in the first place

Nearly five and a half thousand people applied to Széchenyi István University in the first place this year, almost beating last year’ record numbers. Thus the institution has confirmed its place among the best higher education institutions in Hungary. The figures show that young people are positive about the university's courses of high standards and its European-standard infrastructure.

According to the data just published by the Education Office, 5,433 students applied for a course at Széchenyi István University in the first place in this year's admission procedure, while the total number of applications - as an applicant may apply for more than one course - is close to 20,000. These extremely high numbers are close to last year's records, which is particularly impressive given the fact that due to the changes in the secondary school system far fewer students are continuing their studies in technical colleges this year. All of these facts show the growing prestige and attractiveness of the seventh largest institution in the country.

According to Dr Zsolt Kovács, the university's Vice President for General and Education Affairs, the most popular courses are automotive engineering, business and management, commerce and marketing, and mechanical engineering, but transport engineering, teaching, special education, international studies, tourism and tourism management, obstetrics and gynaecology, and design are also appealing. A particularly high number of students chose our new master's degrees in health management and in modern technologies and cybersecurity law.

Besides the faculties of engineering and economics, the Albert Kázmér Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences in Mosonmagyaróvár is worth highlighting, since it has attracted 38% more students in the first place this year after last year's record. In addition to agricultural and food sciences, courses in rural development and sustainability, such as the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance Studies) master's degree, are becoming increasingly popular. Furthermore, compared to the figures of the previous years, far more students want to continue their studies in Health and Sport Sciences and Arts. 

The Vice President also pointed out that Széchenyi University is the first in the country to offer pre-study status to a total of 17 technical secondary schools in Győr-Moson-Sopron, Vas, Zala and Somogy counties and Budapest, and they hope that this will attract more talented and motivated young people to the institution.

Based on the application statistics, a large number of young adults would like to join the community of Széchenyi István University.  Photo  was taken in the freshmen’s camp in 2023 (Photo: Máté Dudás) 

Through our continuous improvements over the past period of time, we have created an academic and educational environment that provides all our students with the opportunity to build an outstanding national or international professional career. Based on enrolment statistics, the young are very positive about the quality of our university. As an indication of the quality we offer, our institution is now ranked in six world rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds and Times Higher Education, on four of which debuted last year. The improvement of our students is supported by our close partnerships with companies developing cutting-edge technologies, our talent management system built around internationally elite student teams, and our infrastructure European standards in addition to the many scholarships we offer. For example, our Innovation Parks in Győr and Zalaegerszeg and our Smart Farm in Mosonmagyaróvár were completed last year which opened up new opportunities for our students," Dr Zsolt Kovács stressed. He added that young people with a degree from Széchenyi University can easily find a job and earn higher than average salaries in the labour market.

"The freshmen arrive in a vibrant campus and city, in a supportive, international environment, with more than forty English-language courses and a student community of young people from almost eighty countries.

Széchenyi István University's infrastructure meeting international standards, its beautiful natural environment and the quality of its services also attract young people. (Photo: MTI/Csaba Krizsán )