Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Recipient, Stella Murugi, Shares the Story of How She Applied for the Fully Funded Award to Pursue Her Master’s in Environmental Science at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Hungary

Szia! My name is Stella Murugi from Kenya, currently pursuing my MSc Environmental Science at Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE) in Budapest, Hungary. My Bachelor's was in BSc Biochemistry, so if you are one of those people who would like to do a different master's from your bachelor's, I’m your girl. My switch to environmental science was inspired by my community work. After finishing my bachelor's, I worked in different fields, but I was most passionate about community development, and that is where I made the connection that sustainable use of natural resources is at the core of community wellbeing.

Pause for a moment and think about the water you use daily and how limited access to it can affect the quality of your life, your health through water-borne diseases, and even your access to food due to its use in agriculture. Then, look at the very building you live in, the road you use when running your errands, the car you drive, and even the phone or laptop you’re reading this on; a natural material has been used to build it. Environmental Science is a vast field and has an equally wide practical application. My specialization is in applied ecology, and my current thesis is on water quality, as it largely affects my community back home.

Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Details

As mentioned before, I am a student at the prestigious Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE), which is also the biggest university in Hungary, and I’ve studied under the Stipendium Hungaricum program, which is a partnership between Hungary and various countries. It is managed by the Tempus foundation here in Hungary, and in the respective countries, the process is managed by the “ sending partner”. In Kenya, the sending partner is the Ministry of Education.  

The Stipendium Hungaricum covers the school fee tuition, which is usually about 3,000 - 5,000 euros per semester, depending on the university and course. The monthly stipend is 110 euros (43,700 forints) and the housing allowance is 100 euros (40,000 forints).

Unfortunately, this amount is not enough to get by here in Hungary, and they have specified in the award document that one should have other sources of income.

Some countries send extra money to their students, some up to 500 USD per month. I would therefore advise interested applicants to first check the call for applications by the sending partner in their country.

Educational Background

My BSc in Biochemistry offered a solid foundation in natural sciences to transition to MSc Environmental Science. Under course requirements, always remember to check under what category your bachelor's is in, and you can always find a masters in that category under a different title.

I also graduated with a Second class honors - upper division, which is the honors under first class. Luckily, with this, it’s preferred in most universities, and you can start a master's almost immediately.

Also, studying in Kenya with English as the language of instruction has been a plus point for most applications, as the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) is accepted as proof of language document.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to Eötvös Lorand University?

On the https://apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu/ website, it was very easy to filter my course and institution of choice. I also made sure to confirm the language of instruction, as some courses are taught in Hungarian. So after finding multiple universities with my desired course, I prioritised ELTE Budapest as my first choice, and my other option was a university 30 minutes away from Budapest. If you can, I suggest you choose institutes in Budapest or near Budapest. The competition is, of course, higher, but I believe it’s worth studying in the city.

After selecting the courses, I then checked the requirements for each; they both required motivational letters, and for these, I had to write two of them and upload them to the document sections. On the website during the application, anything that you have not completed comes up in the “to-do list,” and it’s easy to see the documents required, such as passports and other school certificates.

Luckily for Kenyans, the KCSE certificate is valid as proof of the English language, and there is also a letter you can get from the Ministry of Education confirming that English is the language of instruction from kindergarten.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the Scholarship?

After completing everything online, I printed out the application and sent it to the Ministry of Education, as they are the ones who select the students to continue with the selection process. To break down this process;

1. You finish the application on https://apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu/ with your desired University and course.
2. You send the finished application to the sending partner of your country, in this case, the Ministry of Education, Kenya.
3. The ministry selects the students who’ll proceed to the next stage after an interview with them.
4. Once selected by your sending partner, the universities you applied to will now start reviewing your application if you're also a qualified candidate for the specific course.
5. After this, they schedule an interview with you. The type of interview differs with the course. Some courses have written exams while others, in our case, are a one-on-one with the program coordinator where you’re asked about your interests in the course, what you hope to do after the course, etc. Most of these interview questions are based on your motivational letter, so it is good that you remember what you wrote and be authentic in your application. The university also has a limited slot per course, which you can check on the school website.
6. After the interview stage, the university gives you feedback, but you still need a confirmation from the scholarship now to finalise your acceptance for both the university and the scholarship. It’s good to note that there are 3 bodies in this application: the Sending partner, the university, and the scholarship body (Tempus Foundation)

Once you pass these stages, you can finally start your visa application, which is free for scholarship awardees. In Kenya, it takes about a month to get your visa.

