University hounded out of Hungary by Orbán reaches out to new government

Carsten Q Schneider, the interim president and rector of Central European University (CEU), confirmed the institution is interested in increasing its programs in Budapest, provided it doesn't compromise the student experience. The university, which was forced to relocate its main activities to Vienna in 2019 after facing pressure from Orbán's government, sees an opportunity under Hungary's new leadership.

"So far the CEU has not held formal talks with Hungary's new government, which has promised to restore academic freedom, 'but our hand is reaching out, their hand is reaching out – it is just that they have many things to do,'" Schneider told the Guardian. The university retains 312 staff in Budapest, mostly administrative, while 476 staff and all teaching operations are based in Vienna.

Historic Relocation

The CEU, founded by Hungarian-American financier George Soros in 1991 to promote democratic change in the region, was forced to cease awarding degrees in Budapest in response to a law widely seen as targeting the institution. The EU's highest court struck down Hungary's "Lex CEU" in 2020, finding it violated the EU charter of fundamental rights, but the verdict came too late to prevent the university's departure.

Vienna Success

Schneider emphasized that the CEU is "thriving tremendously" in Vienna and has no plans for a wholesale return to Budapest. Any expansion would need to ensure educational quality, particularly allowing students to combine courses across disciplines without having to travel the 200km-plus distance between the two cities.

The university, focused on social sciences, law and humanities, has more than 1,400 students from 103 countries, mostly pursuing master's and PhD programs. For the first time in its 25-year history, US students now constitute the largest cohort of master's students at 10%, a trend Schneider attributes to Donald Trump's campaign against elite universities.

Political Landscape

Schneider, a German political scientist specializing in democracies, credited Péter Magyar with successfully using Orbán's political machine against him. "Nobody has a better idea than [Magyar] how to defeat the most potent and the most skilled illiberal populist [Orbán]," he said, while questioning whether Magyar has the skills to "reinvent liberal democracy for the 21st century."

The CEU rector has had informal talks with US academics about maintaining academic freedom under pressure from rightwing populists. He warned: "Don't be naive for a second. These people have a plan, so it's not by accident that they attack universities. They want to have cultural hegemony." The university plans to "look for allies" among academic institutions, students, alumni and parents when facing political pressure.