registration and roadworthiness documentation. Slice up the crescent rolls or croissants, and leave them to dry. Boil the milk. When it is suspected that someone is driving under the infl uence of alcohol, Mix the egg yolks with the 2 oz sugar, and pour the mixture to the boiling milk. breathalysers can be applied by police offi cers. Add some of the seeds inside the vanilla stick. If the milk is boiling, fi nish boi- Sometimes parking can be challenging as it is diffi cult to fi nd a suitable place ling and let it cool. Grease a tin with butter, and pre-heat the oven (180 °C). Dip for your car. There are diff erent parking zones. If you have questions regard- the pieces of the croissants in the milk, but just for a short while, and then ing a foreign driving licence, please visit the following website: place them on the bottom of the tin. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, and pour 2 or www.kekkh.gov.hu/en/ 3 tablespoons of honey on it. Repeat the whole procedure at least two times, and cover the cake with poppy seeds and honey. Put it in the oven and bake it for 20 minutes at 180 °C. Now you can enjoy your mákos guba.

96 97 How to pay in Hungary Culture Although large shops in the touristic areas accept credit cards, in case of smaller shops or markets it is better to pay in cash. Make sure you have If you want to enjoy Hungarian culture, rich cultural life awaits for you in Everyday Life enough forints in your wallet. every town, especially in the capital. MasterCard and Visa are the most widely accepted cards, while some other cards, including American Express, may incur a surcharge when used at cer- Cinema Everyday Life Everyday tain retailers. Besides Hollywood movies, Hungary offers a wide selection of art films from ATMs can be found everywhere, including the airport. People can imme- all over the world. You can choose from various films, dubbed or subtitled, diately withdraw cash from their overseas bank accounts, however a with- depending on your knowledge of foreign languages. drawal fee might be charged. Theatre Tipping There is a very rich and active theatre life throughout the country. The sea- Hungarians normally give tips when eating out, having a drink at a bar, or son starts in September and ends in May. To be on the safe side, you should when using a taxi. book your tickets well in advance for the play of your choice. Restaurants: All tips should be left in cash. The tipping etiquette is Plays in foreign languages are regularly staged at the following theatres: 10% in case of a proper service. However, many restaurants include an ex- l Átrium Film & Theatre: www.atriumfilmszinhaz.hu tra charge made for serving customers in the total, therefore check your bill l Deutsches Theater Budapest: www.deutschestheater.hu prior to paying. In that case, you do not have to leave any extra tip. l Pécsi Horvát Színház – Croatian Theatre in Pécs: www.horvatszinhaz.hu Taxis: Taxi service is also up to 10%, when the service was satisfying. Classical ballet and contemporary dance are both widely appreciated in Hungary. If you like dance, you should not miss the performances of Győri Balett (Győr Ballet) or Pécsi Balett (Pécs Ballet), or those performed by the ensemble led by Pál Frenák or Yvette Bozsik.

Going to the Opera House (www.opera.hu) at least once is a must. Not just because of the imposing building itself, but also for the high quality per- formances.

Museums and Art Galleries The best places to learn about Hungarian culture, art and history are exhibi- tions. Museums are open from 10 am to 6 pm, and are usually closed on

98 99 Mondays. If you use your student ID, you will be entitled to a discount from l Palace of Arts: www.mupa.hu/en the ticket price. Concerts, exhibitions, performances: you name it, they have it! It hosts the National Concert Hall, the Ludwig Museum and the Everyday Life Here is a list of some of the most famous museums in Budapest: Festival Theatre. l Museum of Fine Arts: www.szepmuveszeti.hu  Sculptures, paintings and drawings from ancient Egypt to Modern Arts l Hungarian National Gallery : www.mng.hu/en Largest public collection of fine arts in Hungary l Museum of Ethnography: www.neprajz.hu Exhibitions on folk traditions l Hungarian National Museum: www.hnm.hu Archaeological, historical, ethnic relics on the history of the people of the Carpathian Basin l Museum of Applied Arts : www.imm.hu National Theatre and Palace of Arts (MÜPA) Beautiful collection of Hungarian works of applied art from the 19th century to the present Dance Houses, Community and Cultural Centres l Kunsthalle: www.mucsarnok.hu The dance house movement started in the 1970s with the aim of preserving Hungary’s largest exhibition place of contemporary art traditional­ folk music and dance. Given that this is a shortcut to understand- ing other nations without even speaking the language, dance houses are quite popular among foreigners. Community and cultural centres offer various kinds of programmes to please everyone: clubs, workshops, concerts, sports, etc.

Museum of Fine Art

100 101 international Cultural institutes

If you miss your home country and start to feel homesick, here is a list of international cultural institutes in Hungary.

www.studyinhungary.hu/living-in-hungary/menu/ culture.html

News, culture and social media Mini diCtionArY

you can browse any news portal, while youtube and social media web- sites are also freely accessible in Hungary, including international profi les. For non-Hungarians there are also some local newspapers available in for- eign languages, such as the Budapest Times in English, Budapester Zeitung in German or Le Journal Francophone de Budapest in French. And in case you can’t go without them, the best-known international newspapers and magazines are also available at major newsstands and foreign-language bookshops. To keep up-to-date with what there is to do and see in Hungary, pick up a copy of Funzine, an English-language programmes and events magazine, or read it online. It is free and available at many hotels, restaurants, clubs, cafés and universities.

