While not traditionally a popular destination for African students, the Eastern European country of Hungary is gradually becoming a favourite study option for many, thanks mainly to the high success rate of study visa applications.
Many African applicants are buoyed by the impressive visa approval rates for both those on Hungarian government scholarships as well as for self-sponsored students.
In some countries such as Kenya, the study visa success rate has been as high as 90% for both categories of students according Caroline Kithama of the Africa Regional Office for Education Hungary in Nairobi, Kenya, told The PIE News. The consortium is made up of four Hungarian universities.
The country’s gradual strides are being complemented by a sustained campaign by the Education Hungary consortium, as well as by government scholarships issued under the Stipendium Hungaricum scheme, she noted.
The consortium is made up of the University of Pécs, the University of Debrecen, the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE) and the International Business School (IBS), and has been busy recruiting and helping students with applications, ahead of commencement of learning in September, she added.
“A lot of work has been done by the universities with the support from Hungarian embassies in popularising the universities,” she noted.
“Our universities offer world-class education while charging affordable tuition fees and some of them such as the University of Pecs are among the oldest in Europe dating back to 1360,” she added.
“A lot of work has been done by the universities with the support from Hungarian embassies”
This was especially so when compared to popular western Europe, North American and Australian destinations. This is besides offering degree programs in English coupled by affordable cost of living in the country.
The universities were charging as low €1,700 a year, while non-medical degrees were available at between €3,000-7,000 a year for undergraduates explained. On the other hand, some international masters degrees programs were on offer for as low €7,000 a year.
The Education Hungary universities pride themselves of using the language for decades now, and combined, they are hosting more than 13,000 international students, they say in the consortium website.
“Our primary mandate is to offer education opportunities in Hungary, to all, with an aim of creating future leaders who would make an impact in the world.
“We walk with you every step of the way from the initial advisory stage to the application, interviews, admission, visa preparation; briefing before departure and further necessary support post-departure,” the universities add.
Some of the highest student visa success rates abroad have stood at around 60%, compared to an around 12% success rates for Canadian visas between 2015-2020.
About 34,800 international students were enrolled in Hungarian universities in academic year 2021-2022, an over 100% growth compared to 2009/10 academic year, when 14,300 were studying in the country according to international data portal Statista.
In 2021, Nigeria was the only African country that made it to the top 10 list of countries with most students in Hungary with 970 students, in a roll dominated by European countries, according to data published by Daily Hungary News. The publication also put the total number of international students at 35,600.
