A total of 2,531 students were admitted to Corvinus University of Budapest for the 2026/27 academic year through the central Hungarian admission process. This represents an 8 per cent increase compared with last year, with capacity expanded in both bachelor’s and master’s programmes. From this autumn, nearly 200 more students than last year, a total of 2,061 students, will be able to study at Corvinus without tuition fees. The expanded capacity includes several popular bachelor’s programmes, such as the English-language Business and Management programme, International Relations, the Hungarian-language Finance and Accounting, as well as both the Hungarian- and English-language versions of Applied Economics. 

Under the Hungarian admission system, 1,727 students will begin bachelor’s studies, 726 will start master’s programmes, and 78 will join undivided programmes in September. Through the international admission process, 990 students successfully met the admission requirements and committed to Corvinus, either as self-financing students or through scholarship programmes based on international agreements. Of the 670 self-financing students, 40 received Corvinus Scholarship places, while 300 students will arrive through the Stipendium Hungaricum programme and 20 through the Hungarian Diaspora Scholarship. Around two-thirds of international students will begin their studies at bachelor’s level, representing more than 100 countries this year. 

The latest admission figures confirm that Corvinus is successfully progressing towards the goals set out in its strategy, both in Hungary and internationally. One of the university’s key objectives is to further increase the number of talented Hungarian and international students while maintaining its leading position in Hungary in its fields of education and strengthening its international appeal. A particularly notable achievement is the growing interest in Corvinus master’s programmes, which also runs counter to international trends showing declining demand for master’s studies. 

“An especially important achievement is that this year we can provide tuition-free study opportunities to a record number of Hungarian students compared with previous years. At the same time, we have made significant progress in international recruitment, and the growing presence of students from abroad further strengthens the university’s international character. Increasing the proportion of students from outside Hungary will help us adapt in the long term to demographic changes and the market trend of fewer students choosing to continue to master’s level. By jointly increasing the number of talented Hungarian and international students, we can maintain the capacity of our programmes and further strengthen Corvinus’s competitiveness”, said Bruno van Pottelsberghe, Rector of Corvinus University of Budapest. 

Admission is more competitive for the most popular bachelor’s in English than in Hungarian 

In the 2026/27 academic year, more than 80 per cent of Corvinus bachelor’s programmes and 90 per cent of master’s programmes can be completed in English or are available in English as well. Around two-thirds of admitted students chose an English-language programme. Among students admitted from the Hungarian education system, nearly three quarters of those starting full-time bachelor’s programmes and almost all students admitted to full-time master’s programmes will be able to study tuition-free. 

Admission data from the central application process once again shows that the strongest-performing students continue to choose Corvinus. It was not possible to gain admission to Corvinus tuition-free bachelor’s programmes with fewer than 420 points, while the threshold for self-financing places was above 400 points. Of the nine bachelor’s programmes offered, Corvinus had the highest admission score among Hungarian universities offering the same programme in seven cases. The three highest Corvinus bachelor’s admission scores were all for English-language programmes. 

The English-language International Business programme achieved the highest score among the bachelor’s programmes: applicants needed 477 points for a tuition-free place. As last year, this was also the highest admission threshold among full-time tuition-free bachelor’s programmes in Hungary. The English-language International Relations programme required 459 points. For the most popular bachelor’s programme, Business and Management, applicants needed 453 points for the English-language programme and 446 points for the Hungarian-language version, meaning that this year it was more difficult to enter the English programme than the Hungarian one. Business Informatics is being launched in English for the first time alongside the Hungarian version; the threshold was 420 points for the Hungarian programme and 430 points for the English one, making admission to the English version more competitive here as well. 

The Hungarian-language Finance and Accounting programme required 443 points, Data Science in Business required 442 points, and the Philosophy, Politics and Economics programme required 440 points. The threshold for Applied Economics was 438 points for the Hungarian-language programme and 432 points for the English-language version. Applicants needed 431 points for the English-language Communication and Media Studies bachelor’s programme and 430 points for the undivided Mathematics in Economics and Finance programme to secure a tuition-free place. 

Management and Leadership, and International Accounting and Auditing among the most popular master’s  

Responding to market needs, Corvinus has renewed its master’s programme portfolio. Students can now choose from more than 30 programmes, some of which can be completed in either one– or two–year formats depending on their previous academic background and preparation. The one-year International Accounting and Auditing programme remained exceptionally popular, with nearly one and a half times as many students admitted as last year. Among the new programmes launched exclusively at Corvinus this year, International Sports Business, Artificial Intelligence in Business, and the one-year Strategic Project Management programme performed particularly well and attracted many new students. 

Among two-year master’s programmes, International Relations, Finance – ranked among the global top 70 in the Financial Times subject ranking –, Business Development, Marketing, and Communication and Media Studies remain popular choices. One of Corvinus’s most prestigious programmes, Management and Leadership, is available in both Hungarian and English, and interest in both versions increased significantly. The advantage of the English-language programme is that students are automatically eligible to join the CEMS programme, ranked among the world’s top 4 business education programmes, of which Corvinus is the only Hungarian member. 

A second chance in August 

Corvinus plans to announce supplementary admissions for several popular bachelor’s and master’s programmes through felvi.hu. Based on previous years’ practice, applications are expected to open from the end of July. 

The available bachelor’s programmes are expected to include the Hungarian- and English-language Business and Management programmes, the Philosophy, Politics and Economics programme, and the Hungarian-language Business Informatics programme. At master’s level, applicants should look out for the Business Informatics and Teacher of Economics programmes. 

Admission scores from 2024 onwards cannot be directly compared with earlier years, as part of the points available are now calculated independently by each university based on its own institutional rules. As a result, a student applying to the same programme at several universities may receive different scores depending on the calculation methods used by each institution.