Entry requirements

Applicants must have a BA/BBA degree in any of the following areas: Social Science, Communication and Media Science, International Studies, Political Studies, Social Work, Sociology, Social Pedagogy, Cultural Anthropology, Political Science, Community Coordination, Ethnography, Roma Studies. In case of other bachelor's degrees: individual consideration.

If the BA degree does not meet all the necessary requirements, the applicant may be required to complete additional credits in the relevant fields during their first year of study to fulfil these requirements upon acceptance.

Language requirements

Certification of English knowledge (both written and oral): B2

IELTS Score: 5.5
TOEFL IBT Band: 46-59
Cambridge English Scale Score: 162

If the applicant does not have any of the above certifications, their English proficiency will be assessed during the admission interview. Any letter of acceptance issued by the Faculty of Social Sciences is based on the verified fact that the applicant’s command of English has been assessed; therefore, they are considered eligible to pursue their studies at the institution.

If the applicant can prove that they completed their former education entirely in English by submitting a notarized attestation and a detailed academic transcript, no proof of language knowledge will be required throughout the admission process.

The application starts on the online application system. Students need to register in the system, fill in the online application form, upload the required documents and follow the instructions during the application process.

Students who hold Hungarian citizenship and/or dual citizenship, must apply through felvi.hu Please note that if an application is submitted not according to the aforementioned, it will be rejected.  

Procedure of the entrance examination

The application deadline refers to the final submission of the complete application package through the online system.

For the September intake, there are three application periods:

1. Early Bird Period: October 1, 2024, to November 15, 2024, 23:59 (CET)
2. Regular Period: November 20, 2024, to April 30, 2025, 23:59 (CET)
3. Last Call Period: May 5, 2025, to May 31, 2025, 23:59 (CET)

The application deadline refers to the final submission of the complete application package through the online application system.

These distinct periods allow applicants the flexibility to submit their applications at their convenience. All applicants within each period have an equal chance of gaining admission to the program.

After each application deadline, the Admission Board reviews the application. After the admission interview, applicants are informed of the selection outcome through the online application system within approximately one month. Admission letters are expected to be sent out through the online application system until the end of June. For February intake and Early Bird applications, admission letters are expected to be sent out through the online application system until the end of December.

Applicants with a full application package will be notified after the application deadline about the exact time and date of application interviews conducted via Ms Teams. Applicants are responsible for having technically suitable conditions for the interview from their side.

Applicants are expected to be prepared taking questions regarding the compulsory admission materials (see: Recommended readings for the entrance exam) from the side of admission committee composed of a professor, a lecturer and a student representative.

Based on the results, certain students may be placed on a waiting list. Final results are expected by the first half of August.

Type of entrance examination: Oral
Place of entrance examination: Online

Further details of the entrance exam

The application interview will include a discussion on the following topics:

The applicant should choose one of the well-known figures from the history of anthropology: Clifford Geertz, Edmund Leach, Bronislaw Malinowski, Margaret Mead – and review his/her works and achievements in the fields of anthropology.

Recommended Readings:
The list below is the recommended readings, but students are also allowed to choose different reading from the authors.

• Edmund Leach: Social anthropology (Oxford University Press, 1982)
• Margaret Mead:Coming of Age in Samoa (1928) or Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies (1935)
• Bronislaw Malinowski: Argonauts of the Western Pacific: An account of native enterprise and adventure in the Archipelagoes of Melanesian New Guinea (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1922) or Baloma; the Spirits of the Dead in the Trobriand Islands (1916)
• Clifford Geertz: The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays (Basic Books, 1973) or Local Knowledge: Further Essays in Interpretive Anthropology (Basic Books, 1983)

Further details of selection and evaluation:  

Applicants with a full application package will be asked to participate in an oral entrance exam. The institutional admission scores are based on a total evaluation of academic excellence (based on the submitted documents) and the results of the entrance exam. The entrance exam seeks to assess the general and professional knowledge and interest of the applicant.

A successful oral entrance exam is the prerequisite of getting admitted. If the applicant fails the oral entrance exam, the application will be rejected.