Medical programs in Hungary are established for many years and thanks to student-friendly visa politics, there are students coming from all over the world. General medicine program takes 6 years (12 semesters), dental medicine takes 5 years (10 semesters). The degree is recognized in most countries of the world (automatically in the European Union and dependant upon the decision of the given ministry of education outside of the European Union). As Hungary is internationally popular among students from all over the world, the living costs are higher compared to the Czech Republic or Slovakia, but 800-850€ per month is satisfactory.
An application procedure is straightforward – you submit documents, wait for the written entrance exam and if you pass, got invited for an oral interview with the professor. An entrance exam is a multiple choice test with individual conditions for each medical university in Hungary.
There are four medical universities in Hungary that offer program of General medicine and Dental medicine.
a) Semmelweis University in Budapest
b) Medical University in Debrecen
c) University of Pecs
d) Medical University in Szeged
Semmelweis University – Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of dentistry
Semmelweis University is a well-known university providing medical courses for international students. According to the World University ranking, it is on the 400th to 500th rank worldwide, as per Shanghai Rating it is in TOP 1000 universities.
The test consists of questions from Medical biology, Medical chemistry, General English and Biomedical English. Each test has 20 questions with only one answer which is correct. Students who will pass the written exam will be invited for oral exam focused on the applicant’s professional attitude, affinity, and motivation towards medical sciences. Faculty offers education in 3 languages (English language, Hungarian and German – called Asklepios). The German program is running since 1983, English program since 1989. Students come from 70 countries, mostly from Germany, Norway, Iran but also from Mongolia, Vietnam or Yemen.
General medicine is provided by the Faculty of medicine which is the oldest faculty of medicine (running since 1769). Currently, the faculty has over 50% of international students. Tuition fees are 9100USD per one semester, with extra fees for retaking of exams, etc.
Dental medicine is offered by the Faculty of Dentistry. Tuition fees are 9100USD per semester with extra fees for retaking fees etc.
More details on English medical programs: https://semmelweis.hu/english/education/english-language-program/
University of Debrecen – Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Dentistry
University has 27.000 students from over 110 countries (5600 of them are international students). Dormitories for students are located directly at the campus. The history of the university goes back to 1538. The university ranks at 530th position as per QS World University Ranking and in 150-200th according to European Teaching Ranking 2019. It offering program General medicine and Dental medicine, as well as a premedical program from January to July (subjects Biology, Chemistry, and Physics). All students who completed secondary school are eligible to participate in the admission process.
The entrance exam has 2 parts – written and oral. A written test (comprised of multiple-choice questions, definitions, calculations, etc.) costs from questions from Biology (compulsory for all) and Chemistry or Physics (the applicant’s choice). Each written test takes 50 minutes. The oral part is then conducted from Biology, Physics, and Chemistry.
University offers a General medicine program (6 years / 12 semesters). It costs 16,900USD for one year. It is taught by the Faculty of medicine.
Dental medicine program takes 5 years (10 semesters) and costs 17.500USD for one academic year. The program is taught by the Faculty of Dentistry.
You can also watch the presentation from the open day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=tIflTYCjtwI&feature=emb_title&ab_channel=CoordinatingCenterforInternationalEducation
University of Pecs – Faculty of medicine and Faculty of Dentistry
University in Pecs is one of the biggest in Hungary with 22.000 students. As per QS ranking, it was on 651th to 700th ranking, similarly to The World University Ranking between 601th to 800th place worldwide. The international program started in 1984 with the first graduates in 1990. University of Szeged offers various interesting programs in the English language: General medicine, Dentistry, Biotechnology, Pharmacy. Apart from it, there are also preparatory courses for those, who would like to improve their knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics and English before the standard classes. The basic requirement is the completion of secondary school and strong knowledge of Biology and Chemistry. It is recommended to start with studies max 2 years after graduation, otherwise, University is suggesting to take part in the preparatory course.
The entrance exam has 2 parts – written and oral. The written test contains multiple-choice questions in Biology (20 questions), Chemistry (20 questions), General English (40 questions) and Medical English (20 questions). Those who pass the written part need to have oral interview with professor. Exam is from Biology and Chemistry.
The program of General medicine takes 6 years (12 semesters) and yearly 180 places are offered. Tuition fees are 16750 USD for one year.
Program of Dental medicine takes 5 years with a price of 17350USD for one academic year. The degree is recognized in the EU, USA, Canada or Israel.
Website of the Faculty: https://aok.pte.hu/en
Flyer: https://aok.pte.hu/docs/felvi/file/admission_bulletin.pdf
Szeged University – Faculty of medicine and Faculty of Dentistry
The University of Szeged is an established institution with a long tradition. It offers not only medical programs (General medicine and Dental medicine), but also Pharmacy, Nursing, Physiotherapy. Apart from these programs, students can also participate in Foundation year that is offered for selected 100 students who would like to be better prepared in biology, chemistry, physics and English. As per QS ranking, it was ranked as the best faculty of medicine in Hungary and ranks among the TOP 9% universities of Emerging Europe and Central Asia. If we take into consideration only medical studies, it is in TOP 301-350th place.
The most popular programs are General medicine and Dentistry, we will now take a look on them closely. The Entrance Examination consists of a written and an oral part in Biology, Chemistry, and English Language. If allowed by the university, every applicant may take entrance exam 2x per application period. Applicants have 120 minutes to complete the test that consists of 20 questions from Biology, 20 questions from Chemistry and 60 questions from General and medical English. Periodic tables and calculator is allowed during the test. Everyone who passed the written part is then invited for oral exam with professors, that will take around 20 minutes.
The program of General medicine takes 6 years (12 months) and is offered by the Faculty of medicine. Every year there are 200 students admitted for English program. Admission is based on an entrance exam where only applicants with good knowledge of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English language and Mathematics are allowed to sit. Applicant must have 18 year in the year of the entrance exam. Applicants with the following qualifications do not need to sit an entrance exam: GCE A-levels holders, IB Diploma program graduates, Bsc holders in medical-related fields. Tuition fees for 1st year is 15,200€, for 2nd to 5th year it is 14600€ and for 6th year it is 7300€. Program is offered also in the German language (besides the English language).
The program of Dental medicine is offered by the Faculty of dentistry and takes 5 years.
There are 50 seats offered for international students every year. The admission procedure is the same as for General medicine. Tuition fees are 10420€ for the 1st year and 15200€ for 2nd to 5th year.
Website for GM program: http://www.med.u-szeged.hu/english
Website for DM program: http://www.stoma.u-szeged.hu/english/
Conclusion
Medical studies in Hungary are providing excellent quality of education with long tradition. Hungary is also providing scholarship Hungaricum, that may open door for international students for study for financially interesting conditions. On another side, tuition fees are higher compared to other countries (e.g. 5 years Dentistry course takes 76400€ in Szeged, compared to 66.000€ for 6-years program in Slovakia.
If you want to learn more about other universities to study medicine or dentistry, check the article about medical universities in Europe.