For Prospective Students
For Current Students
About UD
Practical Info and Contacts
On Thursday evening, it was for the very first time that the Ministry of Culture and Innovation organized a celebration of institutions of higher education in the Hungarian capital city. At the University of the Year awards gala, held in Várkert Bazár, the institutions nominated were honored for their outstanding sports activities, innovativeness, family and student-friendliness, building international relations, successful admission campaigns, charitable deeds, and achievements in the fields of culture and arts promotion. The winners in each category will be able to use the prize money of HUF 10 million for supporting student activities.
The University of Debrecen was nominated in five different categories, including innovativeness, family-friendliness, outstanding sports activities and student-friendliness, in addition to culture and arts promotion. In the end, UD was awarded the title University of the Year in 2025 in the category of student-friendly operation.
“Modern dormitory rooms, state-of-the-art libraries and a multifunctional learning center serve the learning efforts and comfort of the students, and their transportation is supported in an environmentally friendly way by a university community bicycle system. Their academic-year opening show, called yoUDay, is a huge hit every year at the stadium Nagyerdei Stadion. The event named Sárgulás [verbatim: Yellowing] is a celebration of graduating students who parade through the streets of Debrecen in traditional folk costumes riding horse-drawn carriages. The university offers active participation in regular cultural events, with the aim of helping everyone to find their own community,” contained the commendation of our institution.
When accepting the award, Chancellor Zoltán Bács pointed out that the University of Debrecen would always be a community that puts people in the focus.
“The first thought coming to mind is to thank someone for having come up with the idea of this recognition and award. I would also wish to say to the university community that they deserve thanks, too. Our university community lives, works and achieves results in a way that seems to be visible from afar, as we have been nominated in as many as five different categories. Congratulation is the second thought for this gala, because it does make the values of higher education even more visible. I would like to congratulate all the institutions of higher education as well as all the nominees and all the winners. At the University of Debrecen, even though we have received a student-friendly award, we are also friends of everything, most of all, people. Higher education is indeed a big human resources factory: we produce human resources, even with artificial intelligence, but it is always people who are at the center, and that is why higher education and universities are the biggest multipliers of the economy. They do not produce economic output themselves, yet they determine the economic output of everyone else. In our decisions, we always place values before utilitarianism, and that is why we sincerely thank you for this award. Being part and parcel of the most student-friendly university in Hungary is the most wonderful feeling,” said the chancellor.
Soon afterwards, the university leader was called to the stage again, when he received a special ministerial award in recognition of his efforts for and ardent devotion to the institution and higher education in Hungary.
In his welcome address, Minister of Culture and Innovation Balázs Hankó highlighted the chancellor's versatility and the high-level and conscientious work that has made the University of Debrecen the flagship of Hungarian institutions of higher education.
“Foreshadowing the new university operation model occurred first in Debrecen. Professor Zoltán Bács is the driving force behind the university's economy. He is deeply committed to sport, especially the university club DEAC, as well as to culture in general. His excellent singing voice can also fill Nagyerdei Stadion, while he is a reliable ally and friend in the development of Hungarian universities,” said the Minister in his speech.
Zoltán Bács was moved and fairly emotional when he accepted the award, and he said that he did not achieve this alone, but that it was indeed the joint achievement of the University of Debrecen.
“My message to Debrecen and to all the locations in country where the University of Debrecen is present that we have achieved this together and that this recognition is not mine alone, but ours,” said the Chancellor.
The University of Debrecen also played an important part in the program of the ensuing gala, with the cheerleaders of DEAC and the singing and music students of the Institute of Popular Music of the University of Debrecen, as well as their teacher Kati Wolf, taking the stage.
Press Centre – BZ
Send an E-mail
