Under the amendment, higher education institutions outside the European Union are allowed to operate in Hungary only on the basis of an interstate agreement.

Szijjártó told MTI by phone after signing the agreement in Annapolis, Maryland, that the deal proved that “those who want to reach an agreement with the Hungarian government” on complying with the new higher education law “can do so”.

The agreement signed with McDaniel College is the first one ensuring the continued operations of a non-EU foreign university in Hungary under the new law, Szijjártó noted. It stipulates that the college must award degrees to its students in Budapest as a US-accredited institution, the minister added. McDaniel College was established in 1867.

The private four-year liberal arts college has a 150-year-old campus in the city of Westminster in northern Maryland. It has 3,000 students in the US and 100 at its Budapest campus, Szijjártó noted.

The minister also met Maryland’s secretary of education and deputy secretary of commerce.

Maryland is Hungary’s sixth largest export partner within the US, Szijjártó said, noting that annual trade turnover between the two states exceeds 250 million US dollars.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.

MTI photo: KKM