Hungarian students can now apply for Erasmus scholarships

University students in Hungary can now participate in the European Union (EU) Erasmus mobility program and apply for scholarships.

Minister Tibor Navracsics made the announcement after meeting with EU commissioners in Brussels on April 5. He said EU programs will continue to be funded after 2024, and an agreement between Hungary and the EU Commission is expected to be reached in the summer.

The minister also urged the European Commission to send a letter to the non-profit organization Tempus Public Foundation, reassuring university students and EU countries authorities that the program would not be disrupted and that they would be eligible for Erasmus scholarships.

“We continued our discussions with Commissioner @JHahnEU, who is not only my negotiating partner but also a former colleague,” Navracsics said in a Twitter post. “I am confident that an agreement will be reached soon on all issues with the European Commission.”

He stated that regulations under the new model of foundations controlling several Hungarian universities were also discussed and that a consultative proposal will be sent to Brussels.

The EU Commission froze the Erasmus funding for more than 30 Hungarian higher education institutions due to rule of law concerns in January.

The Hungarian government, on the other hand, insisted on meeting all Brussels requests, calling the EU’s decision to stop funding these programs in Hungary “intolerable and unacceptable.”

Gergely Gulyás, Minister of Hungary’s Prime Minister’s Office, also stated in January that if no agreement is reached with the EU, Hungary will take legal action.

The Erasmus program was founded in 1987, and Hungary joined in 1998. In 2021, 8,752 students left Hungary to study abroad through Erasmus, and nearly 4,000 staff members participated as well.