The information published below is available in its entirety in the rules and regulations of the University of Debrecen (e.g. Educational and Examination Rules, Student Allowances and Benefits Regulation) on its website (unideb.hu), in The University menu, Rules and regulations submenu.
At Debrecen University the system of allowances and benefits granted to students on the basis of their academic performance and social needs is determined in the Student Allowances and Benefits Regulation of the University of Debrecen, in compliance with Government Decree n. 51/2017. (III.26.) on allowances granted to students in higher education and on fees to be paid by them. According to the Regulation, students can receive the following allowances.
I. BENEFITS BASED ON ACHIEVEMENT
Academic Scholarship
Academic scholarships are awarded based on the students' academic performance of the previous semester. First year students can receive this scholarship from the beginning of the second semester. A uniform scholarship system is in place for all university students whereby a mathematical formula defines the exact amount of the scholarship rather than the grade point average. The crux of the system is that students whose achievement can be compared with each other are classified in the same category. The amount of the scholarship is determined at the beginning of each semester, after the registration week and in line with the official procedures and amounts. The amount of the scholarship in the different categories will vary between HUF 13,000 - 38,000.
Calculating the academic scholarship:
- A scholarship index is calculated for each student,
- the scholarship indices of a particular major/year/group are arranged in descending order,
- the students are divided into 4 categories based on this order such that at most 35% of them shall receive a scholarship; a specific scholarship amount may be associated with a different achievement every semester,
- students with two or more majors are ranked in each of their majors, then if the amount of the scholarships differ, those will be averaged.
2. Special Scholarship for Outstanding Professional and Scientific Achievement
The students may apply for a scholarship for outstanding professional and scientific achievement who would also be worthy of the National Higher Education Scholarship, but due to the limited number of scholarships dod not receive it. At most 10% of the students may receive this scholarship, with the detailed rules for receiving this award defined by each faculties. In case of a one-time scholarship, the maximum amount is HUF 50,000.
3. Professional Scholarship in the Master's Program
First year MSc/MA students in a state-funded, full time program with an active student status enrolled in the fall semester are eligible to apply for this type of scholarship. At most 50% of students enrolled in the fall semester in each faculty's master's program can be awarded. The scholarship is a one-time amount paid based on the application submitted by the students to the Faculty Study Affairs Committee. This scholarship is available to those students who registered to complete at least 20 credits in the first semester of the master's program, who achieved an aggregate corrected grade point average of at least 3.00 in their previous program from which they were admitted into the master's program, and if the qualification in their bachelor's degree is rated at least 'good'.
The rules for the awarding and possible revocation of this scholarship shall be specified by individual faculties. It is an advantage if students have more than one language exam. The amount of the scholarship varies between HUF 15,000 and 30,000.
4. Special Scholarship for Outstanding Athletic Achievement
Based on the call for applications announced by the Rector, students with outstanding achievements in sports at an international, national and/or regional level are eligible for the special athletic scholarship. Students may apply at the beginning of each semester and the scholarship may be awarded for one semester. The scholaship is also available for tuition-paying students. Those students may be awarded this scholarship who beyond their study requirements regularly participate in the sports life of the University of Debrecen. The scholarship may be awarded in elite and high-level university sports categories. The amount of the scholarship varies between HUF 5,000 and 25,000/month.
5. Special Art Scholarship
Students with an outstanding artistic performance are eligible for the Special Art Schoalrship, based on the call for applications announced by the Rector. Students may apply at the beginning of each semester and the scholarship can be awarded for one semester. The schoalrship is also available for tuition-paying students. The amount of the schoalrship varies between HUF 5,000 and 25,000/month.
6. Support for Professional Trips and Internships
Professional trips and internships are supported based on the decision of the various faculties. Hungarian students studying at European universities with an Erasmus grant may receive additional support from the faculties based on application.
7. Internship Grant
This grant is available for students completing their internship for a maximum of one semester as specified by the program and outcome requirements. It is awarded based on studend applications for maximum one semester. To receive the scholarship, trainees must work in a different location that the registered seat of the program and they cannot obtain dormitory accomodation at the place of the internship. The distance between the place of the internship and their permanent residence must be at least 1 km.
The conditions for awarding the grant, its amount, the procedure for awarding and revoking it are specified by the faculties, however, its monthly amount must not exceed 10% of the annual amount of the normative grant for students (HUF 16,660).
Students of the one-tier, 10-12-semester Teacher-training program, who do their individual, comprehensive one-year long school internship and are state scholarship holder, full-time or part-time students, are eligible for a professional internship, but for a maximum of 10 months, which derives from a separate state source and is not granted on the basis of social needs.
8. National Higher Education Scholarship
The National Higher Education Scholarship for outstanding professional and scientific performance is awarded by the Minister of the Higher Education based on the recommendation of the university. It can be awarded for one academic year and a maximum of 0.8% of students can receive it based in their applications. The detailed rules for the ranking of applicants are specified by the faculties. The amount of this scholarship is determined in the Budget Act, currently it is HUF 40,000/month.
9. Talent Management Scholarship
Students with outstanding professional and scientific achievements can become members of the University of Debrecen Talent Management Program (DETEP) where they receive tutorial help, further vocational training, and they might prepare for a scientific career. Excellent students can become members based on the decision of the Program Council. The amount of the scholarship varies between HUF 30,000 and 85,000/semester depending on student performance.
10. Klebelsberg Teacher-Training Scholarship
The aim of this scholarship is to motivate students to pursue a career in teaching and find a permanent position in their profession, and at the same time provide them with a job after graduation. Successful applicants receive a scholarship in those semesters in which they have an active student status. By signing the scholarship agreement they undertake to start a full-time job in one of the three counties chosen by them, to select one of the institutions of public education indicated by the Klebelsberg Institution Maintenance Center (KLIK) and to maintain such a job for the long term but at a minimum for the same period as the time of the scholarship payment.
