Eszterhazy Karoly Catholic University

Eszterházy Károly Catholic University is an independent, multi-faculty, state-recognised university in Northern Hungary, maintained by the Archdiocese of Eger. 

1) "serving the intellectual and spiritual enrichment of the seat of our county and our nation"

This requires, first and foremost, that its entire activity be imbued with a Catholic spirituality, with the message of the Gospel. An important objective is to make the city of Eger, the region and the whole country a centre of knowledge, an intellectual workshop, and to ensure the cultivation of the sciences at a high level. It also offers a future-oriented life path for minorities, disadvantaged and disabled young people, based on a Christian vision and values of human dignity and spiritual enrichment. 

Its mission is to preserve, promote and develop cultural values. Building on the tradition of the institution, and taking into account ecclesiastical and national strategic objectives, teacher training and continuing education remain the university's priority. It also seeks to include in its training programmes, those developed in cooperation with foreign, mainly Catholic, higher education institutions.

2) "helping young people to develop their personalities, talents and potential" 

The university, respecting the fundamental anthropological characteristics of man, wishes to give its students the opportunity to deepen their religious knowledge and to learn about themselves, God and the world on the level of their other scientific knowledge. In addition to imparting knowledge, skills and the desire to know, it wishes to help its students to achieve personal maturity, characterised by respect for life and fellow human beings, responsibility for the created world and a coherent world view. The university aims to provide a rich, high-quality education and a useful diploma which will guarantee that students, on completion of their studies, will be good people, good citizens, constructive members of their church and capable of creating a secure existence for themselves and their families. To this end, the institution is committed to providing dual training where necessary and is therefore seeking to develop high-quality cooperation with economic operators.

3) "contributing to the general improvement of education"

The university seeks to contribute to the cultural and educational advancement of students and their wider community through its various programmes. The citizens of the university consider it their duty to enrich the life of the city of Eger through their intellectual contribution by means of scientific and cultural lectures, open university events, music and art programmes available to all. They feel it is their mission to involve the youth of the city in the life of the university through their programmes, so that they can become interested in the values of culture and science as early as possible. The university seeks to foster a dialogue between faith and reason through the integration of knowledge. It preserves and builds on the centuries-old tradition and heritage of higher education in the region by providing a modern and quality education that is responsive to the changing needs of society.

4) "fulfilling the teaching mission of the church"

Pope John Paul II's apostolic exhortation Ex Corde Ecclesiae on Catholic universities is a guideline for the spiritual renewal of the university. In the spirit of freedom of conscience and religion, it educates in the spirit of a dedicated search for truth, fidelity to the truth found, deeper knowledge of it and independent reflection. As a Catholic university, it is a prominent place in the church's teaching mission, which seeks to transmit Christian values in research and education. It offers students the opportunity to learn about the church's teaching. 

The university seeks to lead students in their studies to the joy of acquiring and transmitting knowledge through the cultivation of science. It stimulates their interest in scientific and research careers through talent development. Its aim is to prepare happy, well-balanced, dedicated and committed graduates who are prepared to sacrifice for their families and communities. They strive to participate in national and international academic life and to publish regularly, in order to provide students with useful and marketable knowledge and to enhance the academic reputation of the university. For the rest of the staff, it will create a stable, career-long, family-friendly workplace that encourages renewal. It is fulfilling its own mission by upholding the values of European Christian culture.