102 103 Mini Dictionary 105

PRONOUNCIATION ser-wus, see-ya ser-wus, hodj vadj jol koes-oe-noem mi a neve(d) a nevem oerueloek hodj mcish- merteleck/mcismer- tem reggelt you naapot you ashtate you eighsackaat you weesontlatashra nahpot seiyp nem eir-tem megishmateelnai(d) angohlool besail(s) nametewl/frantsioul? kerewl Manyeebe bo-tsha-nat koesoenoem seret-neh / seretnail soleni townt velem eegen nem kayrem seretlek -

HUNGARIAN Szervusz, Szia Szia Szervusz, van? vagy? / Hogy Hogy jól. Köszönöm, Mi a neve(d)? A nevem... is meg Örülök, hogy mer te lek/megismer- mer te tem reggelt! Jó napot! Jó estét! Jó éjszakát! Jó Viszontlátásra! napot! Szép értem. Nem Megismételné(d)? / angolul Beszél(sz) németül / franciául? ez? kerül Mennyibe Bocsánat Köszönöm Szeretnél/Szeretne táncolni velem? Igen Nem Kérem Szeretlek Mini Dictionary Mini ENGLISH For everyday use everyday For Hello you? are How ne, thanks. fi I’m name? your What’s name is... My meet you to Pleased Good morning ! Good afternoon! Good evening! Good night! Goodbye! a nice day! Have understand. I don’t again that say Please speak English / Do you Ger man/ French? much is this? How Sorry Thank you to like you Would dance with me? yes No Please you I love 104 106 Mini Dictionary beer water juice pastry, cake salad soup appetizer Can Iget thebill please? menu café Restaurant square street south north west east Where can Ibuyticket? ticket ticket office airport bus stop railway station Can Iget aticket to…? When doesitleave? underground train tram bus car Transport, travelling sör víz gyümölcslé sütemény saláta leves előétel Kérhetném aszámlát? étlap kávéház tér utca dél észak nyugat kelet Hol lehetjegyet venni? jegy jegypénztár repülőtér buszmegálló pályaudvar Kérek egy jegyet... Mikor indul? földalatti, metró vonat villamos busz autó shoer veez djuemoeltslae shuete-meign shalighta levesh eloe-ateel ceirhatname asomelight atelap kaavay-haas tare ootsa dale az-suck njoogat kelet hole lehetyedjet venni yedj yedjpainztaar repewloetare boosmeg-ilow paayaoodvar ceireck edjyedjet meekor indool metro vonaat villamosh boos auto Wednesday Tuesday Monday Days oftheweek Help! police fire department ambulance hospital pharmacy doctor Emergency entrance fee ticket museum cinema theatre Entertainmnet stamp postcard parcel recorded mail letter Post office tea coffee wine szerda kedd hétfő Segítség! rendőrség tűzoltóság mentő kórház gyógyszertár orvos belépődíj jegy múzeum mozi színház bélyeg képeslap csomag ajánlott levél levél tea kávé bor serdah kedd hate-foe sheigeetsheig rendoersheig tewzalltoe-shaag mentoe corehaas djodj-sertaar orvosh belape-oedeey yedj moozheum mozy seenhaas beigh-yeg cape-ashlaap tshomaag ayaanlotte leveil leveil tea-a kae-weigh bor

107 Mini Dictionary Mini About TPF 109 About Tempus Public Foundation Public Tempus About is a (TPF) Public Foundation Tempus established organization t non-profi Government. Hungarian the by in 1996 of inter- include the management Its tasks TPF acts as the National Agency of Erasmus+ programme and also and also programme of Erasmus+ Agency TPF acts as the National cooperation, in international TPF is involved centre, As a knowledge ducation, training and human resources development, and the strengthening development, and human resources training ducation, of European dimensions in these fi elds. fi dimensions in these of European and ACES Mundi, Pestalozzi EEA, Campus CEEPUS, coordinates and runs the programmes Citizens for Europe It hosts the programmes. Centre. Europass National structured a in policies training and education on information provides tai- training and skills development management project ers and off form, c needs. specifi learners’ to lored national cooperation programmes and special projects in the fi eld of education, eld of education, in the fi and special projects programmes cooperation national international encouraging TPF aims at issues. and EU-related training of improvement and quality the modernization mobility; and cooperation e tsuetoertoek paintek sombaat vashare-naap edj ket-toe haarom nedj oet haat hate njolts keelents tease hoos harmeants nedjven oetven haatvaan hetvan njoltsvaan kewl-antsvan saaz ezer csütörtök csütörtök péntek szombat vasárnap egy kettő három négy öt hat hét nyolc kilenc tíz húsz harminc negyven ötven hatvan hetven nyolcvan kilencven száz ezer

Numbers One 1 2 Two 3 Three 4 Four 5 Five Six 6 7 Seven 8 Eight Nine 9 10 Ten 20 Twelve 30 Thirty 40 Fourty 50 Fifty 60 Sixty 70 Seventy 80 Eighty 90 Ninty 100 Hundred 1000 Thousand Thursday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Mini Dictionary Mini 108 Enjoy your stay! European Structural and Investment Funds

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