Frequently Asked Questions

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General Questions

What is the mission of the programme?

The core mission of the Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People is to provide the possibility of studying in Hungary for young Christian students living in the crisis regions of the world or being threatened in their country because of their faith. After completing their studies, the scholarship holders will return to help their home community with their gained knowledge, and they will participate in the development of their countries and contribute to improvement of social situation and preservation of culture of Christian communities.

Persons meeting the following eligibility criteria may apply:

a) full-age citizens, who are at least 18 years old at the beginning of their scholarship studies; who reach the age of 18 by 31 August of the year of the specified application deadline,b) those who have the qualifications and the required language skills as a pre-requisite for the study programme applied for, and submit the supporting document by the deadline for submission of applications, but no later than 31 July (Medical Certificate until 30 April) of the year of the current application cycle;c) those who have an official recommendation from a church organization specified in the Call for Applications.Degree programmes at bachelor level, master’s and one tier master’s programmes are open to all applicants, while doctoral programmes are open to those applicants who have completed their master studies in the frame of the Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People in Hungary or are registered for the last semester of their studies in the 2023/2024 academic year as Scholarship for Christian Young People scholarship holders.

Who is not eligible to apply for the Programme?

Applications will not be considered in the following cases:- Hungarian citizens (including those with dual citizenships), persons granted a refugee status (“menekült”), persons enjoying temporary protection (“menedékes”), persons admitted for subsidiary protection (“oltalmazott”) and persons granted humanitarian protection (“befogadott”), stateless persons (“hontalan”), asylum seeker persons (“menedékkérő”) and persons who are already settled in Hungary.Please note: this requirement is not only for applicants but for Scholarship Holders as well; it means that, e.g., if you obtain a Hungarian citizenship or a refugee status during your studies in Hungary, your scholarship holder status will be terminated automatically.- Those applicants who apply for the SCYP Programme for the first cycle of education who are not resident or domiciled in the same country of their nationality or in an Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipient country. This requirement does not apply to scholarship holders applying for the SCYP Programme for the next cycle of education, e.g. bachelor scholarship holders applying for master’s studies, master’s scholarship holders applying for doctoral programmes.- Applicants born after 31 August 2006 (= applicants under 18 years old as of 31 August 2024).- Those applicants who are registered self-financed / fee-paying students of a Hungarian higher education institution at the time of the application deadline.- Those former SCYP Scholarship Holders who were awarded scholarships for full degree studies and who: are now re-applying for full degree in the same cycle of education (non-degree studies, bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier master’s), therefore, SCYP Scholarship Holders can apply for the programme to continue their studies at a different cycle of education, e.g. bachelor scholarship holders can apply for master studies; or who have postponed the starting date of their scholarship studies and did not withdraw their scholarship before the current application deadline.- Former Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Holders except if they apply for the programme for the next cycle of education while they still have a scholarship status at the time of application if they receive their degree until 31 August 2024 (eg. a bachelor student may apply for master studies if they gets the bachelor degree by 31 August, 2024).Doctoral scholarships are available only for those who have completed their master’s studies in the frame of the SCYP Programme in Hungary or are registered for the last semester of their studies in the 2023/2024 academic year as Scholarship for Christian Young People scholarship holders.

Which study programme can an applicant apply for?

Only for those programmes which are available in the application system. You will find all the information about the available study types and study fields here: https://apply.scyp.hu/Scholarships are available for bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier master’s and doctoral programmes.Degree programmes at bachelor level, master’s and one tier master’s programmes are open to all applicants, while doctoral programmes are open to those applicants who have completed their master studies in the frame of the Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People in Hungary or are registered for the last semester of their studies in the 2023/2024 academic year as Scholarship for Christian Young People scholarship holders.

What does the scholarship cover?

Allowances provided for the scholarship holder:- Tuition-free education- Monthly stipend- Accommodation- Reimbursement of travel costs- Medical insuranceThe visa administration and the extension of the residence permit is free of charge for scholarship holders. The scholarship contributes to one person’s costs of living and it does not provide either visa or additional benefits or administration services for the persons and family members who accompany the scholarship holder. The legal subject of the scholarship agreement is only the scholarship holder.

Do applicants need to pay for their application?

No, the online application and the participation in the admission examinations is free of charge.

Can the applicants apply straight to the universities for Scholarship for Christian Young People?

No, they can only apply through the https://apply.scyp.hu webpage. All documents must uploaded in the SCYP online application system, and those materials will be forwarded later to the universities by the Hungary Helps Agency. Please only contact the universities if you wish to know more details about the academic content of a certain course or about the admission requirements and you cannot find that information on the website.

