In the Erasmus+ programme higher education institutions which were awarded the Erasmus Charter of Higher Education (ECHE) are eligible to submit applications. This provides a general quality assurance framework for European and international cooperation implemented by higher education institutions in the Erasmus+ programme. The Charter is valid for the complete period of the Programme. In 2021, 51 higher education institutions in Hungary had an Erasmus Charter of Higher Education, of which 49 were implementing an Erasmus+ higher education mobility project.
A new feature of the 2021-2027 programme period is the possibility of short-term and blended mobility. Another important change compared to the previous programme period is that a new equal opportunities concept was developed in December 2021, which is expected to increase the number of people receiving additional equal opportunities support from the previous average of 15% to around 25%.
The aim of the Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies (CEEPUS) is to enable student and teacher mobility between partner institutions in the field of higher education, to organize special courses and student trips, and to support long-term professional cooperation in the region. The national coordination of the programme is provided by the Tempus Public Foundation.
The interstate scholarships serve the implementation of individual mobilities for higher education students, teachers and researchers based on a bilateral agreement between Hungary and another state. In addition, project-based bilateral state scholarships (DAAD, Hubert Curien – Balaton Programme) and Hungarian state scholarship programmes (Hungarian Eötvös State Scholarship, Collegium Hungaricum) are also available. Interstate scholarships include not only personal mobility, but also the organization of summer university courses and the establishment of bilateral research projects. From February 2021, virtual mobility is also available for interstate and Hungarian state scholarships.
Student Mobility
In the 2014-2021 programme period, nearly 80,000 students took part in Erasmus+ learning mobility or mobility for traineeship, with learning mobility making up the majority of mobilities. In the new programme period (2021-2027), there is also the possibility to support learning mobility abroad and traineeships in partner countries, as well as short-term mobility and blended programmes.
The programme provides extra funding for disadvantaged and socially disadvantaged students. It was possible to apply for these additional grants several times during the year 2021.
The Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility Programme also provides opportunities for mobilities outside Europe. The programme is open for higher education institutions for student mobility, traineeship mobility (from 2018) and staff mobility for education and training purposes. In 2020 28 institutions have received grants, and 608 outgoing and 776 incoming student and staff mobilities were realised. Earlier projects extended due to the COVID epidemic closed in 2021, the new programme period’s institutional applications for international credit mobility were launched in 2022.
One of the important goals of the Campus Mundi programme is to promote student mobility, increase students' competences and employability in the labour market. The programme (2016-2021) offered three types of scholarships from European Union and domestic sources to almost any country in the world: part-time training, internships or short study visits. Due to the epidemic it was also possible to follow fully online or blended training. The application process was coordinated by the Tempus Public Foundation. The 2016-2021 phase of the programme has enabled nearly 7,000 student mobility, and in 2021 the planning of the new programme and the framework for its continuation has started.
The CEEPUS programme is open to student scholarships of 3 to 5 months and 1 to 2 months. The participating domestic higher education institutions hosted 239 incoming students in Hungary during the 2021/2022 academic year, while 177 students had the opportunity to spend a scholarship period in another CEEPUS country (Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Northern Macedonia, Croatia, Kosovo, Poland, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia).
The Visegrád Foundation's mobility grants also support international experience. The Fund supports studies at master and post-master level (doctoral or post-doctoral level) in Central and Eastern Europe or the Balkans, for a duration of 1-4 semesters and a period of 1-2 semesters.
The Makovecz Student Scholarship Programme offers Hungarian students from Hungary and neighbouring countries the opportunity to gain experience abroad. This includes inter-institutional co-training opportunities provided at national and transnational higher education institutions for a maximum period of 5 months. The programme involved Hungarian language-based universities in the Carpathian Basin.
There is also a possibility of student mobility within the framework of Interstate Scholarships, among which, in addition to part-time courses, a significant proportion of the mobilities means summer university participations (in Hungarian). Therefore, the number of incoming students is significantly higher than that of outgoing. In 2021, 259 applications for incoming students and 54 applications for outgoing students were approved by the board of trustees, but the number of applications was about double that.
A dedicated website informs students about the opportunities for student grants coordinated by the Tempus Public Foundation.
Academic Staff Mobility
The higher education sub-programme of Erasmus+ also promotes the mobility of teachers and non-teaching staff. The purpose of the programme is to support educational and training activities of 2-60 days duration. The mobility of teachers and non-academic staff aims to enable staff of higher education institution to teach and develop their professional skills abroad, share good practices and enhance cooperation with other higher education institutions.
In the Erasmus+ programme period 2021-2027, staff mobility for education and training purposes to higher education institutions in third countries not associated to Erasmus+ is also possible. The first call for institutional applications was launched in 2022
The CEEPUS programme also provides mobility opportunities for teachers in Central and Eastern Europe. As a result, 297 trainers came to Hungary in 2021, while the participants of outgoing mobility were 212.
Mobility of university professors is also possible with the Makovecz Programme announced by the Hungarian state. The Makovecz Teaching Scholarship Programme supports university professors or associate professors to teach in foreign higher education institutions in Hungarian. Each academic year, the programme supports about 30 Hungarian teachers working in institutions abroad.
There are several other scholarship programmes: bilateral state scholarships, Hungarian Eötvös State Scholarship, Collegium Hungaricum Scholarship, Hubert Curien-Balaton Programme and DAAD research grant. These programmes provide good opportunities for teachers and researchers, yearly 150-200 mobility activities take place, and in case of state or bilateral state scholarship programmes, foreign participants can also teach or research in Hungary.