You got in - now what?

Photo illustrating the news item

Congratulations on being conditionally accepted to study at Corvinus University of Budapest! We asked two current students, Aaron (USA) and Klaudia (Poland), to share their tips on how to approach the next steps to make sure you secure your place at Corvinus University of Budapest.

Q: What would you recommend as the first step after receiving a positive decision from Corvinus University?

Aaron & Klaudia (at the same time): Accept your conditional offer in DreamApply (both laugh).

Aaron: Yes, I think only after I accepted my offer for BSc Applied Economics, I received tuition payment instructions, which was one of the conditions in the conditional offer letter and also a required document for my visa application.

Klaudia: Yes, same for me, except for the visa application part (laughs). From what I remember, there were a few conditions to get an unconditional letter of acceptance:

  • Pay semester 1 tuition fees (in full, upfront)
  • Have your high school or BA/BSc Diploma formally recognised by university’s Legal Affairs Department
  • Formally meet the minimum credit requirements (for MA/MSc applicants)

Pro tip from the Admissions Team:

1. Tuition fee: Pay as soon as possible, particularly if you need a visa – failure to do so promptly may result in you not being able to start your programme. Make sure you pay in the right currency and follow the instructions we give you. You cannot pay in installments.
In 2023, all programmes start on 11 September – late enrollment cannot be guaranteed.

2. Our Legal Affairs department still needs to check the authenticity of your diploma and transcript. The level of your qualification will be checked to ensure it meets the requirements stated in Hungarian Law to be admitted onto the programme(s) of study you have applied to. We also check that you have completed your qualification. Make sure you have uploaded copies of the final diploma and transcript as soon as possible to your application record (when you receive them, obviously you cannot do so before).

3. More information on how to complete the credit requirement form for MA/MSc applicants will be available soon!

Q: Speaking of all the other conditions, how did you know if you were missing any of the documents, for example for your Diploma and transcript task?

Klaudia: When I was applying for the MA Communication and Media Studies programme, I had not yet graduated from my undergraduate programme from a university in Poland, and I was only going to get my Bachelor’s diploma and final transcripts in July. The university contacted me about it and instructed me to upload the Diploma recognition request with my expected graduation date to DreamApply and to upload my final documents to DreamApply as soon as I receive them.

Aaron: I also received communication from the university about providing the Diploma recognition request, but I already had my high school diploma and transcripts after my graduation in May/June, so I uploaded everything and eventually received email notifications from DreamApply that my documents were approved.


Pro tip from the Admissions team:

We will notify you if: 

1. There are any additional documents you need to provide 
2. Your documents have not been approved 
3. Or you need to provide something additional. 

Self-funded applicants can log in to the DreamApply system at any time and review the status of each of their Tasks in the Checklist section of their application. Task statuses can be any of the following: 

  • Approved – there is nothing more you need to do/provide related to this document 
  • Provisionally approved – used for Diploma and Transcript Task. The documents uploaded have only been provisionally checked by our Admissions office. You are eligible to sit entrance exams with this status, but Approved status is required for unconditional acceptance. 
  • Other – read the instructions carefully for what you have to do. 

Q: Let’s talk about money. How would you recommend new students to go about preparing their funds/bank accounts?

Aaron: I actually had to show sufficient funds for my visa application to prove that I can cover day to day life in Hungary. It was recommended to have a minimum of 10 000 EUR (which didn’t include the money I used to pay for the 1st semester tuition fees) for 30 consecutive days in my account. The account I presented belonged to my mom, so she also had to write me a letter confirming that she will be supporting me and my studies in Hungary with money from this account.

Once I arrived in Budapest, I also opened a Revolut account, which is an online banking system, that allows me to connect my American bank account to Revolut account and exchange dollars into forints. I would advise new students to be careful of physical cash exchange places with bad rates – it was one of the main reasons why I got Revolut.

Klaudia: This is funny, I also chose an online banking system for my account in Hungary, but it is not Revolut. I opened an account with Wise because it is the fastest way to open a bank account in Hungary. Also, the bank account is very cheap. I just had to pay 4 000 HUF for the card and that was it.

Q: So, we have a little bank competition going on here I see. Both good and safe options, I am sure the students will appreciate the variety and your advice. What about the accommodation? Any tips?

Klaudia: I found the apartment I currently live in through a Facebook group (for Polish speakers in Budapest). I know Corvinus has dormitories, but they are in high demand and the spaces are limited, so as a graduate student I decided to look for an apartment straight away.

Aaron: I also heard that the international scholarship-holding students have priority when applying for the dormitory, so as a self-funded student I searched for housing on different sites, such as:

  • homesweethome.hu
  • airbnb sometimes has long term rentals
  • ingatlan.com – where I ultimately found my place

Also, I used the contract I signed with my landlord as proof of accommodation when applying for my visa.


Pro tip from the Admissions Team:

Stipendium Hungaricum and Diaspora scholarship holders will be prioritised and/or first-year students. 

Therefore, it can be challenging for self-funded students to secure a dormitory place. We very strongly encourage you to pursue third-party alternatives and to check our Housing Guide, published in 2022 for tips.

Please also note that application for dormitory places is managed by the accommodation managers themselves, not the International Student Recruitment or Admissions team. The application period usually commences in August – you will be notified via email.

Q: And finally, let’s talk about the health insurance. What was your experience in securing your health insurance? Do you have any tips or tricks to share?

Aaron: I am actually still covered by my mom’s insurance, so I got lucky there, but there is a number of private health insurance options available to students. The university recommended Generali Insurance company and when I looked into them, I found some affordable options for students, that cover the cost of general medical services in Hungary.

Klaudia: Since Poland is an EU member state, I requested the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) at home before moving to Hungary. The card is connected to my Polish insurance, so the EHIC card only covers the medically necessary services in Hungary, but I can also request reimbursement of costs in Poland for some of the medical costs that my EHIC card might not cover. I also know that I could de-register from the healthcare system in my country and register for a TAJ card in Hungary (through NEAK, which is the responsible institution) and be entitled to the same services as Hungarian citizens, so maybe some students would be interested in that option as well.

See the full survival guide of Corvinus here.

21 Jun 2023