Debrecen4U
March 24, 2025
What do foreign students think about the University of Debrecen and the city?
The University of Debrecen traditionally has thousands of foreign students who have come to Debrecen from far away and from different cultures.
Dorka Kiss-Rásztóczki, Lilla Salánki and Mátyás Tekse, second-year students of the Department of Communication and Media Studies, targeted them with their questions in their exam film for the course ‘Fundamentals of Filmmaking’. These questions revealed, among other things, why Debrecen is an ideal city for them, but their need for more varied leisure programmes and connection with Hungarian university students also surfaced.
26 students from 19 different countries shared their thoughts about the city and the University of Debrecen.
Among the respondents were Jordanian, Iraqi, Nigerian, Egyptian, Palestinian-Jordanian, Pakistani, Vietnamese, Sudanese-American, Sudanese, Kazakh, Zimbabwean, Azerbaijani, Indian, Canadian, Lebanese, Armenian-Georgian, Tunisian, and Syrian students.
Most of them are studying dentistry, medicine, or pharmacy. Some came here because they consider Debrecen to be one of the most prestigious universities, but there were also those who jokingly said, “ I am studying medicine because my parents forced me to!”
Almost all of them agreed that it is a very student-friendly institution, where the teachers are also very nice. It is clean, tidy, surrounded by lots of green spaces (as several students pointed out) and it is easy to make friends, although more with other foreign students.
One of the nicest interviewees was definitely a Zimbabwean student who exuded positivity. He thinks he’s in a great place, he enjoys the fact that there are many foreign students, but he also likes the Hungarian conditions, especially the weather.
“Compared to Zimbabwe, where there are only two seasons, here you get the whole package (spring and autumn),” he said with a smile.
They also had a high opinion of the city itself. They found it a homely, comfortable, relaxed place where everyone knows everyone. It is not too big and noisy like foreign metropolises or even Budapest.
Some students also spoke about the university’s education system: some liked the system of grades being offered or the practical opportunities, others liked the possibility of planning exams.
They learned about the University of Debrecen from relatives, friends, school presentations, or even YouTube before casting their vote for it. Many will return to their home country after graduation, but those surveyed are also interested in opportunities in other countries, or even in Hungary.
“I hope to open my practice on Bem Square within two years,” a Canadian student added with a laugh.
Finally, they explained that few people really get to know Hungarians, they study quite separately from domestic students. They meet on campus and in the common English class, but they would like more events where they can make friends with locals, because they are very open to it.
The interview with the foreigners interviewed can be viewed here.
Source and photo credit:dehir.hu
