Message from President and Rector Michael Ignatieff

In 1991 CEU was founded with a mission. That mission—educating free minds for a free society—is more urgent than ever. Today more than 15,000 alumni carry the values we teach—respect for knowledge and critical inquiry—into responsible positions in government, business, civil society, academic life and politics around the world.

We recently announced our decision to open a new campus in Vienna from September 2019. We will offer our world-ranked masters and doctoral programs with US accreditation to all incoming students in Vienna, one of the world’s great university cities. Returning students will continue their studies in Budapest and students enrolled in Vienna will have the possibility to spend part of their academic year in Budapest in our accredited Hungarian facility.

With students, faculty and staff from well over a hundred countries, CEU is one of the most diverse, open and pluralistic academic communities in the world. We are proud of our record as one of the most competitive research institutions in Europe. We are proud to stand as a beacon of academic freedom and institutional autonomy. As a community of faculty, students and staff we believe passionately in the power of knowledge to solve society’s most pressing problems.

As we open a new chapter as a multi-campus university, we encourage applications to our world-ranked programs: our September intake will be making history as the first cohort of graduate students admitted to study both in Vienna and in Budapest.

CEU’s future is exciting. I hope you will join us!

Michael Ignatieff,
President and Rector
CEU