I am already studying at a Hungarian university as a self-funded student. Can I apply for the Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People?

No, those applicants who are registered self-financed/fee-paying students of a Hungarian higher education institution at the time of the application deadline cannot apply for the Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People.

I already live in Hungary. Can I apply for the Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People?

Yes, in principle, but please note that applications will not be considered in the following cases:- Hungarian citizens (including those with dual citizenships), persons granted a refugee status (“menekült”), persons enjoying temporary protection (“menekültes”), persons admitted for subsidiary protection (“oltalmazott”) and persons granted humanitarian protection (“befogadott”),Please note: this requirement is not only for applicants but for Scholarship Holders as well; it means that, e.g., if you obtain a Hungarian citizenship or a refugee status during your studies in Hungary, your scholarship holder status will be terminated automatically.- Those applicants who are not resident or domiciled in the same country of their nationality or in an Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipient country cannot apply for the Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People. This requirement does not apply to scholarship holders applying for the SCYP Programme for the next cycle of education, e.g. bachelor scholarship holders applying for master’s studies, master’s scholarship holders applying for doctoral programmes.

I am under 18 years old. Can I apply for the Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People?

Applicants must be at least 18 years old at the beginning of their scholarship studies; they must reach the age of 18 by 31 August of the year of the specified application deadline.

I am an SCYP Scholarship Holder. Can I apply for the Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People to continue my studies at a different study level?

SCYP Scholarship Holders can apply for the programme to continue their studies at a different cycle of education, e.g. bachelor scholarship holders can apply for master studies. However, those former SCYP Scholarship Holders who were awarded scholarships for full degree studies cannot re-apply for full degree in the same cycle of education (non-degree studies, bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier master’s).

I did not obtain my master’s degree in the frame of the Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People. Can I apply for the Scholarship Programme to continue my studies at the next study level?

Degree programmes at bachelor level, master’s and one tier master’s programmes are open to all applicants, while doctoral programmes are open to those applicants who have completed their master studies in the frame of the Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People in Hungary or are registered for the last semester of their studies in the 2023/2024 academic year as Scholarship for Christian Young People scholarship holders.

How to apply

Where can applicants get information about the application?

Please study the Call for Applications and the Operational Regulations available on the official website of the Programme: https://hungaryhelps.gov.hu. If you have any questions or need further information regarding the Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People, please contact Hungary Helps Agency at the following e-mail address:Email: SCYP@hungaryhelps.gov.hu

Where can applicants get help for the online application system?

Please do not forget that you need to submit your SCYP application on this online platform, starting with a registration: https://apply.scyp.hu If you get stuck at any point of the process, please contact Hungary Helps Agency at the following e-mail address:Email: SCYP@hungaryhelps.gov.hu

Do applicants need to obtain and submit a church recommendation by the application deadline?

Yes. The Letter of Recommendation of the local Christian Church must be issued by the highest possible level, i.e: by the Bishop in the Church. In those Churches, where there are no Bishops, the Letter of Recommendation must be signed at the highest episcopal level. Please note that the Letter of Recommendation cannot be issued earlier than 1st November 2023 to be approved by the State Secretariat for the Aid of Persecuted Christians and for the Hungary Helps Program. The list of the ecclesiastical Christian denomination and rite groups can be found in Annex 1 of the Call for Applications. Please note that only letters of recommendation issued by those ecclesiastical Christian denominations and rite groups listed in Annex 1 will be accepted. For more information, please study section 3.2.1. "Basic Application Documents" of the Call for Applications.

Do applicants need a valid passport for the application?

You can start and submit your application without a passport. Instead of the passport, you can upload the scanned copy of both pages of the national ID card displaying both the personal data and the photography of the applicant. Additionally, it is compulsory to upload a signed declaration in which you state that you will obtain and upload the required document before 31 July. However, please note that in case you are awarded with the scholarship, you will need a passport to be able to enter Hungary, so we suggest you to start the procedure to get a passport as soon as possible.

What do applicants need in their medical certificate?

The Medical Certificate must be submitted until 30th April (the medical certificate must be submitted by those applicants whose applications are forwarded for entrance examination to the chosen Host Institution, however, it is possible to upload it from the beginning of the application period).There is a form provided by the Hungary Helps Agency for this certificate, it can be downloaded from here: https://hungaryhelps.gov.hu/apply/. It has to be issued and signed by a physician to prove that the applicant does not have the following illnesses: AIDS, Hepatitis B, C or any other epidemic conditions.Medical certificates has to be accompanied obligatory by laboratory tests of the following illnesses: AIDS, Hepatitis B, C or any other epidemic conditions.The date of issue cannot be earlier than 1st November 2023.Please note that despite the applicants need to upload this document, the Host Institutions might require the student to take a medical test at the time of enrolment (free of charge for the Scholarship Holders).For more information, please study section 3.2.1 "Basic Application Documents" of the Call for Applications of the Programme.

