CEEPUS Scholarships 2027 Open in 16 European Countries

Students who want a European study-abroad experience without limiting themselves to a single country should take a closer look at the Central European Exchange Program for University Studies (CEEPUS). Applications for individual mobility opportunities for the 2026–27 academic year are now being processed, giving eligible university students, PhD candidates and academic staff access to funded study, research, teaching and short-term academic stays across Central Europe and the Western Balkans.

What makes CEEPUS particularly useful is that it is not a conventional degree scholarship. You normally remain enrolled at your home university and spend a defined period at another participating institution.

Depending on the mobility category, that could mean completing part of a semester in Hungary, conducting thesis research in Austria, joining a summer school in Slovenia or carrying out academic work at a university in Croatia, Poland or another participating country.

And unlike Erasmus+, CEEPUS has its own regional university networks, application system and host-country-funded scholarship model.

What Exactly Does CEEPUS Pay For?

CEEPUS provides a mobility scholarship rather than one fixed Europe-wide financial package.

There is no single “CEEPUS stipend” applicable to every applicant. Each host country finances incoming scholarship holders and sets its own scholarship rates according to local conditions.

That distinction matters.

A student going to Hungary may therefore receive a different monthly amount from someone completing CEEPUS mobility in Austria, Poland or Slovenia. The scholarship is intended primarily to contribute toward living expenses during the approved mobility period, while individual countries may provide additional benefits or arrangements.

For mobility to Hungary, for example, the scholarship is administered through the Hungarian host institution after the mobility has been awarded.

Applicants should therefore check the Country Information for their intended destination before judging whether the scholarship will cover their complete cost of living.

Which Countries Participate in CEEPUS?

There are currently 16 participating CEEPUS countries:

CEEPUS says its network now connects thousands of participating higher-education institutions and has supported more than 100,000 successful mobilities since the programme was established.

Can Any International Student Apply for CEEPUS?

No. This is the most important eligibility point for international applicants.

CEEPUS is primarily designed for students and teachers who are studying or employed at higher-education institutions within participating CEEPUS countries.

For example, a Pakistani student studying full-time at an eligible university in Hungary may potentially participate under the programme’s Equal Status principle even though the student is not a Hungarian citizen.

However, a student living and studying at a university in Pakistan normally cannot simply apply directly for CEEPUS mobility in Hungary or Austria because Pakistan is not a CEEPUS member country.

Official programme guidance confirms that applicants with another citizenship may still qualify when they are enrolled or employed at an institution in a member country.

So citizenship alone does not always decide eligibility—where you currently study or teach matters enormously.

How Long Can You Study Abroad Through CEEPUS?

CEEPUS is unusually flexible because not every applicant needs to leave university for a complete semester. Depending on the approved mobility, opportunities can include:

• Semester mobility for bachelor’s, master’s and PhD students;
• Short-term mobility for thesis preparation, laboratory work or research;
• Internships and academic placements where permitted;
• Summer schools and intensive courses;
• PhD research mobility;
• Teacher mobility for teaching and academic cooperation.

Hungary’s official CEEPUS guidance, for example, describes semester mobility generally lasting 3–10 months, while summer schools may last approximately 6–30 days.

That makes the programme particularly interesting for students who want international exposure but do not want—or cannot afford—to complete an entire degree abroad.

Do I Have to Belong to a CEEPUS University Network?

Not necessarily. There are two main ways to participate: Network Mobility and Freemover Mobility.

Do I Need to Complete 2 Semesters Before Applying for CEEPUS?

Yes, student applicants normally need to have completed at least two semesters of university studies.

That means CEEPUS is generally not intended for a student who has only just entered the first semester of a bachelor’s programme. Bachelor’s, master’s and PhD students can potentially participate, but the exact mobility category should match their academic objective.

Students are also generally limited to a maximum of 10 months of CEEPUS-funded study during each bachelor’s and master’s study cycle.

Can I Use CEEPUS for My Master’s or PhD Thesis Research?

Yes—and this may be one of the programme’s most valuable uses. A student does not necessarily need to undertake normal classroom study abroad. Short-term mobility can be used for activities connected to thesis preparation, research consultations, laboratory access and other academic work.

Some current CEEPUS networks specifically support master’s and doctoral thesis development, research collaboration, conferences, workshops, joint publications and access to partner institutions’ expertise.

For a PhD candidate who needs access to a particular laboratory, archive, research group or supervisor elsewhere in Central Europe, this can make CEEPUS considerably more practical than applying for another full degree.

Do I Need IELTS for a CEEPUS Scholarship?

There is no single CEEPUS-wide IELTS requirement. Language requirements are normally determined by the host institution, study programme and planned academic activity.

If courses or research activities are conducted in English, the host university may ask for evidence that you can work in English—but applicants should check the individual university rather than assuming IELTS is compulsory for every CEEPUS mobility.

This is especially important for thesis researchers and PhD candidates whose mobility may revolve around research rather than classroom coursework.

Can I Receive Erasmus+ and CEEPUS Funding at the Same Time?

Not for the same mobility period and activity. CEEPUS prohibits double financing where another scholarship covers the same mobility activity, destination and period.

Students who already receive Erasmus+, university mobility funding or another international scholarship should therefore ask their international office whether combining the funding would violate the programme rules.

How Do You Apply?

All CEEPUS applications are submitted through the official CEEPUS online platform. For Network Mobility, applicants should first find out whether their university or department belongs to a CEEPUS network. The application normally needs support from the relevant home and host coordinators.

For Freemover applications, students generally need to identify and contact the intended host institution themselves. A formal Letter of Acceptance and other supporting documentation may then be required.

The CEEPUS portal provides a Mobility Wizard, which directs applicants toward the appropriate application route.

CEEPUS Scholarship Deadlines for 2026–27

There is no single deadline that safely applies to every CEEPUS applicant because national rules, semester arrangements and Freemover availability can differ.

For applicants seeking mobility to Hungary, the current Hungarian guidance gives August 31, 2026 as the application deadline for relevant autumn-semester mobility applications. Hungary had an earlier June 30, 2026 deadline for long-term autumn network student mobility, so applicants must check their exact mobility category rather than relying on a generic CEEPUS deadline.

For the broader programme, commonly published annual deadlines include August 31 for first-semester Network Mobility, December 31 for second-semester Network Mobility and November 30 for many second-semester Freemover applications, but destination-country rules and available quotas should always be checked before submission.

For students already enrolled at universities in the CEEPUS region, this is therefore much more than a conventional semester-abroad scheme. It can be a relatively accessible way to study, conduct thesis research, join a summer school, undertake academic training or build a research network in another European country—without applying for an entirely new degree programme.