How is (was) Your Experience at Eotvos Lorand University?

My experience at the school has been wonderful. I’ve had lovely coursemates and diligent professors. I’ve also been very lucky to have a smart, kind supervisor for my thesis, which has helped with my thesis writing. The coursework has also been all-rounded, and it’s pushed me to learn basics in fields such as statistics. ELTE is a top university, so the lab work has also been thorough with educational field trips. Our campus is also right by the Danube, so you can bet the views from class are breathtaking as well.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

My work experience, authentic personal motivation, and good grades.

I finished my bachelor's in 2018 and started my master's in 2023, which means I had a 5-year gap between them. Somewhat unusual having such a gap, but in those 5 years, I have had solid work experience, which even the professor mentioned in my interview was a plus point. I have worked as a project lead in a clean water initiative for my community, which was a key selling point in why I want to master in environmental science. With my work experience, I could easily show my commitment to tackling real-life issues.  We study hard not just for ourselves but to bring change to people’s lives.

In my motivational letter, I made sure to cite actual, current problems that need solving. By being genuine in my concerns and possible solutions, I was able to handle the interview questions much more easily.

My grades were a boosting point, but given my gap, the professor suggested polishing up on some topics before joining Uni, as it’s easy to forget some concepts that were a foundation for the master's.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

Starting My Passport Application Early. 

Unfortunately, I started my passport application quite late, and it took a while to process, which was very stressful, and I had to seek help from the Ministry of Education to write letters to Immigration for a faster process. I was able to get it in time, but it was very risky as a slight delay in getting the passport would have a negative ripple effect on the visa application and subsequently the travel plans.

Following the University's Social Media Accounts

ELTE and most universities have very informative social media pages. It’s wise to follow them even before the application process as they give tips on applications and even other opportunities for students in ELTE.

Being Active in Mentor Groups 

Every year, there are mentors who help you in the application process and moving here once accepted. So I'd advise you to stay active in your mentor group even when you get here, as they have more activities for students, such as travels and games. It’s a good way to remain socially active and immerse yourself in Hungarian culture and various activities for free.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

Prioritise Budapest universities: As I mentioned before, the stipend offered will not be enough to cover full living costs, so unless you have support from elsewhere, you’ll need a job. Budapest has multiple student jobs for English speakers, unlike outside Budapest, where they might require Hungarian speakers, and you may be forced to commute and possibly also rent in Budapest on top of your other living space outside Budapest just to work a student job. If possible, I’d advise one to prioritise universities in Budapest and then cast a wider net in other universities.

Apply to multiple scholarships: The rule with scholarships is always to apply for as many as you can. From August, it’s basically “scholarship season”. There are many factors in getting selected for a scholarship, and it’s better if you have your eggs in multiple baskets. Also, if a scholarship has the chance to apply to more than one university, please make sure you maximise your options. In my case, I applied to two universities with ELTE as my first option. I had also applied for the Chevening Scholarship in the UK, but unfortunately got rejected.

Passport application. Besides your scholarship application, having a passport is a key document in ensuring you have your visa and travel on time. As you know, sometimes delays in joining the school can be grounds for having your scholarship withdrawn. In countries where the passport application process takes a long time, please start the process early, even before the scholarship process.

Have all your documents in order. In Kenya, you need to deliver the printed completed application from https://apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu/ and other requested documents. It’s always advisable to have them authenticated beforehand.

Always start your applications early. If you’re doing multiple applications, the motivational letters can be overwhelming, especially last minute. However, if you start early, you can always ease into the writing and manage to customize them without being exhausted.

Be open to learning Hungarian: If you receive the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship, it’s compulsory for one to learn Hungarian in the first year, and failing the language in the second semester leads to your stipend being reduced. However, instead of focusing so much on learning to keep your stipend, I’d advise one to go the extra mile to actually enjoy learning the language, as it’ll help you immerse yourself more in the culture, and you’ll be able to communicate with other Hungarians better.

Be authentic in your motivational letter: I acknowledge the importance of AI in easing our tasks. However, when it comes to a motivation letter, I’d advise you to draft it in your own words and, if necessary, seek help polishing it from AI. Sadly, if you leave all the writing to AI, your application will lack authenticity, sound generic, and even in the interview, you might find yourself not remembering what your letter entailed. So, believe in your cause and draft a heartfelt motivational letter.