Central European University was unable to reach an agreement with the Hungarian government and was forced to end its U.S.-accredited programs in Hungary.
CEU announced Monday that it had to move its primary campus to Vienna, Austria in 2019 since Hungary’s government would no longer acknowledge an agreement enabling the university to continue to admit new students in Budapest.
The American university, which has accreditation in both Hungary and the U.S., was founded by Hungarian-American Democrat mega donor George Soros and has come under fire from Hungary’s conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“Arbitrary eviction of a reputable university is a flagrant violation of academic freedom. It is a dark day for Europe and a dark day for Hungary,” the university said in its statement.
“The United States Government is disappointed that the Hungarian government and CEU have not concluded an agreement that would allow the university to continue its U.S.-accredited programs in Hungary,” Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement Monday.
Nauert said the State Department was working with the Hungarian government and CEU to find a solution to preserve the programs ever since Orbán’s government amended the law on higher education in April 2017.
“The United States values the role that CEU and other American educational institutions play in building connections between the Hungarian and American people and strengthening the transatlantic bond,” Nauert said. “The departure of these U.S.-accredited programs from Hungary will be a loss for the CEU community, for the United States, and for Hungary.”
