Several hundred more domestic applicants rank Corvinus as their first choice this year than last

According to first-choice domestic application figures published by the Hungarian Educational Authority, the high-quality education offered by Corvinus University of Budapest is attracting even more applicants this year than last. In total, 3,940 applicants have ranked Corvinus first, which is 239 more than last year, marking a 6.5 per cent increase. 

Applications to bachelor’s programmes have risen by an average of 1.3 per cent, while master’s programmes have seen a much sharper increase of 23.8 per cent. More than two-thirds of applicants, 67.9 per cent, would choose an English-language programme at Corvinus. The popularity of English-language programmes has therefore grown by 20 per cent compared with the 2024/25 academic year, with English-language master’s programmes alone recording a 35.6 per cent increase. 

Corvinus continues to lead the way this segment nationally: 54.3 per cent of all first-choice applicants to English-language economics programmes in Hungary selected Corvinus. This also means that 37.5 per cent of all first-choice applicants to English-language programmes across Hungarian higher education would most like to study at Corvinus. 

“The steady rise in application numbers year after year clearly shows that Corvinus has a strong understanding on the expectations of our new generation of learners and responds to them with high-quality programmes through the continuous renewal of its academic portfolio. Our master’s programmes have performed particularly well in this respect. The figures also confirm that the university made the right strategic decision in making English-language and interdisciplinary programmes a defining part of its educational offer. In doing so, Corvinus is further strengthening both its role as a domestic market leader and trendsetter, and its international presence,” said Bruno van Pottelsberghe, Rector of Corvinus. 

The university’s business, economics and IT bachelor’s programmes attracted broadly the same number of applicants as last year, while social sciences bachelor’s programmes saw growth of 7.9 per cent. In one-tier and master’s programmes, the renewed economics and business portfolio led the way, recording average growth of 27.5 per cent, while interest in social sciences programmes remained similar to last year. Economics teacher training programmes also saw a notable rise, with 18.2 per cent more first-choice applicants than in the previous academic year. 

Among scholarship-supported programmes, the English-language BSc in International Business was ranked first by the highest number of applicants this year, attracting 540 first-choice applicants. In second place was the BSc in Business Administration and Management, one of the most popular economics programmes nationwide, with 497 applicants placing the Hungarian-language version first on their list. Interest in the English-language version of the same programme also rose significantly, with 270 first-choice applicants, up 25.6 per cent on last year. 

The scholarship-supported BA in International Relations, which year after year is among the undergraduate programmes with the highest admission scores nationwide, also attracted strong interest, with 288 applicants ranking it first, an increase of 11 per cent. 

Among scholarship-supported bachelor’s programmes, the English-language BSc in Applied Economics saw an outstanding 66.7 per cent increase in first-choice applications compared with last year. Interest in the English-language BA in Communication and Media Studies also grew above average, rising by 15 per cent. 

Within scholarship-supported master’s programmes, the highest number of first-choice applicants this year went to International Accounting and Auditing, where demand surged by 90 per cent compared with last year. Other popular programmes included Public Policy and Management (+61.5%), Economic Analysis (+34.4%), International MBA (+33.3%), International Relations (+27.1%), Political Economy (+25%), Finance (+20.6%) and the English-language Management and Leadership programme (+20.3%). 

Corvinus has also launched several new one-year master’s programmes this year, which have already attracted considerable interest. Strategic Project Management, Artificial Intelligence in Business, and International Sport Business have all performed strongly. 

Corvinus is also unique among foundation-maintained universities in Hungary in that it does not offer tuition-free places through a state quota. Instead, it provides its own distinctive foundation-funded Corvinus Scholarship to support tuition-free study. As in the previous year, the university expects to welcome approximately 1,500 tuition-free students in the coming academic year. 

Applicants may change the order of their selected programmes once, until 7 July. Those who would like to study at Corvinus are therefore advised to place a Corvinus programme first on their application list. 

Corvinus aims to become the leading university in Central and Eastern Europe in the fields of business, economics and social sciences by 2030. To support this goal, the university is expanding its English-language portfolio year by year, recruiting internationally recognised faculty and significantly strengthening its research and publication performance.