More than 7,800 international students are expected to continue their studies at the University of Debrecen in the 2026/2027 academic year. According to preliminary data from the Centre for International Education Coordination, more than 2,300 students will begin their studies in September in first-year programmes and preparatory courses, with some arriving in Hungary through the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship programme.
For the 2026/27 academic year, the Centre for International Education Coordination received more than 49,000 applications for over 100 different English-language preparatory courses, BSc and MSc programmes, as well as PhD programmes. The record number of applications was also boosted by the Stipendium Hungaricum (SH) scholarship programme, which attracted more than 45 percent more applicants compared to the previous year.
“More than 70,000 prospective students contacted our institution through the Stipendium Hungaricum programme, and nearly 43,600 of them submitted actual applications. As in previous years, this is an exceptionally high figure, representing around 35–40 percent of all applications submitted nationwide. I consider student recruitment extremely successful, especially considering that applicants could choose from nearly thirty Hungarian higher education institutions,” said Attila Jenei, director of the Centre for International Education Coordination and vice-rector for international affairs at the University of Debrecen, told hirek.unideb.hu.
As in previous years, the highest number of applications within the programme was submitted for the Medicine, Public Health MSc and Computer Science BSc programmes. Following the country nominations, admission procedures and the decision of the Board of Trustees of the Tempus Public Foundation, 688 students were awarded the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship this year, compared with 756 last year. They will be able to begin their studies at the University of Debrecen in September 2026 with state-funded support.
“Compared to last year, the number of applications for the University of Debrecen’s English-language tuition-based programmes increased by 5 percent this year, reaching around 5,200 applications. Specialists at the Centre for International Education Coordination conducted a total of 8,600 admission procedures. Based on our current results, around 2,300 international students are expected to start their studies at the university in September 2026, increasing the size of our international community to more than 7,800 students. This represents a slight growth of around 2–3 percent,” said Attila Jenei.
He highlighted that the final number of enrolled students may still be affected by how many admitted students receive visa appointments and visas. This could particularly impact students arriving from Bangladesh and Pakistan, where the number of rejected visa applications is significant. He added that the University of Debrecen has once again launched its UD International Scholarship programme, introduced in 2024, through which students can receive tuition fee reductions of 30–90 percent.
Summarising the results of international student recruitment, Attila Jenei said that based on this year’s experience with the Stipendium Hungaricum programme, a further decline or stagnation in the number of awarded scholarships is expected. According to the head of the centre, one of the biggest challenges in hosting international students remains the shortage of sufficient dormitory places and available rental apartments, as well as the continued increase in rental prices.
(unideb.hu)
