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Student Mobilities to an ‘Offbeat’ or ‘Onbeat’ Destination? The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme in Illiberal Hungary
Title / Series / Name
European Journal of Education
Publication Volume
61
Publication Issue
1
Pages
Author
Editors
Keywords
Education
SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
Files
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/28736
Abstract
This paper examines international student mobility under Hungary's illiberal regime through the experiences of Stipendium Hungaricum (SH) participants. Launched in 2013, SH seeks to internationalise Hungarian higher education and strengthen ties with non-EU countries, particularly those in the East. The research reveals contradictions between Hungary's anti-immigration stance and its selective policies that position international students as desirable immigrants. But do international students actually want Hungary as their destination? This study shows that Hungary functions as both an ‘onbeat’ and ‘offbeat’ study destination. Students view it as ‘onbeat’ when they see it as ‘Europe's gateway’ and a place of ‘peace and public safety.’ Yet they also describe it as ‘offbeat’ due to local anti-immigration and Islamophobic sentiments they encounter. Interviews conducted between 2020 and 2022 demonstrate how Hungary's illiberal policies shape student perceptions, revealing the complex processes behind its dual characterisation as both attractive and challenging.
Topic
Publisher
Place of Publication
Type
Journal article
Date
2026-03
Language
ISBN
Identifiers
10.1111/ejed.70392