School-Leaving Examination (Hungary)Érettségi

Overview

The Érettségi (secondary-school-leaving examination, also called the Matura) is Hungary's standardised exam marking the end of upper-secondary education. It is organised nationally by the Oktatási Hivatal (Educational Authority), under the Ministry of Education, and sat by students finishing a gimnázium (grammar school) or a vocational secondary programme that leads to a leaving certificate. Passing it awards the érettségi bizonyítvány (leaving certificate), and the results also form part of the points used for admission to Hungarian higher education through the centralised felvi.hu system.

Who can apply

Students completing the final year of an accredited secondary-school programme register for the Érettségi through their school. Each candidate must sit five exam subjects to earn the leaving certificate: four compulsory subjects - Hungarian language and literature, mathematics, history, and a foreign language - plus one further compulsory elective subject chosen by the student from subjects covered in their school curriculum. Students may also register for additional, freely chosen subjects beyond the required five; passing these adds them to the certificate as well. Adult candidates who did not complete secondary school at the usual age can also register and sit the exam in a later exam period.

Exam pattern

Every subject can be taken at one of two levels, chosen freely by the candidate regardless of how it was taught at school:

For the 2026 main exam period, written papers run from 4 May to 22 May 2026, each subject on a single nationally fixed date (for example Hungarian language and literature on 4 May, mathematics on 5 May, and history on 6 May 2026). Oral exams follow in June: advanced-level orals run from 3 to 10 June 2026, and intermediate-level orals from 15 June to 1 July 2026, both organised locally after the written papers are marked.

Marking and results

Each exam is scored as a percentage and converted into one of five grades: 0-24% is elégtelen (fail, grade 1); 25-32% elégséges (grade 2); 33-46% közepes (grade 3); 47-59% jó (grade 4); and 60-100% jeles (grade 5). A candidate who scores below roughly 12% on any individually marked part of a subject (for example, one section of a multi-part written paper) fails that whole subject regardless of their combined score. The pass threshold for a subject overall is 25% at advanced level and a comparable minimum at intermediate level; failing a compulsory subject means the leaving certificate is not awarded until it is retaken successfully.

For university admission through felvi.hu, candidates can earn up to 500 points in total for the 2026 admission cycle: up to 200 points from secondary-school study results (year-end grades and érettségi percentages), up to 200 points from the érettségi subjects required by the chosen degree programme, and up to 100 further institutional points that some programmes award (for example for relevant competition results or work experience). An advanced-level result is worth more admission points than the same percentage at intermediate level in the same subject, and some programmes award bonus points - commonly 50 points - for reaching a set advanced-level threshold (such as 45%) in a required subject.

Important dates

Hungary runs two exam periods each year:

• Spring/main session: written papers from 4 May to 22 May 2026; advanced-level oral exams from 3 to 10 June 2026; intermediate-level oral exams from 15 June to 1 July 2026.

• Autumn/resit session: registration from 24 August to 7 September 2026; written papers from 12 to 22 October 2026; advanced-level oral exams from 5 to 9 November 2026; intermediate-level oral exams from 16 to 20 November 2026.

The autumn session is open to candidates retaking a failed or missed subject, improving a result, or sitting a subject for the first time outside the spring cycle. Exact subject-by-subject dates and registration windows are published by the Oktatási Hivatal ahead of each session and can shift from year to year.

How to apply

Students currently enrolled in a secondary school register for the Érettségi through that school, specifying the five required subjects (and any further freely chosen ones), the level chosen for each, and the exam period. Candidates who are no longer enrolled in a secondary school, or who want to sit a subject their school does not offer at the level they need, register directly with the regional government office (kormányhivatal) responsible for their place of residence. Registration deadlines are set separately for the spring and autumn sessions each year and are published on the Oktatási Hivatal website.

After the exam

Passing all five compulsory subjects earns the érettségi bizonyítvány (leaving certificate), which is required to apply to Hungarian higher education and is also widely treated as a general upper-secondary qualification for employment. Candidates applying to university or college submit their érettségi results, together with their secondary-school record, through the centralised felvi.hu admission system, which ranks applicants for each degree programme using the points described above. Programmes also set their own required subjects and minimum levels (often advanced level) for specific courses, particularly in sciences and medicine.

Preparation tips

• Decide early which level (közép or emelt) to take each subject at, based on the entrance requirements of the degree programmes you are interested in, since this affects both difficulty and admission points.

• Use the Oktatási Hivatal's published exam requirements and sample papers (vizsgakövetelmények and feladatok) for each subject and level, since the format and topic list are fixed in advance and repeat from year to year.

• Remember the roughly 12% per-part rule: a very weak result on just one part of a written paper can fail the whole subject even if your overall average looks acceptable.

• Track registration deadlines for both the spring and autumn sessions, since a missed deadline usually means waiting for the next exam period.

FAQs