The closing conference of an Erasmus+ project aimed at supporting student parents and students with families in higher education was held in Budapest on 30 January 2026. Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University was represented at the event by Kornélia Hires-László and László Szilágyi.
The event was opened by Gábor Herbert (National Association of Large Families, Hungary), followed by welcoming remarks from Veronika Varga-Bajusz (State Secretariat for Higher Education, Vocational and Adult Education, and Youth, Ministry of Culture and Innovation). This was followed by an address by Radek Waszkiewicz (European Large Families Confederation – ELFAC), after which Levente Örs Kovács (National Association of Large Families, Hungary) presented the main components and outcomes of the project.
Implemented with the support of Erasmus+, the project focused on improving higher education support for students raising children and was initiated by the National Association of Large Families. Four higher education institutions participated in the programme: Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, János Selye University, and Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University.
The professional component of the project was structured around three main pillars:
- focus group discussions with students raising children,
- expert interviews with institutional leaders, and
- the development and testing of a support toolkit, designed to ensure practical applicability across a wide range of higher education contexts.
Based on participant feedback, particular emphasis was placed on the need for more transparent information and stronger community support structures for students with families. According to the project report, a common experience among participants was that they often receive information about extracurricular opportunities too late or only retrospectively.
The professional programme also included a panel discussion moderated by Kinga Joó (National Association of Large Families, Hungary), with contributions from Raul Sanchez (European Network of Family-Friendly Municipalities), Irina Granzulea (Romanian Association of Large Families), and Kristóf Dallman (Student Services Centre, Pázmány Péter Catholic University). In the afternoon session, Bálint Duráczky (Principal Investigator) presented the consolidated research findings, followed by the presentation of a volume published in connection with the project.
The book entitled Between Diploma and Cradle – Students Raising Children in Higher Education (edited by Éva Sztárayné Kézdy and Zsófia Anna Drjenovszky) was presented in a discussion moderated by Emőke Török, with contributions from the authors, including Rita Hegedűs, Ágnes Sántha, and Kornélia Hires-László.
Following the discussion, the participating institutions individually presented their own results and experiences. The institutional summary of Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary was delivered by Éva Sztárayné Kézdy and Zsófia Anna Drjenovszky; Emese Tóth-Batizán and Ágnes Sántha presented the findings from Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania; Rita Hegedűs summarised the experiences of János Selye University; while the results of Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University were presented by Kornélia Hires-László.