The leading body in a higher education institution is the senate. The president of the senate is the rector. In state higher education institutions, the chancellor is responsible for the economic, financial, controlling, internal inspection, accounting, labour, legal, administrative and IT activities, and for the asset management of the institution. In state higher education institutions, a consistory is operated to provide the foundation of the strategic decisions of the institution, as well as to professionally support and check the economic activity. In higher education the rector, the chancellor, as well as the vice-rector, the director-general, the dean and in the case of a private institution, the president are considered as higher leadership positions.

In higher education, the functions and responsibilities of the leaders, as well as the conditions for appointment are declared in the Act CCIV of 2011 on Higher Education (12-13. §).

Requirements for appointment

The appointment of a rector – as stated in the Act on Higher Education (13.§) - is based on the knowledge and experience in management and organisation in a higher education institution. The appointment requires at least one intermediate (level B2) complex, general language examination, furthermore, the candidate shall be in full-time employment or public servant status by the concerned higher education institution, or shall enter into such legal relationship with the concerned higher education institution. For the appointment as a rector, in the case of a university, the candidate has to be employed in the job of a professor, whereas in the case of a university of applied sciences and a college, the candidate has to be employed in the job of a professor, college teacher, associate professor, scientific advisor or researcher professor.

The appointment of a rector can be filled through a public tender. All applications submitted (that meet the conditions of the application) are evaluated by the senate, which elects the rector by a majority vote of its all members. The rector is appointed by the President of Hungary. The rector is appointed for maximum 5 years, which period may be extended if the rector is re-nominated by the senate, and the appointment is confirmed by the assignor - who is the president in the case of a university, and the prime minister in the case of a college. The same rector may be appointed maximum twice. The rector’s tender is announced by the maintainer. The upper age limit of the appointment as a rector is 65 years.

The Minister is responsible for the publication of applications for the post of Chancellor and the submission of nominations. The appointment of a chancellor is for maximum 5 years, or the maintenance of the appointment of a chancellor is possible, if the chancellor has a three-year managerial experience in a higher education institution, company, central or regional public administration, and has a higher education degree. The chancellor is appointed by the prime minister. This appointment may be extended several times. The upper age limit of the appointment as a chancellor is 65 years.

To be a member in the senate – except for the representatives of the students’ and doctoral candidates’ unions – one shall fill a teacher, researcher or other position in the higher education institution in employee or in public servant status. In a state higher education institution, the members of the senate – except for the rector and chancellor – are appointed by means of electing. The members of the senate are appointed for four years, whereas the representatives of the students’ and doctoral candidates’ unions have their appointments for minimum one, maximum three years. For the composition of the senate, the following rules shall apply:

• the senate shall consist of minimum nine people;
• the members elected by teachers and researchers – together with the president – shall constitute the majority of the body, as well as the representation of teachers without head position appointment shall be provided;
• the number of representatives delegated by the students’ union may be minimum twenty, maximum twenty-five percent of the headcount of the senate;
• the doctoral candidates’ union may delegate maximum one person;
• the number of representatives of members employed in other jobs, and representative trade unions may not be over the five-five percent of the senate, but minimum one person.

The consistory - which is obligatory in public HE institutions - has five members, out of which three members are delegated by the maintainer. The rector and the chancellor are ex officio members of the consistory. The important organisations of the higher education institution’s economic and social environment, the concerned higher education institution, and the students’ union of the higher education institution make proposals for the candidates. The delegated members of the consistory are appointed by the maintainer. The rector’s and chancellor’s membership in the consistory are for the period of their higher appointments, whereas the delegated members are appointed for 5 years.

All other head positions (e.g. vice-rector, dean) can be applied through a public tender, whose ranking is provided by the senate. Then the decision is made by the rector as the employer. Head positions may be filled up until the age of 65.

It is a part of institutional autonomy that higher education institutions may form their organisational units, within the legal frame. They may decide on the management and the distribution of work related to the tasks, within the framework rules. The tasks of the head are assigned to the heads of the organisational units of the higher education institutions by the head of the institution as an employer. The head position can be applied for through a public tender, heads are appointed for a maximum of 5 years, re-appointment is possible, until the head reaches the age of 65.

Conditions of service

The leading body in the higher education institution is the senate. The president of the senate is the rector. The authorisations of the higher education institution - as stated by the Fundamental Law - are assigned to the senate (Act on Higher Education, 12. §), which means this body:

• determines the training and research tasks of the higher education institution, and checks their execution;
• determines the rules of its own operation;
• accepts the institutional development plan, and the research-development innovation strategy as a part of it;
• makes proposal for the content of the rectorial call for applications, evaluates the rectorial applications and elects the rector candidate, furthermore evaluates the management activity of the rector;
• accepts the training programme of the institution, its organisational and operating rules, doctoral rules, the principles of income distribution differentiated on the basis of quality and performance, the budget within the frames determined by the maintainer, the yearly report prepared on the basis of accountancy provisions;
• defines the system of student counselling in the institution, the system of students' feedback on the teaching work;
• with the consent of the maintainer, decides on the foundation of an economic entity, and on acquiring a share in an economic entity;
• the senate decides furthermore on the hierarchy of applications for teacher, researcher and head positions, the granting of titles and awards, the foundation and termination of a doctoral school and the launching of a doctoral programme, the initiative on the granting of a national higher education scholarship, and the initiative on launching and terminating of programmes.

