“International relations are a top-priority issue for the University of Debrecen, so that its students could compete in an international environment and gain knowledge, professional, practical, communication and language skills that they can only access through mobility programs,” said Károly Pető at the opening of the Foreign Affairs Exchange.
The Vice-Rector General of the University of Debrecen highlighted that, in recent years, an average of almost 400 students and 200 lecturers and staff members of our institution could participate in mobility programs.
“As of July, the scholarship programs will be primarily implemented with support from Pannónia Ösztöndíjprogram [Pannonia Scholarship Programme]. The feedback received so far shows that we are able to send almost the same number of students and staff members to our partner universities as through the previously available Erasmus+. However, we can also host students and researchers at the same rate, thanks to the large number of foreign language courses offered at the University of Debrecen. Research also shows that young people with international contacts and competences have a much smoother transition to the labor market,” said Károly Pető.
Apart from traditional forms of international mobility, such as part-time studies and internships abroad, students could also find out about new types of short study trips, research grants and intensive training courses at this year’s Foreign Affairs Exchange, but exhibitors also included foreign scholarship committees, cultural organizations and companies organizing voluntary work, internships abroad and language training sessions.
“We wish to introduce new students to the opportunities for study and work placements abroad from the very beginning of their studies, right at the start of the academic year, so that they can integrate these into their studies. In addition to Pannonia Scholarship Programme, the International Office also informs students about smaller-scale programs, such as CEEPUS, ISEP, Fulbright, intergovernmental scholarships or exchanges through bilateral agreements,” said Orsolya Jánosy.
Ms. Jánosy, the Head of the International Office, which coordinates the mobility programs at the University of Debrecen, encouraged students and faculty to find out more about the scholarships offered by international programs and to take advantage of the funding and support opportunities.
“In July, we closed the Erasmus program with a record number of participants and we expect a similar number of outgoing students in the new Pannonia Scholarship Programme as well. For this new program, the University of Debrecen has been awarded HUF 650 million for the academic year 2024/2025. This amount will provide mobility opportunities for more than 400 students and almost 250 teachers. We can already see that the roughly the same number of students have applied for part-time courses and internships as in previous years. However, the Pannonia Scholarship scheme no longer has regional quotas, so we can better serve student needs and we also expect to strengthen our network of contacts outside Europe. In the current academic year, five of our students have already traveled to Japan, five to South Korea and seven medical students are doing their internships now in the United States. We are also expecting intense interest in supporting short study trips,” said Orsolya Jánosy.
It was also announced at the event that applications for short-term student mobility had been open since October 1 and applications for student placements are still open. For the spring semester of the 2024/2025 academic year, students can apply until October 7, while in November, new applications will be available for teachers and instructors.
For further detailed information on the mobility programs, visit the International Office website.
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