Hungary considers reforms to high school graduation requirements

Proposed changes to the Hungarian high school graduation (érettségi) system could take effect during the 2027–2028 exam year. According to a report by the Civil Public Education Platform (CKP), the reforms aim to reduce rote memorization and simplify requirements, though legislative amendments are necessary to ensure the changes apply broadly rather than just to new cohorts.

Draft proposals are expected to undergo social consultation in early November, with the possibility of reaching Parliament by the end of the year. Education and Child Protection Minister Judit Lannert has previously emphasized the need for system renewal. Professional consultations with history and literature teacher associations have been ongoing since July.

Specific plans for the Hungarian language and literature exam include clarifying mid-level requirements and granting teachers greater professional autonomy. Proposals from the Association of Hungarian Language Teachers suggest eliminating certain literary task sets that prioritize lexical memorization, reducing the number of mandatory literary works for oral exams, and replacing long independent essays with shorter analyses based on specific text-related questions.