The return of the Erasmus programme is to be welcomed, but it is not enough on its own: the scheme remains out of reach for many students for a variety of reasons, the National Conference of Student Unions (HÖOK) said on Facebook on Wednesday.
HÖOK’s position on the revived scheme
The student organisation described the reappearance of the Erasmus scholarship call as “an important and long-awaited step”. Yet it stressed that the programme offers far more than a semester abroad: it provides professional, linguistic and personal experiences that shape students’ studies and future opportunities, and strengthen Hungarian higher education in the long term.Even before the pandemic or the recent suspension of Erasmus, participation from Hungary had been exceptionally low. In the 2017–18 academic year, only 1.5 per cent of students undertook any form of study abroad, HÖOK noted according to the MTI.
Barriers to mobility
According to HÖOK, several factors are keeping participation down:
- Credit recognition: A large proportion of credits earned abroad are not accepted by Hungarian universities, forcing many students to repeat a year and delaying their progress.
- Language preparation: Students need language skills robust enough for academic and everyday life in another country. HÖOK argued that public education should lay these foundations, with teaching aimed not merely at school-leaving exams or language certificates, but at confident functioning in foreign academic and cultural settings.
- Funding gaps: While the Erasmus grant is valuable, it often falls short of covering the true cost of a semester abroad. In more expensive university cities, the allowance may not even cover accommodation, and not every student can top it up from personal resources, even if working alongside their studies.“Mobility is needed in which students know their foreign credits will be recognised, and where the scholarship offers support in practice, not just on paper,” HÖOK said.
If you missed: Erasmus returns to Hungary – Hungarian university students can once again study abroad!
Government announcement and EU background
Last week, Judit Lannert, the Minister for Education and Children’s Affairs, announced that the Erasmus programme would once again be available to Hungarian students. She said all 21 universities previously affected by restrictions now hold valid Erasmus mobility applications for the 2026–27 academic year.The restrictions date to 2022, when the Council of the European Union ruled that higher education institutions placed under public-interest asset-management foundations could not conclude new Erasmus contracts, citing conflicts of interest and transparency concerns. The current government’s agreement with the EU, including commitments to reform the foundation model by 2027, paved the way for the programme’s return this autumn.
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