Fifteen Hungarian Universities Ranked among the Best European Institutions

Fifteen Hungarian universities have been included in the European ranking of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) international ranking of higher education institutions, the State Secretary for Innovation and Higher Education announced in a video posted on his social media page.

According to Balázs Hankó, the regional European list examined universities from 46 countries, and fifteen Hungarian universities made it in the top 690 institutions:

In the top 300, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) was ranked 208th, Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) 238th, the University of Szeged 242nd, and the University of Debrecen 258th.

The University of Pécs, the Széchenyi István University of Győr, and the Corvinus University of Budapest also ranked in the top 400. Among the 15 Hungarian universities ranked, there are also three institutions maintained by churches: Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, and Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church. The list also includes the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Miskolc, the University of Pannonia, the University of Óbuda, and the University of Sopron.

Hankó said that the two best known and most followed higher education rankings in the world are QS and Times Higher Education, being of great interest for Hungarian universities, as they take into account not only the size of the university but also a number of other factors of great importance for the economic environment, such as teaching, research, and internationalization.

“These two rankings assess Hungarian higher education institutions on the basis of different criteria, but they cover the whole spectrum of Hungarian higher education,”

he added.

The state secretary stressed that strengthening the international competitiveness of Hungarian universities is also key to Hungary’s future, and the change of model has helped to raise the international recognition of universities, thus contributing to the country’s long-term development. “The new maintenance model not only strengthens the autonomy of universities, but also ensures doubled quality performance-incentive funding, which increases financial predictability and flexibility, which is crucial for competitiveness,” Hankó said.

He also noted that Hungarian universities are becoming increasingly successful in international competitions:

Four years ago there were seven, two years ago, nine, and last year, 11 Hungarian institutions among the top five percent of the world’s universities.

He stressed, however, that Hungarian universities have to compete in an international environment, where “the European Commission’s decisions on Hungarian research and internationalization deliberately put the country at a competitive disadvantage.” Despite this, he emphasized that the government is committed to supporting Hungarian universities, researchers, and students.

The complete list of the top universities can be found at this link.

Via MTI, Featured image: Pexels