University of Debrecen

The University of Debrecen is one of the most prestigious universities in Hungary. 
Hungary is situated in Central Europe and it is a full member of both the European Union 
and the Schengen Agreement. Debrecen has some 250,000 inhabitants and although it is 
not huge in international terms, it is still the second largest city of Hungary; only the 
capital (Budapest) is bigger. Debrecen is a tranquil and safe city with a picturesque 
university main campus located in the “Big Forest” region.  All major buildings and most 
students’ accommodation facilities are within the walls of the main campus, thus there is 
practically no need to travel between the various departments and the accommodation 
area.  
The History of the University of Debrecen dates back to 1538, when the Reformed 
College of Debrecen was established. The first faculties of the then called Hungarian 
Royal University of Sciences (established in 1912)  grew out of the College making the University of Debrecen the 
higher education institute with the longest continuous history in Hungary. Medical studies started in  1918, this was 
Central Europe’s first campus medical school. Today the 15 faculties situated on 7 campuses have almost 30,000 
students. The international programs were launched  in 1987 and all of them are delivered in English. At present, the 
number of international students is about 3,700 and they represent countries from all major regions of the world, 
including Europe, the Middle and Far East, Africa, and North America. 

• Medicine

• Dentistry

• Pharmacy

• Health

• Public Health

• Science and Technology

• Economics and Business Administration

• Informatics

• Engineering

• Arts

• Law

• Music

• Childcare and Adult Education

• Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management

• Applied Economics and Rural Development

The roots of higher education in Debrecen go back to the 16th century. The Reformed College of Debrecen, founded in 1538, had a nationwide leading role in the preservation and development of Hungarian education and culture for centuries. 

According to historical records, by the end of the 18th century the College had five departments, three of which were devoted to teaching philosophy. A great turn took place in 1908, when the Reformed Academy of Humanities was created and teacher training started, although within rather narrow bounds.

1912 - 1949

The College gave home to a wide array of higher education developments, which, thanks to the generosity of the people of Debrecen, greatly contributed to the foundation of a Hungarian Royal University in 1912, the same year when the one in Bratislava was founded. The new university was created out of the three academic sections (today we would call them faculties) of the College: theology, law, and humanities, and it was also supplemented by a medical school, whose teaching function was based on the town’s general hospital.

Education began at the four faculties in September 1914. Some of the faculties, including the Faculty of Arts, were located in the buildings of the Reformed College for another twenty years. The Faculty of Medicine was the first to receive an independent site, when, during World War I, the construction of the university hospital began on a secluded, wooded ground of 116 hectares. There were almost a thousand people working at the site, most of them prisoners of war. Charles IV, the last king of Hungary, opened the main building of the medical school in 1918, and the medical campus was completed in 1927. The new high-rise building, which houses departments of theoretical medicine, was erected in 1973. 

Meanwhile, from 1921 the University was named after István Tisza, former prime minister of Hungary. In May 1932 another important improvement took place when the magnificent Main Building of the University – ”the most beautiful university building in Central Europe” – was finished. The building, which was the largest in the city, was erected in eclectic and neobaroque style; especially impressive is the main hall and its glass roof at 29 meters from the floor. With the completion of the building, university departments and faculties have become physically independent from their intellectual ancestor, the Reformed College. The Main Building also houses the University Library, which, with more than 6 million items, is the second largest library in the country.

The end of World War II and the subsequent communist turn meant other profound changes in the life of the University. In 1949 the Faculty of Natural Sciences was formed, and twenty years later most of its departments moved to a new building (the Chemistry Building, situated just northwest from the Main Building) erected in 1970.

1949 - 2000

In 1949/50 the University was restructured. The Faculty of Theology was returned to the Reformed College, the Faculty of Medicine became an independent university, the Faculty of Law was discontinued,  and several excellent teachers and professors were expelled form the University.

The departments of English, French, Italian, German, and Classical Philology were closed down; on the other hand, the Department of Russian Philology expanded dramatically. The teaching of western languages was restarted only after 1956 (with the exception of Italian, which was re-implemented in the first half of the 1990’s).In 1952 the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Natural Sciences were united as Lajos Kossuth University. The newly formed universities - the Medical University, the University of Agriculture and Lajos Kossuth University - continued to co-exist as three separate institutions up until 2000, when the disjointed former University of Debrecen was once again united.

