Hungarian higher education lags behind other EU countries
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The expansion of Hungarian higher education did not increase but rather reduced the chance of access to higher education for applicants coming from economically backward regions. Meanwhile, the number of students coming from affluent regions has been steadily growing, which made the competition decline.
Unequal access to Hungarian universities
The increase in the proportion of Hungarian graduates between 2004 and 2022 is significantly lower than the EU average and that of the countries of the region. This means a significant drop in competitiveness in the long term. According to a recent study, problems are hidden behind seemingly positive trends. Even though proportionally access to higher education is widening, meaning more students enrolled in the given age group. At the same time, the social inequality inherent in the entry process is on the climb.
Therefore, the expansion of Hungarian higher education did not increase but decreased the chance of access to higher education for applicants coming from economically backward regions. Meanwhile, the number of students coming from affluent regions has been steadily growing, which made the competition decline, writes g7.hu.
Number of admissions increased between 2001 and 2022
Although the population in the age group of undergraduates plummeted between 2001 and 2022, the absolute number of applicants and those admitted to higher education decreased even more disproportionately. As a result, the ratio increased. At the same time, there were relatively large fluctuations in the number of all applicants and those admitted. According to the author, it can be down to educational policy measures such as the 2007 introduction of tuition fees and the 2013 attempts to raise self-costs as well as the mandatory advanced-level graduation introduced in 2020.
“A massive withdrawal of funds can be seen in Hungarian higher education starting in 2012”.
Who has been in power since 2010? Our Politicians could not possibly in some way be responsible for this, right?
Perhaps the money was needed, elsewhere. The European Union funds have been fuelling our success story since we joined:
https://www.iwkoeln.de/en/studies/berthold-busch-bjoern-kauder-samina-sultan-net-contributors-and-net-recipients-in-the-eu.html
Tell me that a cash injection, year on year, of between 2-4 percent of GDP over more than a decade, does not make a difference? Well. Depends on how you choose to spend it (more stadiums, anyone?).