2022.04.01.
Scholarship programmes support refugees from Ukraine to participate in Hungarian higher education
Programmes offering special grants for students and teachers coming to Hungary includes Stipendium Hungaricum, Erasmus+, Makovecz Programme, and CEEPUS.
Following the government's decision, the Stipendium Hungaricum Programme supporting foreign students in obtaining a degree in a Hungarian higher education institution has been extended with the Students at Risk Programme, which provides support to students from Ukraine and Stipendium Hungaricum partner countries who were forced to flee Ukraine because of the Russian-Ukrainian war. 1,000 people who studied in Ukrainian higher education will be given the opportunity to complete their training in a Hungarian institution. The programme, coordinated by the Tempus Public Foundation, will be funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade with an additional HUF 3.25 billion this year.
The amendment to the Makovecz Programme will allow Hungarian students, teachers, and higher education professionals from Transcarpathia to participate in higher education in Hungary and across the whole Carpathian Basin. The programme will provide an additional HUF 130 million grant to cover the participants' scholarship and support for their close relatives.
Tempus Public Foundation is also providing support for hosting Ukrainian and third-country higher education students, lecturers and staff arriving in Hungary in the framework of the Erasmus+ programme. Incoming mobility support for Ukrainian participants is a new element of the programme. The details of the implementation are still under development however, based on a proposal of the European Commission, there is a possibility to host participants in Hungarian higher education institutions on a scholarship basis. Lecturers who were working in a Ukrainian higher education institution before their arrival in Hungary can also apply for support, the monthly rate of which will be determined on a national level.
The CEEPUS programme, which provides opportunity for study abroad periods, research activities and short-term student mobilities in Central Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, made it possible by an extraordinary decision for university students and teachers from Ukraine to participate in mobilities through a simplified application process, provided that the host country has introduced such measures. Candidates from Ukraine are eligible to apply in the academic year 2021/2022 for Freemover grants, that is, outside CEEPUS networks Around 200 scholarship months are available for Hungarian higher education institutions for this purpose. Mobility periods may last from one to three months for students and teachers.
The outbreak of the Ukrainian-Russian war has reminded us of the importance of unity and solidarity – in the field of educational cooperation as well. As the coordinator of international scholarship programmes, Tempus Public Foundation immediately started to examine the possibilities of reallocating available funds and supporting higher education students and lecturers from Transcarpathia and Ukraine to stay in Hungary. As part of their efforts, they have joined the Bridge for Transcarpathia aid programme, which welcomes applications from students and teachers fleeing Ukraine who wish to take advantage of the opportunities offered by Hungarian higher education institutions. Since the 7th of March, more than 3,800 people have already registered via Tempus Public Foundation's infoline and online platform. Through the helpdesk, people can also receive guidance on training and scholarship opportunities as well as accommodation and housing in Hungary.
By restructuring programmes and reallocating resources, the aim is to ensure that as many higher education actors as possible are able to provide the right learning and teaching conditions in Hungary for refugees fleeing the war. To this end, the organisation's representatives are in constant consultation about the programmes they manage at national and European level and seek to ensure the most flexible conditions for participants.
Last modified: 21-04-2022