Frequently Asked Questions about Admissions to CEU

Should you have questions regarding the online application form, read the CEU Online Application Form FAQ further down on this page.

General Admissions FAQs

How do I apply?

Consult General requirements for candidates to establish whether you are eligible.
In addition check the language requirements and additional requirements from the Program or Department
Get familiar with various stages and deadlines of CEU admission process
Assemble necessary application documents
Apply online (available from November 10, 2009)

What are the CEU's admissions criteria?
CEU follows the admissions policy and criteria adopted by its Senate in line with international practice. Admission to Central European University is based upon an overall evaluation of the candidate, including: academic achievements, strength of recommendations, English language proficiency and specific requirements of the Department or Program. Admission to CEU is highly competitive.

Who do I contact if I have any application related questions?
Central European University
Admissions Office
Nador u. 9, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
Tel: (+36-1) 327-3009, 327-3272, 327-3208, 327-3210;
Fax: (+36-1) 327-3211

Will a late application be considered?
Individual CEU departments may provide additional, or extended, application deadlines on a case-by-case basis. The extension of application deadlines may not exceed June 1, 2010. For further information, applicants should consult the webpages of the relevant department.

How long after the closing date will a decision be made?
Applicants will be notified about results of the admission process in approximately three months' time.

Will I receive a letter telling me the outcome of my application?
An applicant will be informed about the outcome of his/her application via e-mail.

Can I contact for feedback on my application?
We are sorry; CEU does not offer a feedback on applications.

Is there an application fee?
CEU does not charge an application fee.

Can I apply to more than one department? Can I apply to more than one program?
Candidates may apply to two separate CEU departments, and must indicate their first and second preferred choice of department. If the applicant is rejected by the first choice, but accepted by the second choice, the student will be offered admission to the second choice. If the applicant is accepted by both, an admission offer will be made by the first choice department, not both. In exceptional cases, and upon written justification, applicants may be permitted to change the order of their preference – notifying the CEU Admissions Office by March 16, 2010. Within one department applicants may apply to as many programs as a department offers.

What are the English language requirements? What happens if I don't meet the English requirements?
Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English by submitting standardized English language test scores, e.g., the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or other substitute tests listed below. In most countries where there is a local CEU coordinator, CEU organizes and sponsors an institutional paper-based TOEFL and other department-specific subject tests. Candidates who apply by January 25, 2010 may take the CEU examinations (except Erasmus Mundus applicants). These examinations will be held simultaneously on March 13, 2010.

In case an application of a candidate presents an excellent academic quality, a head of the department may decide to accept a candidate even though s/he does not meet the English recruitments.

What funding opportunities are available?
CEU awards an extensive range of financial packages to support its students. Please have a look at the pages below.

How are your programs organized? What is the duration of my program of study?
One-year Master’s degree programs at CEU typically run for ten months, admitting students who have a four-year Bachelor’s degree. The programs include an orientation session, two 12-week semesters, and a two-month Spring Session where students prepare their thesis or research.

Two-year Master’s degree programs at CEU, typically admitting students who have a three-year Bachelor’s degree, are increasing in number. For details, please consult the web pages of the relevant departments.

CEU doctoral programs, typically for students with a Master’s degree in a related field, normally take between three and six years to complete. First year: students must complete the taught course credits specified by their department. Dependent upon the successful completion of a comprehensive examination and a dissertation proposal (or an extensive research paper), students are approved for full doctoral candidacy. Years two to five: the period of doctoral candidacy, in which the student pursues research toward the dissertation. For further information, see University Doctoral Regulations.

Can I request to defer my year of entry?
Only on approval from the head of the department

Are a student's chances for admission jeopardized if there are other applicants from his or her country?
No, CEU accepts students on academic merit bases.

Is there a waiting list?
Yes. Applicants who happen to find themselves on a waiting list will be notified about their status after the academic year has begun.

May a student with a Bachelor's degree apply to CEU?
Yes, two-year Master’s degree programs at CEU, typically admitting students who have a three-year Bachelor's degree, are increasing in number. For students with a Bachelor's degree CEU offers:

MA programs: Critical Gender Studies, Economics; Historical Studies; Philosophy; Sociology and Social Anthropology with Specialization in Global and Urban Studies (two years, US accreditation in process)
MS in Applied Mathematics

Online Application Form FAQ

I am experiencing technical problems when trying to create an Embark account or to complete an online application. What should I do?
Please refer to Embark’s Help Center. You may find the solution for your problem in the Support Forums. If not, submit a request to Embark’s support staff. They will get back to you with a solution within a day or two.

