Hungarian Colleges & Universities Witness Increase in Applications from School Dropouts

The Minister of Culture and Innovation of Hungary, János Csák, has revealed that the country’s colleges and universities have registered an increase in applications from secondary school dropouts.

According to Minister Csák, the Hungarian colleges and universities registered more than 126,000 applications from secondary school dropouts in September 2022, Erudera.com reports.

Such numbers represent a significant increase compared to 99,000 applications filed the previous year and indicate that Hungary is becoming a more attractive destination for students.

Commenting on the positive figures, Minister Csák said that the authorities expected such an improvement as they have implemented many changes in the last five years. The same stressed that the country is consistently working to welcome students from disadvantaged regions.

The increase in the number of secondary school dropouts applying to study in Hungarian colleges and universities was welcomed by Hungary’s State Secretary Balázs Hankó too. According to About Hungary, Hankó attributed the increase in the number of applicants to a renewed system.

As for the majors of secondary school dropouts who applied to Hungarian colleges and universities in September, Hankó disclosed that around 20 per cent of them chose majors in maths, engineering, science, and computer technology. The same noted that Hungarian universities ranked among the world’s top five percent.

Despite Hungary being a popular study destination, the Commission of the European Union just recently decided to block EU funds for some universities in the country due to the rule of law violations concerns.

Back in December, the EU Commission said that it would end for Hungary until the country’s government meets requests related to judiciary independence and academic freedoms, among others.

However, such a decision was not received well by Hungary, which said that the country is ready to take legal action against the EU.

“It is unacceptable and intolerable what the European Commission is doing to Hungary,” Hungarian Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas.

The decision was not welcomed by the Hungarian Minister of Finance, Mihály Varga, either. Through an official statement, Minister Varga said if Hungary cannot reach a deal with the Commission, the government will cover itself the costs of Erasmus+ programs.

The Minister called the Commission’s decision “unfathomable” and, at the same time, stressed that Hungary has fulfilled all requirements set by the EU Commission.

“It [Hungary] has reached an agreement with it, and the government is working to remove all obstacles in the way of the funding payments,” Minister Varga stated.

In addition, Minister Varga recalled that several MEPs had been appointed to these universities' boars, and the Commission has not disapproved of such actions.

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