Information sessions
Following the practice of previous years, the first day of the event featured information sessions at the József Attila Study and Information Center, commonly called TIK. Nearly 500 students participated in person, while many others – those arriving in Szeged later – followed the event live on SZTE’s YouTube channel.
Prof. Dr. Márta Széll, Vice-Rector for Strategic Planning of the University of Szeged
Prof. Dr. Márta Széll, Vice-Rector for Strategic Planning of the University of Szeged welcomed the freshmen in the congress hall of the TIK. In her welcome speech, the vice-rector mentioned that thanks to the dedicated efforts of the past years, the University of Szeged has become a leading center of excellence in education, science, and patient care – not only within our region but also nationally and internationally.
Regarding the university's achievements in international rankings, she pointed out that SZTE was recently ranked the best university in Hungary and among the top 500 universities in the world by the Shanghai Rankings ARWU list. Talking about the many researchers of the institution, Prof. Széll expressed how proud the university is of its two Nobel laureates, Albert Szent-Györgyi and Katalin Karikó.
SZTE also plays an active role in international networks. “We are a founding member of the European University Alliance for Global Health (EUGLOH), which brings together nine of Europe's leading universities to train the next generation of European experts. Also important to highlight is our unique partnership with Coursera, the world's largest online learning platform. This partnership gives our students access to courses developed by the best universities and leading multinational companies such as Google and IBM", emphasized Prof. Dr. Márta Széll in her welcome address.
During different presentations, the freshmen had the opportunity to learn about Coursera, EUGLOH, the ESN Network, and ISUS (International Student Union of Szeged). They also got to meet the international officers and faculty representatives. Among others, important information on safety, public transport, driving, alcohol consumption, and using taxi services, was shared. At the end of the freshmen lottery, 5 students won SZTE hoodies.
According to participating students, the last session of the day, an interactive presentation on cultural differences, by intercultural linguist Anett Árvay, was the most fun part.
Service units, oath-taking, and freshmen party
The second day of the Freshmen Orientation, held at the impressive Rector’s Office building, is the day when students can get to know the service units of the University of Szeged and get practical information regarding their life as international students in Szeged.
Info sessions were arranged separately for fee-paying and Stipendium Hungaricum students, and for Erasmus and IISMA students. The service units of SZTE were also present. Here students could learn about the work and the services provided by the SZTE Alma Mater, the SZTE Career Office, the Foreign Language Center, the American Corner, the Student Counselling, the Sports Center, and the Confucius Institute. Students could get an even deeper insight into the Coursera online learning platform and the EUGLOH alliance and also ask questions directly from immigration officers present.
After a hearty buffet lunch, interested students could hop on dedicated buses with SZTE staff and take part in a fun team-building activity at the Ópusztaszer Trail of Starts Park. This year, at least a hundred freshmen took part in the program despite the heat.
Thursday, the third day of the Freshmen Orientation Days started with a library tour at the TIK building, followed by another fun activity, the Treasure Hunt, which was also very popular. On this day, the SZTE START scholarships were awarded. At the beginning of each academic year, twelve freshmen are awarded a €500 grant to help them settle in.
Thursday's program ended in front of the Rector’s Office with the oath-taking ceremony of the freshmen, which has now become a spectacle in the city. A rousing party, hosted by Dr Tim Acheampong, aka DJ Inchz, topped the event.
Photo Gallery of the Event
 |
| Click on the photo to browse the photo gallery |
More than 1200 new foreign students
The University of Szeged has been offering international programs since the 1980s. Currently, 20 percent of students come from abroad, representing 130 countries. 1200 foreign students will start their studies at the University this academic year. Both foreign and Hungarian students have the chance to engage with diverse university communities and take part in international events throughout the year.
This year, the University plans to admit approximately 800 self-financed international students. The majority of these students come from China, Germany, Turkey, and Iran, but there are also students from Israel, France, and Iraq. The most sought-after fields of study among international students are medicine, dentistry, economics, law, humanities, and science and informatics.
There are also a large number of students in scholarship programs, with 230 government scholarship students and 194 students in mobility programs becoming SZTE freshmen this year. 230 students are expected to attend the University of Szeged on a Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship, with the largest number of students coming from Jordan, Indonesia, South Korea, Pakistan, and Japan.
In the first semester of the academic year 2024/2025, 194 foreign students will start their studies at the University of Szeged within the framework of the ERASMUS+, CEEPUS, and IISMA mobility programs. According to the preliminary applications, 142 students will study at the University of Szeged in the 1st semester of the EU-funded ERASMUS program, coming from 64 universities in 47 cities of 10 countries to the 9 faculties of the University of Szeged.
With the support of the Indonesian government program IISMA, 50 students from 22 Indonesian universities were admitted to 9 faculties of the University of Szeged. Under the CEEPUS program, 1 Austrian and 1 Romanian student will enrol at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Senior students of the University's different Faculties who mentored the freshmen
The successful execution of the event was greatly supported by the mentor team, comprising 13 senior students from the University of Szeged. Their expertise in task coordination and multilingual skills significantly contributed to the smooth conduct of the international freshmen orientation days event. Their dedication and hard work were invaluable to the event's success. The mentor team was coordinated by Aseel Diána Mustafa-Belal, International Expert at the Directorate for International Affairs & Public Relations.
Photos by: Krisztián Schindler & Ádám Kovács-Jerney