My transcript (CV, statement of purpose, research proposal, etc.) consists of more than one page. How can I upload documents of multiple pages?
You can easily upload a document of up to a hundred pages (as long as it does not exceed 2 MB in size) if you scan all pages of the document into one single file. It is a matter of how you set your scanner.

What am I to do if I want to apply for multiple programs or departments?
You must submit a separate application for each program you want to be considered for. Regarding how to do it, refer to the relevant instruction (Apply to more than one program) in Step 1 of the Application Form. DO NOT CREATE more than one account to apply to multiple programs at CEU.

Can recommendations be mailed?
Yes, they can – in fact, letters of recommendation are the only part of an application package that can be submitted by postal mail. Please note though that the preferred way of submitting recommendations is online via the Embark application system.

Can recommendations be emailed or faxed?
No, they cannot – please see the previous questions.

My referees are going to submit / have already submitted their letters of recommendation by mail. Should they also submit them online?
They don’t need to (see previous question). Note, however, that you still have to register them in your application for technical reasons, otherwise you will not be able to submit it. Please inform your referees of this.

I have submitted my application and just realized I need to make some corrections in it. What can I do?
Email your edits to admissions@ceu.hu and we will make the updates to your application. DO NOT CREATE another account to re-submit your application.

Why do I have to provide my mother’s name in my application?
The mother’s name is an important data item for personal identification in Hungary and is required for several purposes such as obtaining a residence permit, opening a bank account, etc. Please note that it is your mother’s BIRTH (or MAIDEN) NAME you need to supply, not the one she has used after her marriage!

I cannot find my school’s name in the list that pops up when I try to enter it on the Education Data page. What should I do?
The list contains nearly 20,000 (that is twenty thousand) entries, so it is very unlikely that your school is not included in it. Try different ways searching for it; entering the city in which it is located almost always helps if you cannot find it by the name. Enter “School Not Found” only if you have made ABSOLUTELY SURE that the list does not contain your school.

On the Education Data page, I would like to list a Study Abroad (non-degree, unfinished degree, etc.) program I have attended, but I cannot because no such entry is found in the degree list. What can I do?
On the Education Data page, we need you to list your completed degrees only. Any other program such as Study Abroad programs, non-degree programs, unfinished degree programs should be listed in your CV. The related transcripts can be uploaded along with the Bachelor’s (or Master’s) transcripts.

I have earned a Master’s at CEU and am now applying for a doctoral program. Am I required to upload official copies of academic records?
Upload a plain printout of your CEU grades (you can get one by email from the Student Records Office free of charge) only. We have your Bachelor’s records on file.

I want to apply for a doctoral program at CEU and I would like to apply for financial aid as well; however, I cannot fill out the financial aid section during the online application process. Can I just leave this out of the online application process or do I perhaps need to fill out this part somewhere else?
As every student admitted into a CEU doctoral program receives a Full CEU Doctoral Fellowship (or else they do not get admitted), you do not need to apply for it. In case you might consider an offer of admission with less or no financial aid, let us know by email.

If I apply for a CEU-administered exam in a country other than my own, will you provide a letter of invitation for me to apply for a visa with?
Unfortunately, we can provide letters of invitation for admitted students only. Prospective students/applicants should only apply to be tested in a location they can travel to without a visa.

My university does not issue official transcripts to its students, but sends them directly to graduate institutions. How can I meet the requirement of submitting a scan of my official academic records with my online application?
If you can get an unofficial (student) copy, submit that along with an explanatory note. In case you are unable to have even a student copy, upload an explanatory note in place of your transcript, and have your university mail us an official copy - we will upload it on receipt. (Please note, however, that this applies to official transcripts received by postal mail, and only to cases like the one aforesaid; we DO NOT UPLOAD emailed or fax documents as they are not official.)

I submitted an application last year, and am planning to apply again. Can you use my last year's materials or do I have to resubmit my application?
For a number of reasons (such as the fact that all admissions decisions will now be communicated with the help of the online application), we cannot use your last year's application. You will therefore need to submit a new online application complete with all required materials even if you are applying to the same very program you applied to last year. You may of course want to revise or update your essays (statement of purpose, research proposal, etc.) and CV at your discretion though.