Central European University
university
| Central European University link () | |
|---|---|
| File:Logo of Central European University.png | |
| Formation | 1991 |
| Headquarters | Vienna |
| Founded and financed by George Soros | |
The Central European University (CEU) is a graduate-level private university accredited in Austria and the U.S., with a campus in Vienna. It is financed by George Soros' Open Society Foundations.
Overview
CEU was founded in 1991 by hedge fund manager and political activist George Soros, who provided the university with an $880 million endowment, making the university one of the wealthiest in Europe.
The University was founded in response to the fall of the Socialist Bloc. The initial aim was to create a Western-modeled yet distinctly Central European institution that would grow a new corps of regional leaders across the region.
It was originally located mostly in Prague, but because of political and financial conflict between its founder and the Czech government, represented by then premier minister Vaclav Klaus, it was moved to Budapest.
On 3 December 2018, the university announced it would cease operations in Hungary and relocate to Vienna, according to the university, after the Hungarian government's refusal to sign an agreement allowing it to continue operations in Hungary.
As of 2017, CEU had 1,448 students from 117 countries and 723 faculty members from more than 40 countries.