Hungary Education and Training Services Industry Snapshot
Last published date:

Capital:  Budapest

Population:  9.7 million (2022 est.).

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $302.3 billion (2020 est., in 2017 dollars)

Currency:  Hungarian Forint (HUF)

Language:  Hungarian

 

UNESCO Student Mobility Number

Hungary has 13,706 students studying abroad according to UNESCO.

 

CIA World Factbook

24.97% of the Hungarian population is under 25 years old.

 

OVERVIEW

Education in Hungary follows a more traditional approach than in other European countries.  Major difference is the frontal education with no or limited teamwork, high number of students per class, overwhelmed students, and teachers in the public education.  Parents who are not pleased with quality of public education tend to enroll their kids to private or church-funded schools so the number of these is increasing in the public education system.  Private schools charge monthly tuition to families which can range between USD 100-400 monthly per student.  This makes an extra financial burden on families’ budget given the average gross salary is USD 750 in Hungary. Church schools usually incorporate mandatory religious elements into their curricula.

Hungarian education has many challenges to face in the coming years, according to the OECD.  Vocational qualifications are less common in Hungary, despite its large adult population with upper secondary qualifications, less than 25% of first-time upper secondary graduates earned a vocational qualification compared to 40% on average across OECD countries. Tertiary education among younger adults remains lower in Hungary than the OECD average, which is at 31% compared to 44%. Tertiary admission is based on a combination of three factors: subject grade points from secondary schools, grade points from the final examinations and socio-economic status and/or personal achievements.  Extra points can be earned by language exams.  In 2019, Hungary invested a total of USD 8,738 per student on primary to tertiary education compared to USD 11,990 on average across OECD countries. This represents 3.8% of the National GDP, compared to 4.9% on average across OECD countries.

Key challenges in the Hungarian education system are the aging teachers’ society, low salaries and as a result lack of teachers mostly in natural sciences.  Priorities include improving secondary and tertiary education in regard with content, curriculum and have content accessible on mobile devices.  Support of coordinated digitalization of traditional textbooks and education materials would also be vital as well as widening accessibility of education for disadvantaged student populations and students with disabilities.

SUB-SECTORS

Higher Education:  According to the 2022 Open Doors Report, the United States hosted 948,519 international students in its schools in the 2021/2022 school year, a modest uptick of 3.77% over the previous year.  There were 705 international students from Hungary at U.S. higher education institutions in 2021/2022 which is an 8% increase compared to the previous academic year. In 2019, 727 students from Hungary studied in the United States, while the following year saw a dip to 653 students.

Hungarian tertiary education has been representing academic excellence for more than 650 years. There are 28 state-funded, 11 privately funded and 26 church-funded universities for students to choose from.  As a result of Hungarian institutions’ internationalization process, students can find what best suits their interests - institutions offer more than 500 courses in English, German, French and other languages.  Most students tend to learn English as the first foreign language, followed by German, Spanish, French and Russian, Chinese, and Japanese have become popular languages in the recent past.  Additionally, students have a wide range of study fields to choose from, including Agricultural Science; Computer Science and Information Technology; Legal Science; Economic Science; Medical and Health Science; Arts, Arts and Humanities, Arts Education; Engineering Science; Social Science; Teacher Training; Sport Science; Natural Science.

Higher education studies are offered in three training cycles (Bachelor course, Master course and Doctoral course).  The number of foreign full-time university students in Hungary showed a steady increase between 2009 and 2020 with their number slightly dropping in the schoolyear of 2020/2021. In that year, over 32,000 international students were enrolled at Hungarian universities. By the schoolyear of 2021/2022, their number increased to 34,800.  20% of the applicants applied for economics courses, 15% for technical fields, 10% for IT, and 9.8% for humanities. As in previous years, the proportion of first-year students in natural science courses was the highest, followed by arts and almost the same proportion in law and social sciences. However, it is becoming more and more challenging to get enrolled into art courses.  Hungary is home to several internationally recognized higher educational institutions. According to the “Times Higher Education World University Ranking”, in 2022, the research-led medical school, Semmelweis University located in Budapest achieved the highest score of all higher educational institutions in the country followed by University of Szeged and Eötvös Lóránd University of Budapest.

