Education celebration in Budapest: 50 years of FernUni and the path to the future!

Education celebration in Budapest: 50 years of FernUni and the path to the future!

On June 20, 2025, celebrations took place in Budapest to mark two anniversaries: 50 years of the FernUniversität in Hagen and 35 years of the Budapest Distance Learning Center. These significant milestones were celebrated in the German School Budapest, where the rector of the FernUniversität, Prof. Dr. Stefan Stuermer, opened the event. He emphasized the idea of ​​borderless education, which is at the heart of the Open University's work.

The FernUniversität was founded in 1974 and has since developed into a digital, internationally networked university with over 70,000 students. Its Budapest center is the only location outside of German-speaking countries and plays a central role in the internationalization of the university. The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Julia Gross, gave a welcoming speech and acknowledged the long-standing cooperation between Germany and Hungary.

Academic exchange and digital innovation

At the anniversary celebration, Prof. Dr. Zoltán Pálinger from Andrássy University Budapest on the German-Hungarian university dialogue and the importance of close institutional networking. A lecture by Thomas Ludwig on “Immersive technologies and their fields of application” was also very well received. A special highlight was a panel discussion with Dr. Árpád Barsi, Philip Külpmann and Dr. Sándor Trippó, who discussed digital education formats.

During the celebrations, participants demonstrated their argumentation skills in a show debate of the “Youth Debates” program, with distance learning being chosen as the topic. These diverse contributions underlined the central role of the Budapest Distance Learning Center, which maintains close ties with Hungarian universities such as the University of Szeged and the University of Pécs, with which double degree programs are offered.

The range of courses and the international dimension

The FernUniversität Hagen is one of the state-recognized universities in Germany and currently offers 68,713 students a wide range of 24 study programs, including bachelor's and master's degrees as well as doctorates. These programs are in various disciplines such as economics, computer science and psychology, and the university offers flexible learning that allows you to study anywhere and at any time.

The university also participates in the OpenEU project, which aims to promote internationalization and innovative higher education. As fernstudium.com reports, FernUniversität is the only German university in this network, which stretches from Iceland to Cyprus. The project includes the creation of joint transnational study programs, the development of a virtual campus and mobility programs that are intended to promote international exchange and intercultural skills.

The FernUniversität Hagen not only offers valuable educational opportunities, but is also committed to creating an inclusive, digital and sustainable educational landscape. Through innovative programs and the promotion of international cooperation, their visibility in the European education area will be sustainably increased. The success of the initiatives to date suggests that the FernUniversität will continue to play a key role in higher education in the coming years.