Central European University, Budapest

Age: 21

History: Central European University is an English-speaking graduate university, located in Budapest, Hungary. CEU offers master’s and doctoral programs in the social sciences, humanities, law, public policy, business management, economics, environmental sciences and policy, and mathematics.

CEU was founded in 1991 with a vision of a university committed to building open societies. Since that time, CEU has become a centre for regional and global studies and a source of intellectual support for building open and democratic societies that respect human rights.

Address: CEU is located in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.

Vital Statistics: CEU features 14 departments with 31 master’s degree programs, 11 doctoral degree programs, a school of business and a school of public policy, as well as 16 research centers. There are about 1,500 students and over 10,000 alumni worldwide.

Added Value: CEU is a global institution with students from over 100 countries and faculty from more than 40. A 7:1 student:faculty ratio ensures a dynamic environment for academic collaboration, discussion and debate. CEU is a research-intensive university that encourages critical intellectual exchange and creative public policy solutions. It emphasises the importance of interdisciplinary and comparative research, working across disciplines to address complex social and political issues of the 21st century. CEU provides students with skills and qualifications for successful employment with international organizations, governments, agencies, NGOs and universities as well as in business management.

Ambience: CEU is in the very heart of Budapest, where everything the city has to offer is at your doorstep from cafés, theaters and restaurants to art galleries and bookstores. The campus borders a pedestrian promenade two blocks from the Danube, and sits among a trove of the city’s most spectacular architectural and cultural sites. CEU maintains an active roster of cultural events and extracurricular programs, hosting more than 300 public lectures, workshops, conferences, film screenings, music performance, and exhibitions each year.

Night Life: Budapest has a famously rich nightlife with a wide range of possibilities from the famous ‘courtyard-cafés’ or ‘ruin pubs’ to night-bathing (parties held at some of the historic bath complexes), from concerts and festivals to movies, cafés, restaurants, and pubs – and CEU is situated in the midst of it all, in the very centre of the city.  Two famous Budapest clubs, namely, “A38” and “Szimpla” won a recent Lonely Planet global bar contest, being first and third on the list!

Scholarships: The majority of CEU students receive internal or external financial aid. Many of its master’s degree students receive full or partial CEU fellowships, which include a full tuition waiver, housing in CEU’s Residence Center, health insurance, and a full or partial living stipend. Tuition waiver packages include full or partial waiver of tuition and health insurance. Nearly 90 per cent of doctoral students receive a full CEU fellowship, which covers all tuition fees and a generous living allowance (approx. £570) for up to three years. It also offers a variety of research and travel grants, and departmental and other scholarships for master’s and doctoral degree candidates.

Tuition fees: €11,000 - €12,000 per academic year (depending on degree program).

Accommodation: The CEU residence centre is a modern residence complex, which provides air-conditioned, comfortably furnished single rooms with private bathroom. Accommodation in the CEU residence center is provided to CEU master’s fellowship recipients (approximately 60 per cent of all master’s students) free of charge as part of their financial aid package. Non-fellowship MA students have access to the residence center if space is available, and they are expected to cover their costs directly. (Approximately £6.30 per day or about £528 per semester). For students who decide to rent apartments, assistance is provided by the student life office.

Cheap to live there? Although Budapest is a busy international city, living costs are still rather reasonable. Small flats are available from £185 plus utilities in the downtown areas; a three-course student menu at the CEU cafeterias costs £ 2.40 per day, a coffee or a beer in a local bar would be about £1.50, and about £300 should be cover monthly shopping.

Transport Links: CEU’s central location ensures an accessible campus right in the middle of Budapest.

Prospectus: student-info@ceu.hu, skype: ceuhungary (available every weekday bw 3-5 CET),  www.ceu.hu