Learning Hungarian

If you are interested in learning Hungarian, you have several options to get started both face-to-face and online. There are many institutions offering Hungarian courses for foreigners, and here we have created a list of some of them.
Do not get discouraged when you hear that Hungarian is one of the most difficult languages. Take every opportunity to talk to native speakers right away to gain fluency - they will be very pleased you tried!

Balassi Cultural Institute

One of the institute’s mission is to manage Hungarian education all around the world. They offer short and long term courses for foreign students including a 4-week long summer university where students get acquainted with Hungarian culture and customs as well as participate in intensive Hungarian language classes for a period of more than 3 hours / day. Students can use the credits gained at the summer university at their own universities.
More information about courses is available here

University of Pécs

The International Studies Centre of the University of Pécs offers Hungarian courses for foreign students throughout the year and is open to anyone who wishes to learn Hungarian. They offer language courses during the autumn and spring semester consisting of 48 contact hours. The university offers a summer programme during the summer break, too, which can give you extra credit points for your studies. 
More information about courses is available here.  

University of Szeged

The University of Szeged offers an intensive two-semester preparatory course for foreign students who wish to study at a Hungarian university. This Hungarian language and culture programme is ideal for students who want to become acquainted not only with the language but also with the local culture. The 4-week long summer university includes cultural programmes and 6 x 90-minute classes every day.
More information about courses is available here

Eötvös Loránd University

ELTE offers three types of courses: a summer university during the summer break, an intensive course and a regular course during the year.  ELTE is one of the highest ranked universities and one of the bests in linguistic courses.  
More information about courses is available here

University of Debrecen

Besides their regular language and cultural programmes, the university offers a course about Hungarian and Central-European history. 
More information about courses is available here.

What do these courses offer?

  • international learning environment
  • effective language acquisition
  • diverse destinations in the region
  • housing and food is provided by the programmes

Language schools

Language schools also offer Hungarian courses for international students for a fair price and sometimes also offer discounts. On one hand, choosing a language school is the best option for you if you are a full-time student and have no time for a long-term course, but on the other hand, they never provide cover for any of your costs.