Why do thousands of talented students leave the Hungarian education system?

While Hungarian universities are popular among foreign students, many Hungarian high school graduates decide to leave the Hungarian education system.

As Daily News Hungary wrote, Hungarian universities provide high-quality education and many possibilities for students. The best universities in Hungary are Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), University of Szeged, University of Debrecen, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary (KRE), Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPKE / PPCU), Semmelweis University (SOTE), University of Pécs, Corvinus University of Budapest, and the National University of Public Service.

Hungarian universities provide good education, and many of them have prestigious partner universities abroad. Despite this, many people decide to study abroad. Unfortunately, some of the brightest students pursue higher education abroad.

There are universities where 10-15% of accepted students do not register at the university. These students applied to foreign universities as well and chose that instead of studying in Hungary.

Some of the most popular destinations include the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Denmark, and other Scandinavian countries. The United Kingdom is still on the list, but many students decided to apply to institutions in other countries after Brexit.

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While there can be various reasons that make students resign from pursuing higher education, every second student decides not to register at a Hungarian university due to plans to study abroad, eduline.hu writes. 

At Eötvös Loránd University, 10% of the accepted students do not start their studies. This is a small percentage, but ELTE has the most applicants each year, which means that at least 1,000 students do not start their studies. However, choosing to study abroad instead is not the most common reason behind the decision not to start the semester at university.

Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) loses 7.2% of accepted students. They study or work abroad instead. At Semmelweis University, the ratio is between 2% and 5%. This is not surprising as Semmelweis is an internationally recognised university, and med school students are very determined. Another reason for the low percentage could be that med school applications in foreign countries are different, the process could be more difficult, tuition is expensive, and it is easier to study in one’s first language, especially in such a demanding field of study.

No matter where they study, Hungarian students can do great work, meet challenges, and get the knowledge and skills they desire. It is unfortunate, however, that approximately 15,000 students find something abroad that they feel the Hungarian higher education system to lack.

Source: eduline.hu, DNH