For the first time in its history, Széchenyi István University has made its debut on one of the most prestigious global rankings, signifying its place among the top five percent of universities worldwide. This achievement is a significant success, as the creators of the Times Higher Education ranking measure the academic performance of higher education institutions according to the strictest standards.

Globally, the two higher education rankings which are most recognized and most closely watched by university students are those of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and Times Higher Education (THE). The latter’s ranking was released in June, with Széchenyi István University appearing for the third time, in position 1001- 1200. Additionally, the institution made its debut in the recently released European QS rankings, placed as the sixth-best university in Hungary, at the 382nd position. On 27 September, THE released its annual world rankings, featuring Széchenyi University for the first time in its history. Notably, the top spots on the list are held by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.

The press release from the Ministry of Culture and Innovation quotes Phil Baty, Chief Global Affairs Officer at THE, who was impressed by observing Hungary's strengthening position in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. He stated, “The THE rankings are only open to research-intensive and globally-focused universities, and are the most comprehensive, balanced and rigorous performance evaluation system in the world, deploying 17 separate performance indicators.”  He also extended his congratulations to Széchenyi István University for its debut on the world rankings.

According to THE's world ranking, Széchenyi István University belongs to the world’s top five percent of universities.

"It is a tremendous joy and pride for our community that our University appears on the world rankings of both major international rating organizations. Our debut on THE's ranking means that out of the 29,000 universities worldwide, we are in the top five percent. Our goal is to continue progressing in the future," emphasized Dr Bálint Filep, President of Széchenyi István University.

"The uniqueness of THE's world ranking lies in its measurement of universities' academic performance based on the strictest standards, which makes it a remarkable achievement for our institution to be included. Detailed data shows that our University excels in encouraging students to pursue international mobility programmes, in generating research funding and institutional income, in the number of international students as a proportion of the total number of students, and in the number of foreign guest professors hosted," highlighted Dr Eszter Lukács, Vice-President for International Affairs and Strategic Relations at the University.