The admissions requirements below are part of CEU's Admissions Policy. Individual units may establish additional criteria for admission, such as specific academic backgrounds or minimum language test scores higher than the general CEU minimum requirements.

Eligibility Requirements for Master's Programs

Applicants must have a first degree from a recognized university or institution of higher education, or provide documentation indicating that they will earn such a first degree before enrolment in a CEU master's program.

For its one-year U.S.-accredited master's programs, CEU normally accepts students who have completed four years of undergraduate university study. Applicants with a three-year bachelor's degree will be considered for two-year master's programs (both for those accredited in the U.S. and in Hungary).

Admission into the U.S.-accredited one-year programs with a three-year bachelor's degree may be possible pending the University Provost's approval in particular cases, based on the recommendation of the academic unit in question.

Students enrolled in a master's program at CEU must not be simultaneously enrolled in another higher education institution, unless they provide official documentation about having obtained a leave of absence from the other institution for the entire duration of their studies at CEU. Admitted students are required, if applicable, to indicate enrolment at another institution in the matriculation form at the beginning of their studies at CEU.

Eligibility Requirements for Doctoral Programs

Applicants must have a master's degree (or equivalent) in a related field from a recognized university or institution of higher education, or provide documentation indicating that they will earn such a degree before enrollment in a CEU doctoral course of study.

In exceptional cases, the Department of Cognitive Science will also consider candidates who only hold a bachelor's degree, provided it is in a discipline closely associated with cognitive science.

The Department of Mathematics also accepts excellent candidates with a bachelor's degree only, if they have completed at least four years of university by the time of enrolling, and have a strong mathematical background.

Students enrolled in a doctoral program at CEU must not be simultaneously enrolled in other institutions of higher education, and are required, at the beginning of their studies at CEU, to sign a declaration to this effect.

Language Requirements

The language of instruction for all master's, doctoral and non-degree programs offered by Central European University is English.

Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in English by submitting standardized English language test scores.

Candidates whose first language is English are normally exempt from this requirement.

For further information see also item 6 of the Application Checklist.

Below is the list of the documents you need to prepare or arrange for submission:

1. Completed CEU Application Form 2016/2017
2. Letters of Recommendation
3. Academic Records
4. Curriculum Vitae or Resume
5. Program-Specific Requirements
6. Proof of English Proficiency
7. Application Fee

1. Completed CEU Application Form 2016/2017

Notes:

• All application materials must be submitted with the online application form for 2016/17. Materials sent by postal mail, email or fax will not be considered. If you have any questions or issues regarding the application form, please refer to the FAQ section or thesupport pages of the Embark online application system.
• Candidates may apply to two units (department, school or center) simultaneously and to any number of degree programs within each. Please note that you must submit a separate application for each program you wish to be considered for, irrespective of whether they are offered by the same unit or not.
• CEU charges an application fee of 40 USD. For more information, please see item 7 below.
• Please submit your application only when it is 100% final and complete. Applications cannot be edited after submission.
• You can track the progress and outcome of your application online.
• CEU does not return application documents, or provide copies thereof.
• Non-degree candidates should complete and submit the Non-degree and Visiting Student application form.

2. Letters of Recommendation

Candidates must provide two (or, for some doctoral programs, three) confidential letters of recommendation assessing their ability to conduct graduate-level work, and potential for a successful academic or professional career. The letters of recommendation must be written in English by faculty members or job supervisors (i.e. people most familiar with the candidate's academic and/or professional abilities and character).

Recommenders need to upload their recommendation via the Embark online system (OREC) by the given program's application deadline. IMPORTANT: Separate recommendations need to be submitted for each individual application, even if the recommenders are the same in each case.

Notes:

• Recommenders are provided access to the OREC by an automated email sent to them once the candidate registers them in the online application form. For assistance with the OREC, please click here if you are an applicant or here if you are a recommender.
• In exceptional cases candidates may request permission from theAdmissions Office to have their recommenders send the letters of recommendation by regular (postal) mail. If the permissions is granted, the Admissions Office will provide further guidelines. Please note that regardless of the way a recommendation is sent, it must reach CEU by the relevant application deadline.
• CEU does not accept letters of recommendation if their contents are known by the candidates concerned.
• CEU does not consider emailed or faxed recommendations.

3. Academic Records

Your online application must include a scanned image of

1. an official English version OR translation of your full bachelor's (and, for doctoral programs, master's) transcript (transcript = an official report supplied by a school on the record of an individual student, listing subjects studied and grades received), including an explanation of the grading system, and
2. an official English version OR translation of your bachelor's (and, for doctoral programs, master's) diploma.

