On the 5^th of February, international students were greeted by Dr Tamás Bene, Director of International and Public Relations. He said: “SZTE is one of the best Hungarian universities, and the institution also occupies a leading position in foreign rankings.” He also pointed out that the University of Szeged is still the greenest Hungarian higher education institution and encouraged foreign students to discover Szeged, participate in the university life, and of course enjoy themselves during their stay here.

In the spring semester of 2018/2019, a total of 146 students arrived to Szeged coming from 16 countries and 60 cities. Most of them have chosen the SZTE as part of the Erasmus + program, but a number of students have also came with the Makovecz program. Most of the students came from Spain (37 students) and Turkey (31 students) to a training course in SZTE. Most of the them will start their studies at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, while a large number of students came to the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Medicine.

The integration and orientation of international students was assisted by voluntary mentor students who took an active role in helping the foreign students to overcome language barriers. Most of the mentors communicate in English, but there are those who also speak French, German and Turkish to assist the newcomers.

Between the 4^th and the 7^th of February during the opening of the orientation week, volunteer mentors helped the international students with presentations to get acquainted with Hungary and the historical background of Szeged. In addition to the general information, accommodation, city passes and the admission of courses were also discussed.

SZTEinfo-Bernadett Kocsis