The origin of Semmelweis University can be traced to the founding of the University of Nagyszombat in modern-day Slovakia in 1635. A Faculty of Medicine was started there in 1769 by Empress Maria Theresa and moved to Budapest, Hungary in 1777. In 1951, the Faculty became an independent medical school called the Budapest University of Medicine and Faculties of Dentistry and Pharmacy were added to it in 1955. The university was renamed after Ignác Semmelweis, the famous scientist who had discovered the cause of puerperal fever.
Semmelweis University now consists of the Faculties of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Physical Education and Sports Medicine and the College of Health Care. Over 3,000 students are enrolled at the university. Vibrant research supported by a range of national and international bodies is conducted here. The university’s hospitals have 2,769 beds, which cater to around 120,000 patients every year. The outpatient department serves over 1.2 million people annually.
Semmelweis University became the first Hungarian institution to offer international education programs in German in 1983. Its English program started in 1987. These programs at the Faculties of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy are similar to their Hungarian counterparts. The university is accredited by the Hungarian Accreditation Council and listed on the World Health Organization’s directory of medical schools. Semmelweis graduates have gone on to qualify in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Greece, Israel, India and other countries.