Academic year opening ceremony at the Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education

The new academic year opened for 1 582 students at the Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education (II. RF KMF) on September 25. As tradition, the ceremony took place at the Reformed Church in Beregszász.

The event began with a parade of historical flags of Transcarpathia, carried into the church by college students dressed in Kuruc-era costumes to the sound of the tárogató. Afterward, János Margitics, college chaplain and pastor of the Reformed Congregation in Beregszász, welcomed the participants.

After our national prayer and the College’s anthem, the Kuruc-era song Rákóczi Ferenc bús éneke, greetings were extended to the invited guests.

At the beginning of his speech, István Csernicskó, Rector of II. RF KMF, emphasized that today we celebrate our faith in the future and hope that peace will come as soon as possible.

“Because those who continue their studies, those who teach, and those who run an educational institution, all are investing in the future,”

he stressed.

He added that this year’s admission numbers clearly show that young people trust the institution, as a total of 1 358 applications were submitted to the College’s programs. In the 2025–26 academic year, 520 freshmen were admitted to 23 undergraduate programs, and 114 new students enrolled in 11 master’s programs – a total of 634 chose the College this year.

“We face a difficult academic year again, yet I wish everyone a successful year rich in achievements,”

he concluded.

Following the Rector’s greeting, Zsolt Németh, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian National Assembly, addressed the audience:

“The name Rákóczi obliges. Whoever takes on the name of the Prince is bound by the legacy of one who, at a very young age, almost as a child, stood in the struggle with childlike solidarity and encouraging words when freedom was besieged in the castle of Munkács. And it also obliges by the legacy of Rákóczi’s mother, Ilona Zrínyi. A mother who defended the fortress of the selective borderlands until the very last possible moment, because she wanted to leave her children and her nation a free country. This must serve as our guiding principle today as well.”

After the greetings, the first-year students took their vows, after which Ildikó Orosz, President of our college, and István Csernicskó officially inaugurated the freshmen as students of the institution with a handshake, followed by the Student Hymn.

At the academic year’s opening ceremony, the Rákóczi Award, established by the College’s Scientific Council, was presented. This award recognizes individuals who have played a decisive role in establishing Hungarian-language higher education in Transcarpathia and in the preservation and development of the college. Recipients are those who, through their moral stand and financial support, have significantly contributed to the education of thousands of Hungarian students in Transcarpathia, thus aiding their success in their homeland. Each year, the award is given to two individuals—one from Hungary or abroad and one from Transcarpathia.

According to the resolution of the College Council, in 2025 the Hungarian awardee was István Tóth, former Head of Department of the Office for Hungarians Beyond the Border and former Consul General of Hungary in Beregszász. The Transcarpathian recipient was Olha Bohynich, Chief Expert at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

At the academic year’s opening ceremony, the High School of the Year certificate was also presented. This recognition is given to one, or up to three, Transcarpathian high schools that collaborate with the College and had the highest number of students enrolled in the College’s programs during the most recent admissions period. In 2025, the High School of the Year certificate was given to the Rákóczi College’s Vocational High School, the Transcarpathian Hungarian Lyceum, the Fedor Potushnyak Lyceum of Beregszász, the Taras Shevchenko Lyceum of Beregszász, the Lajos Kossuth Lyceum of Beregszász, the Sándor Sztojka Greek Catholic Lyceum of Karácsfalva, and the Reformed Lyceum of Nagydobrony.

After the award ceremony, Orosz Ildikó, President of the II. RF KMF, began her opening speech with the words of Walt Disney: “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

“How true this is today, as we welcomed and inducted more than 600 brave young people as students of the College, who had the courage to step onto the path of realizing their dreams. They are truly courageous, for in the midst of war they undertake this noble task in a country where life is not easy, and the future is unpredictable. I congratulate them, for they have already passed their first test. In order to be admitted to our institution, they had to take the national multi-test and achieve the minimum requirement in all modules that qualified them to apply to higher education institutions. I wish you all, with God’s blessing, that you may easily achieve the goals you have set for yourselves,”

she concluded.

Afterwards, representatives of the historical churches asked for God’s blessing upon the freshmen and senior students, the teachers, staff of the institution, and all those present.

The ceremony concluded with the singing of the Szózat.

Anita Kurmay

  Pécs Summer School - a student of the Philology Department among the participants from all over the world