Hankó said the number of admissions in technical subjects rose 16% from a year earlier to 8,300, while the number in medicine and health sciences increased 14% to 6,200. The number of students admitted to agricultural sciences courses also rose, to 3,100, he added.

The most popular area of study was economic sciences, with 17,000 admissions, he said.

Eötvös Loránd University, in the capital, admitted the most new students: more than 11,000. Admissions numbers were second-highest at the University of Debrecen, followed by the Budapest Business School and the University of Szeged.

Hankó said mentor programs are being launched and subject support groups expanded to reduce the dropout rate from 30% at present to under 20% "within a few years".

He noted that graduates from Hungarian universities find jobs in just 1.2 months, on average, the shortest period in the European Union. They earn about 50% more than people who have only completed secondary school, he added.