The sessions of the senate are public for the employees and students of the institution. All issues related to the operation of the senate have to be determined in the organisational and operational rules of the higher education institution, as provided for in the Higher Education Act.

The responsible head and representative of the higher education institution in the first place is the rector, who – as stated in the Act on Higher Education, 13.§ - acts and decides in all issues that are not assigned to the competence of any other person or body by the law, the organisational and operational rules or the collective agreement. In a state higher education institution the rector is responsible for the proper operation of the basic activities of the higher education institution, within the legal frame of which the rector exercises employer’s rights over those employed in lecturer, researcher and teacher positions, as well as the assignor’s rights related to a work assignment contract. The rector shall be entitled to determine the payments to those employed in lecturer, researcher and teacher jobs, and other allowances to those in the legal relationship of a work assignment with the approval of the chancellor.

The rector is responsible:

• for national and international relationships and cooperation in the fields of teaching and research;
• for aligning the training programme of the institution to the relevant legal provisions;
• for issuing the measures as stated by the law and required for modifying the operational permit of the institution, launching programmes, registering the doctoral school and the higher educational admission procedure.

The rector exercises the maintainer rights in public education institutions maintained by the higher education institution. In relation to the matters within its competence, the rector co-operates with the interest representation organizations, the student and doctoral student unions, and coordinates the educational and research collaborations of the higher education institution with other higher education institutions, national organizations and other bodies of higher education.

At the initiative of the rector, the chancellor shall order an internal investigation.

The dismissal of the rector may be initiated by the senate with the affirmative vote of two-thirds of its members. Reasons must be given for initiating an exemption. The prime minister has the authority to dismiss the rector of a college.

In the case of state higher education institutions, the institution is operated by the chancellor. The chancellor – as declared in the Act on Higher Education, (13/A §) - is responsible for the economic, financial, controlling, internal inspection, accounting, labour, legal, administrative and IT activities, and for the asset management of the institution, also including the technical, facility utilisation, operational, logistic, service, purchasing and public procurement issues, and manages operation in the above fields. Furthermore:

• in relation to the economic and specified fields, the chancellor is responsible for the preparation of the necessary measures and proposals, within the frame of the above – in issues not falling within the scope of the consistory – exercises the right of consent for the decisions and measures of the rector and senate regarding the economic activity, organisation and operation of the institution, resulting in economic consequences (where consent is a criterion for the validity and becoming effective of the above decisions);
• by using the resources available to the higher education institution, the chancellor ensures that the higher education institution's financial management guarantees the fulfilment of the basic tasks ;
• exercises owner rights in companies and economic entities operated with the participation of the institution;
• exercises employer’s rights over staff employed by the higher education institution who are not teachers and researchers, provide the financial-professional competence according to the law;
• ensures the economic director’s tasks, appoints the economic director, withdraws the appointment of the economic director;
• in performing his/her duties, the chancellor shall fulfil his/her obligation to cooperate with and inform the rector.

The chancellor is in a public servant status with the higher education institution, and employer’s rights are exercised by the maintainer. The Prime Minister has the right to revoke the chancellor’s mandate.

In state higher education institutions, a consistory is operated to provide the foundation of the strategic decisions of the institution, as well as to professionally support and check the economic activity. For a valid decision resulting stated economic consequences, the consistory shall give its preliminary consent to the senate. The meetings of the consistory are prepared by the chancellor.

Delegated members of the consistory are not entitled to any remuneration for their activities. Membership of the consistory shall cease on expiry of the term of office, death, resignation or recall. The maintainer has the right to recall a delegated member, stating the reason for the recall. Acceptance of resignation or recall falls within the competence of the maintainer.

Pursuant to the 87/2015. (IV.9) government decree (65. §) on the Implementation of Certain Provisions of the Act CCIV of 2011 on National Higher Education, the consistory candidate undertakes the following by a declaration accepting the nomination, that he/she:

• performs the duties as a member in person;
• treats the information that has come to his/her knowledge about the activities and management of the HE institution as a business secret, does not release it to a third party, uses it only to the extent necessary for the performance of his/her duties arising from the membership of the consistory;
• does not participate in the work of the consistory if his/her rights or obligations may be affected by the decision of the consistory, or if he/she cannot be expected to make an objective assessment of the matter.

In accordance with Organisational and Operational Rules, the consistory decides on the order of its operation, with the proviso that:

• it elects its president from among the members;
• meets as necessary, but at least twice a year;
• it is quorate if at least 3 members are present;
• its decision requires the support of a majority of the presented members entitled to vote.

In addition to the above mentioned, in higher education institutions, the dean, the director general and their deputies also fill high managerial positions. The heads of the organisational units established in the higher education institution are also members of the higher education management. Their senior managerial tasks and head’s tasks are included – in accordance with the Act on Higher Education and the Act on the Status of Civil Servant - in the Organisational and Operational Rules of the institutions.