Act CXXXIX of 2005 on Higher Education

The recently amended higher education act, while maintaining the complete respect for academic freedom and autonomy of higher educational intitutions is aimed at creating favorable legal and policy conditions for the accession of the Hungarian higher education to the European Higher Education Area. In accordance with the principles and objectives of the bologna process the new Act enforces the full scale introduction of the three-cycle structure and the mandatory use of the credit system (ECTS). Its provisions encourage international mobility and contribute to the strengthening of the financial autonomy of the institutions and the development of their R+d+I capacities, and encourage closer co-operation with economic actors.

Operating within the legal framework of the Higher Education Act, Hungarian higher education institutions are autonomous, state-recognised, state or non-state (church or private) institutions. The state-recognised institutions are listed in the Annex of the Higher Education Act. There are two types of higher education institutions, egyetem (university) and főiskola (college). Both universities and colleges may offer courses in all three cycles. A university is a higher education institution that is eligible to provide Master courses in at least two fields of study, and to offer Doctorate course as well as to confer Doctoral degrees. The rules applying to universities offering courses in the field of art or religious education are different from the aforementioned.