Most people think that studying engineering is hard and exhausting- is that so though? Let’s see now how many hours do engineering students need to study.

First we must state that the difficulty and number of study hours depend on the university, your individual drive, study program, the specific semester and many other things, so this is just an average calculation.

1. Lectures, seminars and individual work

Engineering students are known for their rigorous schedules, spending a significant amount of time studying. On average, they dedicate 6 to 9 hours per day to studying, including lectures, seminars, lab work and individual studies. This heavy workload stems from the need to grasp complex theoretical concepts, engage in problem-solving, and apply practical knowledge through labs and projects​.

In Hungary, most students have around 6-8 subjects per semester, most of them consisting of 2 hours of lectures and 2 hours of seminars per week. So schoolwork is somewhere between 20-30 hours per week. Besides this, homeworks, assignments and test and exam preparation comes in the evenings.

2. Study period and exam (finals) period

In Hungary, one semester consists of 12-14 weeks of study period (schoolwork) and 4-6 weeks of exams. While the study period is somewhat more relaxed, with approx 5-10 hours of individual studies per week, exam periods don’t have lectures and seminars, but they can mean continuous exam preparation (day and night) for weeks.

3. Work-life balance for career success

While it migh sound weird at first, you must also consider that socialiazing and having time to relax is almost as important as studying itself. While being an excellent professional is absolutely necessary for a prosperous career in engineering, having healthy social connections and not burning out too soon might be what gives you the career success you desire.