Notes:

• An official English translation bears the stamp and signature of a sworn translator or an authorized official of the institution that has issued the original. It should contain the stamp and signature on each page or over a folded and fastened corner of the document, and include a statement of authenticity in English.
• Candidates in the process of completing a degree program must upload an interim transcript and, in place of the diploma, a certificate of enrollment confirming their student status and, if possible, stating their expected date of graduation.
• Candidates who can download a full (though unofficial) transcript from the relevant university website may upload it to the Embark online application in lieu of requesting a hard copy version.
• Candidates having completed their degree program and having yet to receive their diploma must upload a certificate of graduation.
• Candidates who have taken courses at more than one institution as part of their degree program need to submit an official transcript from each school, unless the transfer credits are listed in detail (course names, credits, grades) on their final transcript.
• Candidates applying for a one-year Master's program at CEU that have earned a three-year undergraduate degree and have completed or are, at the time of application, completing a Master's program at another university must submit their Master's transcript (and diploma, if already available) in addition to their Bachelor's transcript and diploma.
• The official "Diploma Supplement" issued by European institutions is not valid without an official copy (and translation if applicable) of the diploma.

4. Curriculum Vitae or Resume

Candidates need to upload an updated CV or resume, including a publication list if available. CEU accepts all commonly used CV/resume formats.

5. Program-Specific Requirements

Most programs at CEU require one or several additional supporting documents for the application, such as a statement of purpose, research proposal or writing samples, standard test scores (e.g. GRE), etc. Each academic program has different requirements, which are listed in the relevant section on their respective websites.

You may want to also check the Useful Tips section for guidelines.

6. Proof of English Proficiency

Candidates 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 tests listed below.

Candidates whose first language is English are normally exempt from this requirement. Candidates meeting the following requirements may also be exempted:

1. current or former CEU students applying to CEU's doctoral programs;
2. candidates who have earned a bachelor's or a master's degree taught exclusively in English.

To be exempted from the English language proficiency requirement, applicants need to request this in the relevant section of the online application form. Decisions regarding exemptions are at the discretion of the admissions committee for the given program and will be communicated to candidates after the first stage of the selection process via Embark (Track your Status).

Students submitting a TOEFL or IELTS score should upload a scan of their score report to the relevant section of their online application and, if admitted, request a hard copy of their results to be sent to the CEU Admissions Office (CEU institution code: 0069.)

Language test types & minimum test scores required by Master's programs:

Test Type	Minimum Score Required*
TOEFL (Internet-based; taken on/after January 11, 2014)	88
TOEFL (Paper-based; taken on/after January 11, 2014)	570
CEU-administered TOEFL (Paper-based; taken in/after 2014)	570
IELTS Academic; taken on/after January 11, 2014)	6.5
Pearson Test of English (Academic) (taken on/after taken on/after January 11, 2011)	59
Cambridge Proficiency Examination (taken on/after January 11, 2011)	C
Cambridge Advanced English Test (taken on/after January 11, 2011)	B

*The Erasmus Mundus Masters Program in Public Policy (Mundus MAPP) has different language requirements which are listed on the program website. Language test reports are due by January 11, 2016 for applicants who wish to be considered for financial aid. 

Language test types & minimum test scores required by doctoral programs:

Test Type	Minimum Score Required
TOEFL (Internet-based; taken on/after January 11, 2014)	100
TOEFL (Paper-based; taken on/after January 11, 2014)	600
CEU-administered TOEFL (Paper-based; taken in/after 2014)	600
IELTS Academic; taken on/after January 11, 2014)	7
Pearson Test of English (Academic) (taken on/after taken on/after January 11, 2011)	76
Cambridge Proficiency Examination (taken on/after January 11, 2011)	C
Cambridge Advanced English Test (taken on/after January 11, 2011)	A

English-language tests administered by CEU

CEU organizes and sponsors an institutional paper-based TOEFL at a number of test centers administered on April 2, 2016. Candidates applying by the February 4, 2016 deadline may opt to take the CEU institutional TOEFL examination if they are able to travel to any of the test locations on the given date. In order to register for the institutional TOEFL examination candidates need to complete the appropriate fields in the online application form. NOTE: Admissions decisions of CEU institutional test-takers remain conditional until the examination results become available.

7. Application Fee

CEU charges a one-time application fee of 40 USD for each candidate irrespective of the number of programs applied to in the given admissions cycle. The application fee is non-refundable: all applicants are subject to submit this fee regardless of nationality or financial status. The fee must be paid when the first application is submitted in the given admission cycle.

Notes:

• The fee should be paid by bank card preferably via the online application system or, alternatively, through CEU's payment gateway (both of which are secure.) Candidates holding a US bank account may also pay by electronic check. An application will not be processed until the application fee payment has been received and processed.
• Candidates using the CEU payment gateway should pay 30 EUR or 9,500 HUF in the absence of a USD payment option.
• No other ways of payment than those listed above are available.
• Track the payment status online.
• If a fee payment is not possible in any of the ways described above, please contact the Admissions Office.