University of Veszprém

According to ancient documents, in the 13th century Veszprém was hosting the country’s first college, where in addition to the Septem Artes Liberales law was also taught. Undoubtedly it would not be proper to consider the university founded in 1949 as the direct successor of the college, which had been closed after the Mongol invasion. Nevertheless, these facts portray the historical importance of the education and research carried out in our institution.

The predecessor of our Georgikon Faculty in Keszthely had been conceived in 1797 on the basis of Count Festetics’s progressive ideas. The two world famous higher education institutions merged to give birth to the University of Veszprém, an institution capable of continuous development.

Until the end of 1980s the former Veszprém University of Chemical Engineering had hardly 600 students, while by 2003 more than 7000 students are now studying in the educational programs offered by the five faculties of the present University of Veszprém. In addition to the Veszprém, Keszthely and Nagykanizsa campuses our institution runs programs in the towns of Pápa, Székesfehérvár, Szombathely and Zalaegerszeg.

Following the restructuring, the range of the educational programs has been enlarged, so that by now the University of Veszprém offers courses in more than 60 schools at four levels of education.

The high quality of education has always been supported by world famous research; as a result the university has been playing a leading role in the regional, national and international research programs.

This reputation is proved by the professors lecturing abroad and by the large number of Nobel-Prize winner researchers who are Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Veszprém.

The vivid cultural life and the high quality of recreation facilities allow useful free time activities both for the citizens and the visitors of the university all around the year.

The University of Veszprém, which embodies all the criteria of high level education, is one of the most dynamically developing higher educational institutions of the Transdanubian Region.

The Mission of the University

Our past, our present and our future carry the same message as being the intellectual centre of the region the university aims to create an outstanding scientific, professional and cultural aura worth transmitting to the future generations.

In the past ten years the University of Veszprém has undergone important changes, which have made the development of the institution irreversible.

Several PHARE-supports have allowed an unmatched development few can be proud of; presently our institution issues degrees in 24 schools out of which 18 at university level.

As a result of the integration with the historical Georgikon Faculty of Agriculture, and with the newly created faculties, our development capacities have enlarged, as the two campuses complement the educational and research profiles.

In the Central and North Transdanubian regions large universities similar to the ones in the towns of Szeged, Debrecen or Pécs have not been developed, therefore we strongly believe that all the opportunities are present to meet this challenge. As such the University of Veszprém would take up an important role in the Hungarian higher education system and meanwhile would complete the national university network.

… and its future

A determining higher education institution and cultural centre, the university cooperates with other institutions in shaping the intellectual image of the region.

The university, which operates recognised doctoral schools as well, has faculties offering internationally acknowledged educational programs and high quality research in most scientific fields.

The university is totally devoted to the European values, it respects them, and throughout its activity aims to transmit these values to all its citizens.

Scientific Life

The University was founded in 1949 as a Faculty of Heavy Chemistry of the Technical University of Budapest and became independent in 1951. From the 1960s degrees in chemical engineering were issued in 6 chemical technological branches. The new expectations towards the professionals led the university to continuously renew the educational programs and adjust them to the current needs. As a result, the training of agricultural chemists was set up. This paired up with high level foreign language education, and the schools of Chemical Engineering Management, and Instrumentation and Metrology. The content of the programs and the educational profile were continuously enlarged passing from one-level to multi-level training. The existing intellectual resources allowed the creation of information technology and automation training infrastructure.

In 1990 our institution had two faculties (the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Teacher Training) and became known as the University of Veszprém. During the 1990s the development process speeded up, and new schools of philology were set up: English, German, French, and Hungarian languages and literatures, theatre studies, applied linguistics, international studies, ethics, theology etc.

Following this the students could choose from new schools in economics, engineering and arts. The credit system, introduced six years ago, allows permeability between educational programs, career correction and obtaining simultaneously several degrees.

Besides the doctoral schools different postgraduate and postsecondary courses, the University Language School, courses offered by the Institute of Further Education and Distant Education and Counselling enlarge the day and correspondent training.

The centre of scientific and cultural life, the University of Veszprém together with the 200-year-old Georgikon Faculty of Agriculture turned into a 3-faculty university on 1 January 2000. In 2003 two new faculties were created, the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Information Technology.

Every year the University of Veszprém hosts several national and international scientific conferences, which strengthen its international reputation. In the near future the offer will include new faculties and new schools. The leaders of the institution strive to turn the university into the educational, intellectual, and research centre of the Transdanubian Region and to help find its place in Europe.

Student life

At the dynamically developing University of Veszprém the number of students today exceeds 8000, of which more than 100 are foreign citizens. This large number is matched by a vivid university life. Nearly 60 student groups, clubs and student-organisations operate at the institution, and their number is rising year to year. As to the sports facilities, the university has an excellent potential at national level. In addition, several international student organisations participate actively in organising student mobility, internship, summer universities and conferences in cooperation with other universities.

From 1993, student representation has been exercised by an elected body, the student self-government (the so-called Student Union), which at present consists of representatives delegated from the Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology, Faculty of Teacher Training and the Georgikon Faculty of Agriculture.

Their main task is to represent students’ interests in the committees of the Institution. The rate of student participation in committees ranges from one third to one fifth of all members. Distribution of state scholarships and social aid is almost entirely the responsibility of the student self-government. Student career offices and accommodation arrangements, the organization of cultural and student community events (Freshers’ camp and party, Veszprém University Days etc.), legal advisory services, international relations, students’ newspapers and clubs frequently operate under the auspices of the student self-government. They also play an important role in the operation of the increasingly widespread Student Counseling Offices, and they also provide students with free database of lodgings. They also run the university newspaper, the university television channel and the hostel radio.

It is the self-government that runs the Committee of External Affairs, the so-called Foreign Affairs Office, which together with the International Relations and Project Office seeks opportunities of student grants and current proposals.

The Foreign Affairs Office runs the Erasmus Student Network, maintaining a mentor system, which helps incoming students to integrate into the university life of Hungary. This mentor system is a great help the International Relations and Project Office, as the mentors take over practical managerial functions, carrying out the day to day tasks of hosting students from abroad (e.g. finding appropriate accommodation, residency permits, handling official matters with the authorities etc.)

At the University of Veszprém there are four student organizations: AEGEE, BEST, ESTIEM and IASTEE. These organizations take active part in the organization of summer schools, conferences, job fairs, exchange programs, cultural activities and several other events.