Of the world’s 30,000 universities, 12 Hungarian institutions are ranked in the top 5%, while the Budapest-based Loránd Eötvös University (ELTE), the University of Szeged (SZTE), and the University of Debrecen (DE) are in the top 2%, Hankó said. He noted that the QS World University Rankings evaluate teaching, research, industry income, and international outlook, and emphasized that Hungarian universities have made significant strides in nearly all these areas over the past five years. The minister added that the government’s higher education reforms, launched five years ago based on recommendations from university senates, aimed to establish a more flexible, performance-driven, and autonomous system.