Group warns that university tuition impacting enrollment

The National Conference of Student Governments (HÖOK) is blaming the introduction of university tuition fees for what it says is a dramatic drop in the number of students applying for places at one of Hungary's institutes of higher learning, writes mti.hu.

This year, 108,000 students submitted applications to colleges and universities, compared to roughly 132,000 last year, indicating that children of poorer families are finding the fees unaffordable, said HÖOK President Norbert Miskolczi. He said that while last year 103,000 students applied for and 57,000 received state support for their university education, this year there were only 87,000 applicants, a change that the organization believes is also a consequence of the introduction of tuition fees.

Miskolczi said his organization considers it "worrying" that 15% to 20% of students are expected to be required to pay "reimbursements" (költségtérítés) for their education within the coming year, which HÖOK believes could result in many of them dropping out of school.

The organization also criticizes the fact that students will be required to pay tuition fees or reimbursement regardless of their educational achievements, contrary to the statements of the Ministry of Education.

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