Young Hungarians have a very low opinion of the quality of Hungarian universities

In a representative survey of the K&H Youth Index carried out in the fourth quarter of last year, members of the 19-29 age group had to answer several questions. The results show that many young people do not have a very high opinion of the Hungarian higher education system.

Compared to international universities

“Do you consider the Hungarian higher education system to be of a high standard compared to the rest of Europe?”

was the question asked.

The results of the survey, which has been carried out every quarter since the end of 2012, show a rather mixed picture of the perception of higher education, Pénzcentrum said.

From 2017 onwards, however, the results have been weaker, with 2018 being the low point, with a proportion below 10 percent. In the third quarter of this year, 17 percent held this view, and the proportion had fallen by 3 percentage points by the fourth quarter.

The vast majority of students studying full-time at Hungarian universities, 55%, think that the education system is not of high quality compared to European standards, 31% are neutral, and only 14% think it is of a high standard.

A fifth of young people who are past their school years and currently working, 19%, answered yes to the question of whether they consider the Hungarian education system acceptable by international standards.

However, the results were worse among full-time students, with only 14 percent of them giving a positive opinion, 55 percent a negative opinion, and 31 percent essentially neutral.

Scholarships

Students tend to have a negative perception of the additional training and scholarship opportunities available within the school: only 34% were positive about the situation, broadly the same as in the previous two quarters and a very low figure.

In this respect, 27% of students expressed a neutral opinion and 39% were pessimistic, saying that there were not many opportunities for additional training and scholarships at their institution.

Life after university

The survey also asked what people expect from their job search after graduation. Forty-six percent of students think it will be very easy or easy to find a job, 34 percent expect it to be average, while 20 percent – one in five – think it will be difficult to find a job.

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