Hungarian higher education lags behind other EU countries

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.

The study makes another important point regarding the generally increasing chance of admission: the rate of growth shows a slowing trend between 2001 and 2022. By 2015, the proportion of those admitted to undergraduate full-time university education compared to all applicants will have dropped significantly.

Chances favour the wealthy

The chances always look rosier for applicants coming from more affluent micro-regions than for others. The difference is relatively large. At the same time, the gap between 2013 and 2017 only widened: it became even easier for the top two-tenths to enter and even more difficult for the bottom tenths. In Hungarian society, the slope of inequality has become steeper.

Hungarian education lacks resources

In the past two decades, governments have withdrawn significant resources from Hungarian education as a whole. A massive withdrawal of funds can be seen in Hungarian higher education starting in 2012. This can be somewhat corrected by the large amount promised to foundation universities in a 2021 government decree. However, the ratio of expenditure does not reach either the EU or the OECD average.