Tempus Public Foundation (TPF) held a welcome reception for the new Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship holders, the third such event since 2016. More than 100 students from 10 Hungarian higher education institutions (HEIs) gathered to celebrate this new chapter in their lives. About 3500 scholarship-awarded students arrived in Hungary in September 2018. This makes the total number of the students holding a Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship more than 7500 in the sixth intake of the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme.

Dr. Orsolya Pacsay-Tomassich, State Secretary for International Affairs at the Ministry of Human Capacities, attended the event and warmly welcomed the students. Mr. Péter Tordai, Director of TPF, said in his speech that TPF is very proud of the programme’s increasing popularity and encouraged the audience to make the most of such an opportunity. As is tradition by now, a music performance was given at the event by Yuki Ando and Souhei Yamagami from Japan, both students of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. The performances were followed by speeches -two holders of the  Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship, Littieri Lamb from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and Zoran Marinovic from the SzentIstván University, shared their first-hand experiences about Hungary.

There is a Campus Buddy system made of distinguished, socially active scholarship holders. Eight Campus Buddies from different countries and universities joined the event where newcomers got the chance to meet them and ask questions about studying and living in Hungary. Exciting intercultural training sessions were organised; the group sessions offered team-building activities for participants and a chance to improve their skills, play games with fellow students and share their thoughts about culture-related topics and issues. The day ended with a short city tour in central Budapest. 

The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme was launched in 2013 by the Hungarian Government. Its core mission is to increase the number of foreign students in Hungary and to encourage Hungarian HEIs to attract top foreign students. The programme is based on bilateral educational cooperation agreements between the Ministries responsible for education in the sending countries/territories and Hungary, or between higher education institutions. Currently, more than 65 Sending Partners are engaged in the programme throughout 5 different continents.

TPF believes that it is extremely important to support students through their life-changing journey: from their arrival, through their academic years in Hungary until they become members of the Alumni Hungary Network. As Mr. Péter Tordai said, scholarship holders are the “bridges” between the countries: during their studies in Hungary, they experience Hungarian culture and when they return home, they become the ambassadors of Hungary.