Can applicants submit their language and school certificates later than the deadline?

Yes, certain documents are accepted to be uploaded even after the application deadline, if the documents attesting the required qualifications or language proficiency are not available at the time of the application (e.g. the applicant to the bachelor programme has not yet graduated from secondary school or the applicant to the master programme has not yet received a bachelor degree). For more information, please study section 3.3 "Missing documents" of the Call for Applications.

Can applicants make modifications in their online application after submission? Can applicants change their choice of study programme after the deadline?

Certain modifications are possible. For instance, you can upload those documents that you did not have before the application deadline. Please note that after submitting the application, the selected programme cannot be changed by the applicant. We strongly advise all applicants to carefully check the minimum entry requirements of the study programmes.

How can applicants secure their online application process?

Use fast and stable internet, and don’t upload too big files.

Is it possible to submit an application for the scholarship programme more than once during the year?

No, there is only one application deadline each year.

What happens if I miss the application deadline?

In this case, you can only apply one year later. Applications are not accepted after the deadline.

When and how will be the scholarship holders informed?

All applicants will be informed in the application system.

Information for accepted students

Do scholarship holders need admission from the university?

Yes. After they have accepted the scholarship, the host institutes will send a "Letter of Acceptance" form.

Do scholarship holders need to obtain any other documents required to apply for a visa besides the Letter of Acceptance?

Yes. After receiving the Letter of Acceptance from the host institute, scholarship holders will be able to download the Letter of Award issued by Hungary Helps Agency from the system, which is the other document required for visa application.

How do scholarship holders get a visa?

Scholarship holders are requested to start their visa application process immediately after receiving the positive decision about the scholarship. Officially, it may take 30 days until a visa is issued. In order to apply for visa to Hungary, scholarship holders need to contact the competent consular office. For more information, please contact the website of the Consular Services of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (http://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/en) and the National Directorate-general for Aliens Policing (http://oif.gov.hu/index.php?lang=en ).Please note that the citizens of some countries do not need a visa to enter Hungary due to the Visa Waiver Agreements, at the time of writing, these countries include: Israel from the list of eligible countries only. Please make sure to visit the Consular Services website for up to date information about your country: http://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/visa-waiver-agreements.Please note that the scholarship holder status does not automatically guarantee a visa.

When do scholarship holders need to arrive to Hungary?

Scholarship Holders are expected to obtain their visa and arrive to Hungary no later than 30th September 2024 (for study programmes starting in the Autumn Semester) – or the date set by the Host Institutions.

Is it possible to postpone the start of my studies?

Applicants who have been awarded a scholarship and who cannot travel to Hungary for unexpected reasons beyond their own fault may postpone the start of their scholarship status: they can request to start their a scholarship status in a later semester. The postponement shall be requested in writing at Hungary Helps Agency.The request shall include- detailed reasoning- the number of semesters requested to be postponed (maximum two semesters)- medical or other certification- a declaration of approval by the host institution.The request must be accompanied with the necessary annexes and sent by e-mail to Hungary Helps Agency by the deadline for enrolment determined by the host institution concerning the year in which the scholarship is awarded, but no later than 30 September. The requests for postponement are decided on by Hungary Helps Agency on a case-by-case basis. If the postponement is granted, the institution will issue a new Letter of Acceptance on the basis of the admission results for that year, taking into account the later date of enrolment, on the basis of which the Hungary Helps Agency will also issue a new Letter of Award. Those scholarship holders who have already arrived in Hungary and enrolled in a higher education institution are not entitled to request any postponement. A postponement can be requested only once and only for one school year as a maximum. The scholarship holder automatically loses the scholarship if they do not arrive to Hungary by the given deadline and do not indicate their intention of postponement by the enrolment deadline set by the host institution, but no later than 30 September.

Can scholarship holders bring their family?

Only at their own cost. Please note that the scholarship contributes to one person’s costs of living and it does not provide either visa or additional benefits or administration services for the persons and family members who accompany the scholarship holder. The legal subject of the scholarship agreement is only the scholarship holder.

As a scholarship holder, can I request an extension of my study period?

