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1. Policy framework

2. Main cross-border mobility programmes for students in formal education

3. Promoting mobility in the context of non-formal learning, and of youth work

4. Quality assurance

Policy framework

The Act CXC of 2011 on National Public Education (2011. évi CXC. törvény a nemzeti köznevelésről) states that 'a Hungarian citizen may study abroad without permission and is able to complete his/her education in a foreign educational institution'. 

The 'Mid-term Strategy of Grade Change in Higher Education'

In 2016, the Hungarian Government published a mid-term strategy named 'Grade Change in Higher Education' (Fokozatváltás a felsőoktatásban, középtávú szakpolitikai stratégia) which is a document about the problems of the Hungarian higher education system, and it sets development goals.

The main aim of the government is to encourage participation in international mobility programmes. It is important (according to the strategy) to make it possible to get qualifications that better fit to the requirements of the labour market. Furthermore, higher education institutions must become competitive in the international higher education system. In the strategy, internationalization of higher education also appears: the government would like to attract more international students to Hungary.

There is also an increasing number of Hungarian students who travel and learn abroad due to international mobility programmes such as CEEPUS, Socrates/Erasmus, LLP, Erasmus+. The government also emphasises opportunities for part-time training or mobility for ethnic students in their mother country. 

The Action Plan 2021–2024. for the strategy

The Government published the Action Plan 2021–2024. for the 'Grade Change in Higher Education' strategy. As far as the development of international mobility programmes is concerned, the main responsible actors for implementation are the Ministry of Culture and Innovation (Kulturális és Innovációs Minisztérium) and the Tempus Public Foundation (Tempus Közalapítvány), both of which are jointly funded by the European Union and the Hungarian state budget. The Tempus Public Foundation is a non-profit organisation with the task of managing international cooperation programmes and special projects in the field of education, training, and EU-related issues (for more information see 9.4).

There are 7 main measures for the objective of developing international mobility programmes. The first is to support socially, economically, and locally disadvantaged students, students with disabilities or Roma students in higher education to gain experience abroad through international mobility. It is also important to support teachers and other staff in higher education to participate in international mobility programmes, establishing joint educational programmes with universities abroad. They also aim to develop existing programmes for the internationalisation of higher education and to support activities (such as marketing and networking capacities) related to the hosting of international students. Promoting the employment of international university teachers and supporting international mobility activities are also highlighted.

For the first point, the Action Plan provides financial support, mentoring programmes to prevent drop-out of disadvantaged students, a specific professional support service, and helps the students to prepare for the mobility programme with language learning, intercultural information and support, and learning and mobility guidance ('Fokozatváltás a felsőoktatásban középtávú szakpolitikai stratégia 2016.' 2021–2024. évekre szóló cselekvési terve).

Main cross-border mobility programmes for students in formal education

One of the mobility programmes of Tempus Public Foundation (Tempus Közalapítvány) is Erasmus+, which aims to increase the quality of education in institutions involved in the programme by supporting the professional development of students and teachers. Institutions participating in the programme must draw up a 'European Development Plan', which defines the institutional mobility strategy. The target groups of the programme are, among others university students, college students, vocational students and professionals working in education.

Pannónia Scholarship Programme

In Hungary, the most significant mobility programme is the Pannónia Scholarship Programme. It provides short and long-term mobility opportunities for higher education students and staff. The Tempus Public Foundation is responsible for the coordination and the government provided a HUF 10 billion (about EUR 25 million) budget for the programme in 2024–2025. 

Students can participate in a long-term mobility programme to study, undertake a traineeship, or conduct research. Short-term programmes are also available for studying, doing research, attending conferences, or participating in summer universities. Besides that, students have the opportunity to participate in an Excellence Programme, which allows high-achieving students in specific fields to study at universities abroad and provides financial support for accommodation, travel, and tuition fees. University teachers could also attend universities abroad for a training or teaching period or for a research project. It is also possible for foreign teachers to come to Hungarian universities with these aims.

The scholarship amount can be:

• HUF 350 000–400 000 (about EUR 900–1 000) per month for long-term mobility programmes,
• HUF 5 000–35 000 (about EUR 17–87) per day for short-term mobility,
• HUF 450 000–500 000 (about EUR 1 100–1 250) per month for participants in the Excellence Programme, and
• HUF 16 500–70 000 (about EUR 40–175) per day for staff mobility.

The amount depends on the destination country, in some cases on the degree level, and on the length of mobility.

Besides these, a Talent Programme is also available for a specific target group: students who are talented, especially in the fields of science, technology, IT, agriculture, or medical and health sciences. The government provides HUF 400 million (about EUR 1 million) for that scholarship programme. The target group is 17–24-year-olds.

According to Ministry information, in the 2024–2025 academic year, 8 115 people participated in the programme. From 2026, the scholarship could be used to host university teachers from the TOP 250 universities in the world, as well as for mobility with the aim of conducting research for half a year.

Promoting mobility in the context of non-formal learning, and of youth work

There is no policy/programme/project/initiative for promoting mobility in the context of non-formal learning, youth work.

Quality assurance

The Mobility Tool+ ('Beszámolás folyamata') created by the European Commission is a web-based tool that enables Erasmus+ participants to make reports and track projects. The Mobility Tool+ programme's primary goal is to make the participation of the students in Erasmus+ programme completely transparent.

In addition, the Tempus Public Foundation, which is responsible for the coordination of the international mobility programmes, reports from the year 2007 onwards on the effectiveness of its programmes. Tempus Public Foundation reports on their previous year's activity. It is a factual summary of their activities. The report examines whether their activity reflects the education policy’s goals, and provides the numbers of students who participated in their scholarships, projects, and programmes. There is also a section on the challenges and plans for their activities, so it is a 'self-evaluation' report instead of a strict quality report based on quality criteria, but it provides transparency.