Students studying at a higher education institution in Hungary who are native speakers of Hungarian and live in Hungary or in neighboring countries are eligible to apply if at the time of submitting their application they have already been admitted to a higher education institution providing undivided, one-tier teacher training programs, or they are already studying at the university, and they undertake to obtain a qualification and vocational qualification in teacher training, and after graduation (in line with the stipulations of the scholarship agreement) establish and maintain full-time employment in accordance with their qualification.
The amount of the scholarship, established in the first semester of the scholarship based on the assessment criteria of the program, varies between HUF 125,000 and 375,000/semester/person. The Klebelsberg Training Scholarship Committee (KÖB) makes a recommendation to the Minister concerning the amount of the scholarship taking into account the evaluation criteria.
From the second semester on of the scholarship, the Klebelsberg Training Scholarship Committee reviews the amount of the scholarship at the beginning of each academic semester, taking into account the available budget and the credit index achieved by the scholarship holder in the last active semester. The amount of the scholarship varies between HUF 0 and 375,000/semester/person.
The call for applications and the submission deadline are published each academic year by the Klebelsberg Institution Maintenance Centre on its website: (kk.gov.hu/klebelsberg-kepzesi-osztondij).
The applications can be submitted electronically and in hard copy by post. The following electronic interface is available for the electronic submission of the applications: osztondij.e-kreta.hu
The above mentioned benefits based on performance cannot be paid to doctoral students under current legislation. They receive a doctoral scholarship with a monthly stipend of HUF 140,555 for Ph.D. students enrolled in doctoral programs from September 2016 on. Ph.D. students, may however also receive support based on social needs.
11. New National Excellence Program (ÚNKP)
The aim of the program is to encourage future scholars, make a career in science attractive, keep excellent lecturers, instructors, and researchers home, and boost the scholarly performance of universities. 5-month and 10-month scholarships may be awarded to excellent students in higher education [in bachelor's, master's, one-tier, doctoral programs], doctoral candidates, junior instructors and researchers. The host institutions receive a research and operational grant amounting to 40% of the scholarship amount of their own winning applicants. Students, doctoral candidates and junior instructors-researchers can receive a net grant of HUF 50,000 - 350,000/month depending on the target group. Shcolarships are awarded by the Minister of Education.
Details: unideb.hu/hu/palyazati-kiirasok
II. BENEFITS BASED ON SOCIAL SITUATION
12. Social Welfare Allowance
The social allowance is awarded to those in need by the University Dormitory Admissions and Social Affairs Committee. Applications for social allowance can be submitted at the same time as initiating the admission procedure, on the same form, and by submitting the same certificates. These applications must be submitted by first-year students in the first half of August after the notification of admission by the university. Applications are assessed at the university level on the basis of a uniform scoring system, the same as for college admissions, as the social situation of students does not depend on the faculty where they study.
Based on the Government Regulation of student allowances and payments, disadvantaged students belonging to the following groups, are entitled to a special amount of regular welfare allowances if they reach the minimum score set by the committee:
- disabled or in need due to their health condition, or
- multiple disadvantaged (disadvantaged and their parent(s) have at most primary school education), or
- from a large family (at least 2 dependents who are the student's siblings), or
- a breadwinner (with their own children), or
- are orphaned and under age 25.
- disadvantaged(the notary has taken them into protection because of their family circumstances and social situation and their entitlement for a regular child protection allowance has been established), or
- not under guardianship anymore due to them reaching adulthood, or
- half-orphan (under the age of 25).
For those students in need who do not belong to any of these groups and reach the minimum score set by the committee, the minimum amount of the regular welfare allowance is HUF 9,000/month.
The most important aspects of assessing social need are:
- the family structure - the number of breadwinners and dependents within a household, and whether the breadwinner' have full or reduced income (unemployed, retire, etc.),
- income - the amount of the gross annual income per capita in the family,
- distance - the distance from the permanent residence to the place of education,
- health condition - severe illness of breadwinners, the applicant or the applicant's sibling.
13. „Bursa Hungarica” Higher Education Scholarship from Local Governments
The „Bursa Hungarica” Higher Education Scholarship is awarded by the municipalities to students with a permanent residence in their area of jurisdiction and most in need. This scholarship may be supplemented by the county governments. The state doubles the municipal and county support, but even if the students were awarded more than HUF 5,000 by the local government, the state will add at most HUF 5,000 to the amount. The Bursa Hungarica Scholarship is now also available to final year high school students. The amount of the scholarship (the municipal and institutional schoalrship together) varies between HUF 2,000 and 11,000.
14. One-time Social Welfare Grant
This special (one-time) scholarship is awarded based on application by the University Dormitory Admissions and Social Affairs Committee in the case of marriage, birth of a child, death of a parent or in other extraordinary situations arising during the university years. It is a precondition of application that such an event must take place within half a year of the application. This form of support amount to HUF 160,000 in the case of the birth of the students' own child and HUF 80,000 in all other cases.
15. One-time Support
Those first-year students who submit an application for a regular welfare allowance belong to one of the special groups listed in the section on the regular welfare allowance based on their social situation (underprivileged, having a large family, etc.) and achieve the minimal points set for awarding the social scholarship as determined by the committee, are eliglible for a one-time support in the first semester of their studies based on the relevant government decree. The amount is 50% of the annual student normative grant (which is currently HUF 83,300) in the case of higher educational vocational training, bachelor's programs and undivided (one-tier) programs. In the case of the master's programs, it is 75% of the annual student normative grant (which is currently HUF 124,950).