According to the SCYP Operational Regulations the scholarship holder may apply for an extension of their scholarship status during the scholarship period as follows:a) The scholarship holder can extend their scholarship period by a total of no more than two semesters in Hungarian bachelor’s, master’s and one-tier master’s programmes.b) Request for extension of scholarship status must be submitted to the host institution.c) A signed request from the scholarship holder must be submitted, with an explanation of the extension. The request for extension of the scholarship holder should be submitted electronically to the institution during the final semester of the scholarship status. The request for extension must arrive at least one month before the end of the last semester covered by the scholarship. The scholarship holder must submit the request and gather the required documents on their own. The costs of the preparation and the submission of the request for extension and the process of extension (e.g. administration fees of the institution) are exclusively incurred by the scholarship holder.d) The institution summarises the requests and sends the list of those proposed for support to the Hungary Helps Agency.e) The Hungary Helps Agency shall decide on the basis of a proposal from the institution and the available funds.f) There is no possibility to file an appeal after the decision is made on the request for extension.g) During the extension, scholarship holders will not receive monthly stipend, accommodation contribution and travel allowance. An exception to this is the mandatory preparatory programme for the given study programme, during which the monthly stipend and accommodation contribution is also provided.h) Doctoral, preparatory and specialisation programmes may not be extended.i) In bachelor’s, master’s and one-tier master’s programmes the scholarship may be extended on no more than two occasions, extended by one semester.j) The scholarship status of the scholarship holder completing preparatory semester or year will be automatically extended by the length of the preparatory period, at the immediate notice of the institution.k) The provision contained in point g.) must first be applied to those starting their studies in the academic year 2022/23, in an ascending system.l) If the extension request is rejected, the costs of the additional semesters have to be covered by the scholarship holder.m) Further details of the conditions of extension are set out in the Implementation Guide.

As a scholarship holder, can I change my host institution, my study programme within the institution or/and the language of my studies during my study period?

The host institution, the study programme within the institution and the language of studies can be changed only once after submitting a special request by the scholarship holder. The deadline for submitting the requests to the Hungary Helps Agency is December 1, in each academic year (for the spring semester) and 15 May (for the autumn semester). The scholarship holder may change any of these options above (in any kind of combination) at the same time, but only once during the scholarship period.Institutions and/or study programmes can be changed only at the end of the semester, so that the scholarship holder could start the next semester in the new institution and/or new study programme.Institutions and/or study programmes can be changed only within one calendar year after beginning the scholarship period. The request–if it is relevant–must also include the indication of the extension of the scholarship period. The allocation decision regarding the scholarship holder at their entry to the programme cannot be altered by the scholarship holder’s request to change institutions, or language except for Section II.3.13 of the Operational Regulations. Changing host institution or study programme is allowed only on the same study level. Participants in preparatory programme can change their major only upon the successful completion of the preparatory programme.Documents to be submitted for changing the institution, study programme and language:- a request signed by the scholarship holder;- the institution’s declaration on the support of the change, in case of changing the institution, declaration of both transferring and receiving institution.The scholarship holder shall send the request for changing institution and study programme and its mandatory attachments electronically to the current host institution, which forwards the request and its mandatory attachments to the Agency.The requests for changing institution and/or study programme are judged by the Hungary Helps Agency based on the submitted documents and the available funds from the central budget.It is the responsibility of the scholarship holder to seek a new study programme or higher education institution and gather the required documents on their own. The costs of the preparation and the submission of the request for changing institution and/or study programme, and the process of changing institution and/or study programme, (e.g. administration fees of the institution) are exclusively incurred by the scholarship holder.There is no possibility to appeal after the decision is made on the request for changing institution and/or study programme.Pursuant to Section 52 of Government Decree 87/2015 (IV. 9) on the implementation of certain provisions of Act CCIV of 2011 on the National Higher Education, host institution, study programme and/or language may be changed from the end of the preceding term-time until 15 September for the autumn semester, and until 15 February for the spring semester.When as a result of the change of institution, the scholarship holder will continue their studies in a new institution from the autumn semester; their Scholarship Agreement will be extended for the summer months (July, August). If the positively assessed request for changing institution and/or study programme, results in the extension of the scholarship period, the scholarship holder has the opportunity to apply for the extension of his/her scholarship status during the scholarship period in accordance with Section III.3.3. Pursuant to Section III.3.3 (e), the Hungary Helps Agency shall decide whether to accept or reject the request for extension. If the request for extension is rejected, the costs of the extended semesters will be borne by the scholarship holder, in accordance with point j) of III.3.3.