Studying in another country is always an incredible experience; you get to know a new environment, a fascinating foreign culture and make new friendships! Start your journey with us!

But why Budapest?

As the capital city of Hungary, Budapest offers a great hub of student life with amazing venues, a rich cultural background, word-class festivals and a vibrant day- and nightlife.

Why ELTE?

Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) is the oldest and largest university in Hungary and the most popular higher education institution among applicants each year. The University has nine faculties. With a wide range of student services and facilities, ELTE provides a true academic environment. Read more about ELTE here!

Why our faculty?

The Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education has a more than 150-year heritage as a teacher training institute. Our faculty is dedicated to the early years of a child’s life from age 0 until the age of 10. Our Early Childhood Education programme offers a three years (six semesters) long course; the program is recommended to applicants who want to prepare for working in a nursery and to gain a deeper understanding of the cognitive and emotional development of the first three years. It is recommended for all those who have an interest in both the theoretical and practical aspects of early childhood education; who, alongside this interest, have a commitment to supporting children’s cognitive and emotional development.

Our faculty (the Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education) is close to the downtown area, yet still located in the beautiful, green district of Budapest. Please check out our Campus Tour!

Are you thinking about working with children aged 3-6? Start your new career as a Kindergarten Educator in the international atmosphere of Budapest!

For Hungarian and International students, we offer a full degree Early Childhood Education BA Programme, in which the language of instruction for the entire program is English. The programme can be started immediately after graduating from secondary school.

Degree: Early Childhood Education
Level of the study programme: BA/BSc full degree
Nominal duration: 6 semesters/3 years
Intake: Fall
Language of instruction: English
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Curriculum: Programme Structure

The goal of this program is to lay the foundations for pedagogical competence, theoretical and methodological culture for early childhood educators. The program provides an up-to-date pedagogical approach and literacy on which to build further specialized knowledge, and which will help to effectively address the educational needs of children aged 0-3 years. It contributes to the development of the teacher candidate’s pedagogical self-image, inspiring the adoption and development of an attitude of a teacher who is aware of the child, who provides support and a model, and who cooperates effectively with the group of children and the family.

This program is recommended to applicants who want to prepare for working in a nursery and to gain a deeper understanding of the cognitive and emotional development of the first three years. It is recommended for all those who have an interest in both the theoretical and practical aspects of early childhood education; who, alongside this interest, have a commitment to supporting children’s cognitive and emotional development.

This program enables students to work independently in nurseries, organize their work autonomously. They will become familiar with the practice of educating and caring for children aged 0-3 years and will be able to use different methods and solve problems related to education.

"Don’t be afraid to try, to create, and to take initiative. University is not only about learning — it’s about discovering what you’re capable of."

Meet Zhishan Chen, our second-year Early Childhood Education BA student from China. Zhishan started her studies in 2024 as a self-funded student and is an ambassador since the beginning of 2026.

Please click on the following link to read more about her thoughts on studying on this programme. 

Zhishan has already broaden her international experience beyond the faculty walls by participating in the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme in March 2026. Read her blog about her experience on the following link. 
 

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to work independently in nurseries as nursery teachers and nursery educators in both public and private institutions. They can lead groups of children and plan their work autonomously. Once qualified, they can start their own business by opening a crèche or childcare centre and work with families in childcare. Training in English also opens up international career opportunities.

Job examples

nursery educator
nursery teacher
early childhood educator

For foreign citizens / Hungarian citizens with foreign high school certificates or double citizenship holder: 

If you are a Hungarian citizen or hold a double citizenship and have obtained your high school diploma in an international school in Hungary or in any foreign school abroad, you can apply through the DreamApply system of ELTE as an international self-funded applicant.

• Apply Now!
• The deadline for submitting your application for entry in autumn 2027 is: 31 May 2027. 

Please read our step-by-step application guide below: 
Application Guide

Admission fee:

For applicants from the European region, the institutional contact person will send the discount code required for payment during the admission process (please make sure to contact the person via email). By entering this discount code in the Discount code field, the amount will be reduced to EUR 120 for applicants from the European region.

For Hungarian citizens with Hungarian high school certificates:

• Felvi application platform
• The deadline for submitting your application is: 15 February 2027.
• For more information click here.

Scholarship opportunities

If you are looking for Scholarships, please click here.

Mandatory application documents

• Record of the final two years in secondary school;
• Secondary school certificate;
• Copy of the main pages of the passport scanned, in colour all personal details and expiry date must be shown, the passport must be valid;
• Medical certificates: a general medical certificate and a statement about any disabilities or special needs. To confirm the medical eligibility: download the formal documents (Health statement, Physical aptitude statement) from here:
  • Health Statement
• Proof of the Application fee and the Entrance exam fee transfer
• Language certificate (if the applicant has one)

After the faculty accepted the required document uploaded to the application platform, the applicant will take a professional online entrance examination organised by the Admission Committee of the Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education.

The online exam should take about 20 minutes and contains the following two parts:

IMPORTANT

The candidate needs to pass all four parts of the entrance exam to be eligible to admittance for the programme.

During the entrance interview, should the examiners detect the usage of any outside source (such as a translator or the presence of a third person who is aiding the applicant), the applicant will be automatically disqualified. Reading aloud from prepared texts or notes will result in a severe deduction of points from the English assessment section. We highly encourage applicants to use their own words and express their own thoughts. The same standards of authenticity apply to the Music and Singing assessment.

Reservation fee

The reservation fee is part of the first semester's tuition fee if the student establishes legal status, in which case the fee paid does not require separate treatment and accounting. If the applicant's legal status as a student is not established for any reason, the reservation fee must be settled and accounted for from the amount of tuition paid, as follows.

The amount of reservation fee:

1. if the establishment of student status fails due to the refusal to issue a visa (i.e., through no fault of the applicant): 10% of the semester tuition fee for the given program;

2. if the establishment of student status fails for other reasons: the reservation fee is 100% of the semester tuition fee for the given program, which may be reduced by the dean of the faculty based on the applicant's individual request.
    

Scholarship holders

Scholarship holders are exempted from the payment of tuition fee.

Please use the form below to get in touch with us. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Degree programme inquiry form