2000 - present

On January 1, 2000, the colleges and universities of Hajdú-Bihar County were united, and, as a result, the University of Debrecen came into being with five university and three college level faculties and with a  student population of 20,000. The three large universities of Debrecen that entered this union included the University of Agriculture, Lajos Kossuth University (with the university-level faculties of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies and Business Administration, Institute of Law as well as college-level Faculty of Engineering) and the Medical University. Further faculties entered on an independent basis: the college-level Conservatory of Debrecen, schools of the University in Hajdúböszörmény and Nyíregyháza. Three of the so-called academic “institutes” (Dentistry, Law and Pharmacy) have already reached the rank and status of faculty.

By the act CCIII, 2013 the organizational structure of the UD was changed.  From January 1, 2014 the centres of the university ceased to exist and some of the institutional units were reorganized under new names.

Finally, we have to mention the Debrecen Summer School, which is also located on the campus, although technically independent from the university. The School was founded in 1927 and since then it has grown to be one of the largest Hungarian institutions for teaching Hungarian culture and Hungarian as a foreign language. Courses are offered on several levels and in every season, attracting hundreds of students each year.

 
The University of Debrecen, like all higher education institutes, conducts its programs according to the European 
Qualifications Framework of the Bologna Process. Thus diplomas attained at the University of Debrecen are generally 
accepted in the countries of the European Union.  
Medical programs are accredited by the World Health Organization (WHO), The State Education Department (NY, 
USA), Medical Board of California the General Medicine Council (UK – PLAB exam is compulsory), Medical Councils 
of Israel, Ireland, Iran, Norway and the United Arab Emirates. It is accepted for registration purposes in most other 
European countries and in India, where a qualifying exam is required. 
 

Sport Facilities

The University of Debrecen attaches great importance to students' well-being and provides on-campus sporting opportunities. The university's tennis courts, race tracks, football fields and gyms are open to all students and staff members who wish to spend their free time actively.Students are also welcome to compete in the university?s Athletic Club (DEAC). DEAC includes 22 departments from tennis to fencing to sailing to futsal. Students may also join day-trips to various parts of the country, skiing holidays in winter and rowing tours in the summer.
 
Athletic Club

The Athletic Club of the University of Debrecen (DEAC) was established in 1919 with the aim of providing an opportunity for all students to participate in the sport life of the university.
 
DEAC includes 22 sections:
Volleyball for men NB I. extra league
Volleyball for women NB I. B
Basketball for men NB II.
Futsal for men NB II.
Football I. (county)
Tennis for women NB I.
Tennis for men NB II.
Bowling for women (county)
Bowling for men NB II.
Chess NB II.
Fencing (national)
Aerobic (national)
Athletics (national)
Orienteering (national)
Swimming (national)
Table tennis (county)
Bridge (national)
Hiking
Sailing

To find the best place to live, you can choose between dormitories and private flats to rent. Two student hostels are available for foreign students in the campus. Besides, the University's agency Troubleshooter can reserve a place in one of the student hostels. Moreover, they can also help you search for stunning flats to rent for a reasonable service fee. 
The student hostels are situated in the campus area, primarily occupied by foreign students. The blocks are made up of mainly one room and a few two-room and three-room apartments. Each apartment has its own kitchen (fridge, microwave oven, electric cooker, kitchen with pans) and bathroom. Rooms are equipped with telephone, TV sets and Internet connection. Computer room, fitness room, sauna, laundry room, car park use and other services are also available at the hostels.

Culture

As the largest city outside Budapest, Debrecen is one of the main cultural and social centres of Hungary and has always been dedicated to establishing and maintaining a remarkable and outstanding cultural credo. Since 1538 the most famous scholars of Hungarian culture and science studied at the famous Reformed College. The Museum of the College has an outstanding collection of 17,000 pieces and its library owns distinctive rare books and a unique collection of embroidery and products of the goldsmith?s art . The Kölcsey Conference Center, one of the largest in the country, opened in 2006 and has hosted a number of national and international stars, at the same time its auditoriums and gallery regularly house distinctive and unique exhibitions.
 There are international centers in the city, where you can get to know other cultures and improve English, French or German language skills. These centres also organise exhibitions, film showings, and other cultural programs.

Student Union

At the University of Debrecen, as at all the other institutes of higher education in the country, the Student Union operates according to the provisions of the Hungarian Higher Education Law. By virtue of this law all students are members of the Student Union regardless of the form of education they pursue. This means that you can also be a member of the Student Union (HÖK) whether you are a distant learner or a regular student, whether you attend publicly or privately-funded programs. 
 