Key objective of higher education includes active support of students to successfully complete trainings with special focus to Roma students or students with impairments, disabilities.  Education system should ensure equal opportunities, social advancement and broad access to female students who may have families with nursing areas, day-care etc.

Education Technology: In Hungary, most universities use many platforms for distance learning. The most popular platform for distance learning is Microsoft Teams. In higher education, Google Slides, PowerPoint and Prezi are regularly used applications for presentations. Another application students use to study is Quizlet. Similarly, Zanza.tv is a very popular platform among students in secondary schools; it helps them prepare for their final exams in an interactive way.  Digitalization may facilitate access of disadvantaged student population.

Educational applications and digital solutions for learning are also becoming more popular. There are 57 EdTech startups in Hungary, for example there are e-book applications, English language learning apps, school management, and other online tutoring apps. 

OPPORTUNITIES

In the 2021/2022 school year, just over 13,038 Hungarian students chose to study abroad, but the United States was only the 6th most popular study abroad destinations for Hungarian students.

most popular study abroad destinations for Hungarian students
most popular study abroad destinations for Hungarian students

*When the data was collected, ‘United States’ bar chart represented 727 Hungarian students.

(Source: https://www.educationfair.nl/market-reports/europe/hungary/)

Education USA/Fulbright Hungary promotes education between Hungary and the U.S. by means of educational and cultural exchange.  The Fulbright Commission for Educational Exchange has been registered in Hungary as a non-profit public interest educational foundation. It is open to all the fields of arts and sciences. 

The program is financed mostly by the U.S. government, as well as the partner governments and by private contributions and in-kind support.  Fulbright offers scholarships on a broad scale. There are application opportunities for high school students through the Flex program, graduate students, teachers, researchers and even for secondary educators and students as well.

Hungary is also part of the Erasmus+ Program. Erasmus+ Program is a long-standing exchange opportunity for students. The Erasmus+ program aims to help European students become active citizens, with the skills, knowledge, and experience to tackle the challenges facing our society, both now and in the years to come. In 2021 Hungary spent EUR 22 million on Erasmus+ Program and 22,622 students participated in it.  Main focuses were on environment and climate change, digital transformation, inclusion and diversity.  Erasmus+ programs will not be available for private university students in Hungary based on a recent decision of the European Commission in 2023.

The Campus Mundi program supports the development of the international competitiveness of Hungarian higher education in the period between 2016-2022 with HUF 9.2 billion.  The program supports student mobility and contributes to increasing the international role and recognition of higher education institutions.

DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES

In 2021, over 90% of Hungarians were internet users, with social media usage being one of the most popular online activities. Key platforms are Facebook and Messenger, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.   The largest user group for social media are those under 24 years old. This age group also uses Facebook to the greatest extent, as the younger generation likes to have a separate community on social media. The most popular social media sites among the 18-24 age group are Instagram and TikTok.

Aside from social media, students also use the internet to aid in job searching. The three most popular job searching websites are Profession.hu, Jobline.hu and CV-Online.hu. LinkedIn also showed increasing popularity for searching jobs online in 2022 among the 25-34 age group.

In terms of accessing information online, Google was the most important search engine in Hungary by market share.

Netflix and HBO GO are the most widely used streaming websites in Hungary. YouTube is also very popular among young people for streaming videos and sharing content online.

EDUCATIO is Hungary’s largest education expo. The aim of founding the EDUCATIO International Education Exhibition was to address questions regarding higher education. Its goal is to connect participants of education (national and international institutions of higher education, course book publishers, language schools, and vocational training centers) with tertiary education service providers (e.g., students, teachers). The best months of the year to recruit students at educational fairs are January through March and September through November.  

The Ministry of Interior through the Education Office oversees public education while tertiary education belongs to the Ministry of Culture an Innovation. The Education Office supervises the operation of the national recruitment system that guarantees all opportunities and considers all applications. (https://www.felvi.hu/). Additionally, the HVG Job Fair is also an important source of information on educational opportunities.

EVENTS

RESOURCES

U.S. COMMERCIAL SERVICE CONTACT

Agnes Török, Commercial Specialist

Csilla Viragos, Commercial Specialist

U.S. Commercial Service – Budapest, Hungary

Email: agnes.torok@trade.gov or csilla.viragos@trade.gov