The University of Miskolc's 77th academic year has begun

The 77th academic year began with a ceremonial Senate meeting in the University of Miskolc’s main auditorium. The ceremony traditionally began with the oath-taking of the first-year students: both Hungarian and international students pledged that, as members of the university and the Miskolc community, they would enrich their new community with their knowledge, diligence, and integrity.

The first-year students were also welcomed by Dr. Eszter Kőfalusi, Deputy State Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Child Protection, and Dr. Kinga Dóra Tóth, State Secretary for Social, Family, and Elderly Affairs at the Ministry of Social and Family Affairs. Both recalled personal memories from their own university years in Miskolc.

Dr. Eszter Kőfalusi emphasized that the university’s strength lies not only in its modern infrastructure but, above all, in the community that lives and works here. As she put it:

Buildings alone do not make a university. They must be filled with life and spirit.

Becoming a University Citizen

Dr. Kinga Dóra Tóth’s speech focused on what it means to be a university citizen. According to the former Miskolc student and instructor, the university is not merely a place to earn a degree, but an environment where young people can learn to think independently, ask questions, engage in debate, and take on responsibility.

The university must not simply produce graduates; it must send out into the world free-thinking, autonomous, and responsible individuals,

she stated.

The state secretary also linked university autonomy and academic freedom to the community’s everyday culture. He encouraged students to be active participants in university life, to connect with one another, to take responsibility, and to dare to ask questions. Addressing the faculty, he emphasized that a good university must educate thinkers, not followers.

Building on Tradition to Shape the Future

In her ceremonial address, Prof. Dr. Zita Horváth, Rector of the University of Miskolc, highlighted both the institution’s centuries-old heritage and the progress made in recent years. She reminded the freshmen that the history of the University of Miskolc dates back to 1735, when the Selmecbánya Academy was founded, meaning that from now on, they, too, are part of this centuries-old history. According to the rector, while preserving tradition, the university must also continually build its future.

Summarizing the achievements of the past six years, he noted that since 2020, the student body has grown significantly, the range of academic programs has expanded and been revitalized, the university’s international presence has strengthened, and nearly 50 billion forints worth of development projects have been completed on campus. This physical renewal has been accompanied by digital, scientific, and innovative developments.

We are building a university that is proud of its past but does not live in the past. A university that knows its roots but boldly extends its branches toward the world

—the rector emphasized.

The Key to Miskolc Is in the Students’ Hands

For the first-year students, in addition to becoming university citizens, the city of Miskolc also symbolically opened its gates. József Tóth-Szántai, mayor of Miskolc, welcomed the new students as citizens of the city with the traditional key-handing ceremony. A Hungarian and an international first-year student accepted the key on behalf of the student body.

The mayor interpreted the city’s key as a symbol of the doors leading to knowledge and opportunities:

Keys to knowledge, keys to opportunities, keys to doors that you may not even know exist.

“Starting today, the University of Miskolc is your university, too”

Dr. Endre Zerényi, president of the Universitas Miskolcinensis Foundation, also welcomed the new students and, in his speech, emphasized the importance of belonging to the university community.

The most important message of today’s ceremony is very simple: starting today, the University of Miskolc is your university, too.

The president of the foundation also spoke about the transformation of the university’s governance structure and the tasks ahead during the transition period. He emphasized that, for the foundation, this transitional mandate does not imply a temporary responsibility, and that they will do everything in their power to ensure that the university and its student community benefit as much as possible from these changes.

At the opening ceremony of the academic year, five new PhDs were conferred, and the Faculty of Political Science and Law also awarded Primus scholarships to first-year students who had demonstrated outstanding academic performance.

We wish all students, faculty, and staff at the university the best of luck for the 2026–2027 academic year!