In accordance with the Articles of the Student Union of the University of Debrecen, representatives, and officials of the Student Union (HÖK) are elected by students through universal voting by ballot. Thus, in the election procedure everybody can vote and be voted for. At the University of Debrecen the Student Union is a two-tier organisation. The various faculties? student self-governments work besides and as a part of the University Student Union and represent the students on a faculty level. They delegate their representatives to the faculty councils, committees and the delegate councils of the Student Union of the University.
The task of the faculty student self-governments is to co-ordinate the smaller communities (that is, the students of the individual faculties), deal with educational problems or any other questions arising in connection with university life. The most significant programs of the Student Union are the freshmen camps and balls, the student balls organized for all the students, the university days/meds? week/harvest week, and the University-wide job fair. It also devotes a lot of energy to supporting cultural and student organisations that operate under the different faculties. The establishment and cultivation of contacts with other institutions of higher education in the country is also a major activity. Within this scope, the Student Government plays an active part in the work of the National Conference of Student Unions (HÖOK). Since 2006 the president of the Student Union is also a member of the HÖOK presidium, and since November 2007 s/he is also vice-president of HÖOK.

Psychological Counselling
Mental Health
"Ariadne's thread" mental health consultation

Our experienced staff is ready to help students who are having conflicts with their parents, partners, or friends, who have problems related to studies, sexuality, self-esteem, alcohol, drugs, communication with others, who feel lonely, depressed, who don't feel like doing anything, find integration difficult, or who just want to have a talk with somebody.
 
YOU CAN COME AND TALK TO US FROM MONDAY TO FRIDAY 8 AM - 4 PM!
The service is free of charge and your anonymity will be respected.
 
Our other services

Individual consultation
Self-awareness groups
Skill-development trainings
Mental health library
Mental health film club
Re-mail - consultancy via internet
Support services for students with special needs
Freshmen's days
Mental health days
Mental health summer college

Wide range of studies

The university offers complete English language studies in General Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry as well as Natural Sciences, Information Technology, Engineering, Arts, Economics and Business Administration. In the 2013/14 academic year the university hosted over 3700 international students from more than 80 countries, heading the list of Hungarian institutions educating international students.

Are you interested in biology? Choose to be a professional, practice-oriented biochemical engineer or a medical doctor! Do you have an excellent idea during your studies and want to create your own company? Take the MBA course too! Want to continue your scientific research? Join to a research group and apply one of the PhD programs!

Please choose one of the 27 degree programmes in English. Most international students are registered at the Faculty of Medicine (1781), Dentistry (396), Science (289), and IT (202), but all of the 15 faculties have more or less international students among their students.

Elite-Research University

Our institution is one of Hungary’s five elite-research universities, offering the widest choice of majors in the country for over 29,000 students, including 3,741 international students!

UD's 1500 lecturers of 15 faculties endeavour to live up to the elite university status and to provide high quality education. Our goal is to train professionals possessing all necessary skills and knowledge to enter the regional, national, or international labour market with a competitive degree.

More than 1000 lecturers with doctoral degrees (PhD), 25 doctoral schools, and the volume of internationally renowned research publications and projects attest to the scientific dominance of the university. 139 of the lecturers and researchers are Doctors of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and 27 are members of the Academy.

The university is a renowned research centre, possessing 14-15% of the research volume carried out in Hungarian higher education. With its annual R&D income of about 17 million EUR, the University of Debrecen is one of the most rapidly developing knowledge centres in Central and Eastern Europe.

Close cooperation with companies and EU

University of Debrecen has projects in the field of Health; Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology; Information and Communication Technologies; Environment. With the 60 outsourced departments UD?s students have a deep insight to practice-oriented educational programs. There are hundreds of scholarships and studentships from companies offering the possibility to complete your studies with hands-on experiences.

The Brussels Office for Észak-Alföld Innovation is funded by University of Debrecen and the INNOVA Észak-Alföld Regional Development and Innovation Non-profit Ltd.  The Brussels Office team is responsible for several key areas reflecting the University's and INNOVA?s strong commitment to their links with the European Union and strengthen their position in education, innovation and research.

Capital of culture

Debrecen is rich in cultural programmes. The ethnographical and local historical rarities, the rich folklore, numerous annual official festivals connected with the most important days of the year. It is a spot for numerous cultural and gastronomic festivals, such as Debrecen Flower Festival, Hajdúság Carnival, Debrecen Spring Festival, Debrecen Jazz Days, Debrecen National Summer Exhibition, International Military Band Festival, Béla Bartók International Choir Contest, Debrecen Turkey Days, Debrecen Wine Carnival and Cívis Promenade.

The University of Debrecen attaches great importance to students? well-being and on-campus sporting opportunities. Besides the mandatory sport lessons, the university?s tennis courts, race tracks, football fields and gyms are open to all students and staff members to spend their free time actively. Students are also welcome to compete in the university?s Athletic Club (DEAC). DEAC includes 22 departments from tennis to fencing to sailing to futsal.