Information on applications

Alternative Secondary school of Economics

Alternatív Közgazdasági Gimnázium (AKG)
Address: 1035 Budapest, Raktár u. 1., Hungary (reach)

The parental fee for the 2022/23 school year is 120 000 Ft/month (for 12 months) AKG OM identification number: 035454 Feladatellátási hely [employment location]: 001 Department codes: Sixth form: 4+1+2 class secondary school – 0001 Four-form: 2+1+2 class secondary school – 0002 (+1 indicates the language year)

Dear future secondary school student! If you would like to learn traditional subjects in a new and interesting way, as well as getting a solid foundation for your further education, and realising your talents, the 5 and 7-year courses at the Alternative Secondary school of Economics is just what you are looking for! In our 8,500-square-metre facility, you’ll feel at home with a gymnasium, a theatre, creative workshops, a library with thousands of books, reading rooms, science labs and digital training, and in addition to all that, the chance to take a language exam at the end of the year.

Dear Mums and Dads! AKG opened its doors as the first foundation school in Hungary on 27 August 1988. Since then, we have been constantly striving to provide a good, child-friendly atmosphere, with varied, multi-directional, usable knowledge and the active involvement of our students. The 5 or 7-year secondary school courses to which we await your application offer our students a wide range of opportunities. By consciously developing their problem-solving skills and independence, we help our students to find their way in the world and work independently—making it easier for them to continue their studies in further and higher education. The “language year” also provides a good basis for the second language exam, now a prerequisite for university entrance.

Introduction – or a few brief words about the AKG

The AKG is a present-focussed, independent, student-centred, alternative school

Our general principle is: Children are not preparing for life; they are living it.

• We are present focussed because our educators believe that adolescence is just as much a transitional stage in a person’s life as any other period. Thus, in addition to conditioning for adulthood, we place great emphasis on striving for short-term success, the experiencing of daily pleasures, and resolving current problems and conflicts.
• We have renounced the institutional regulatory instruments (e.g., the gradebook) and replaced them with freedom of information, free choice for students, interpersonal, interest and concern. Legal instruments have been replaced by a tutorial or “patron” system. Freshers choose their patrons at the freshers’ camp held before the start of their school year.
• Our professional guidelines state that each individual child is the centre of what we do, so we have developed organisational structures and activities that are based on personal relationships and continuous collaboration.
• The AKG guidelines are closely linked to the reform pedagogies and pedagogical alternatives of the early twentieth century; we want to convey value, norm, and educational alternatives to our students.

The AKG is also a school. A secondary school where you can and must learn!

• The AKG is a digital school. All students learn on their own laptops throughout their training, and work and information are also digitally processed.
• The programme includes objectives that exceed the requirements of the national “Matura” exam.
  The training consists of three sections.
  • A foundation culture-mediation course throughout year 10
  • In year 11 there is a “language year” in which a second foreign language is taught
  • the years 12-13, a career-orientation, further education admissions preparation stage
• During the course, all students must learn how to study independently and cooperatively in groups, to analyse, summarize and present.
• The objective of the AKG’s professional programme is to develop skills, including social competences.
• Each student must independently complete both a short and one-year project.
• To be entered for the Matura exams, intermediate (B2) level exams in two foreign languages are mandatory.
• The Matura exam results of our graduates have averaged 80% over several decades.
• The main thing is, all our pupils go on to further education, around 50% abroad in recent years.

The AKG is a Foundation-School

• The costs of studies are covered by the state normative aid (20%) and the fees paid by parents (80%).
• The fee covers all compulsory activities at the AKG, no additional study costs are required (except for the cost of trips abroad).
• The costs of food and personal educational tools (books, stationery, computers, textbooks, etc.) are covered by the family
• AKG scholarships provide support to deserving, talented students. Depending on the results achieved in the recruitment process and the financial situation of the family, the support may even cover the full cost of the training.

The AKG has an alternative framework curriculum approved by the Minister

The detailed program is available here: The AKG pedagogical programme

What you need to know about your application

The written entrance exam: applications for the central written exam held at the Alternative Secondary school for Economics must be done on an individual basis.

Written admission tests and assessment guidelines for previous school years (oh.gov.hu )

The official application form from the Education Office must be completed and sent to the following address: AKG, 1035 Budapest, Raktár Street 1.

Please be sure that you indicate the contact email addresses that you are currently using on the application form.

Oral examination: Following the written admission test, you can apply to the appropriate section of the school using the KIFIR electronic form filling system.

The AKG’s OM identification code number is: 035454

the class code for the 4+1+2 six-form secondary school: 0001
the 2 + 1 + 2 four-class secondary school class code: 0002
(+1 indicates the language year)

For any further information, please call +36-1-250-3752, +36-1-388-6759 or send an email to felveteli[at]akg.hu.
For information about the admissions procedure, please contact Zsuzsa Laffer, school manager, at laffer.zsuzsa[at]akg.hu.

The admissions procedure

Admission quotas: the AKG admits 48 students to both the sixth and eighth grades, and all applicants must take the entrance exam.

The exam consists of two parts, the decision on admission is based on the oral interview. The primary school certificate, the written test and the parents’ guide (a description of the applicant) provide a basis for admissions decisions.

1. Central written exam – two 45-minute tests of competence in the Hungarian language and mathematics. The exam is worth 100 points.
2. Primary school certificate. The score is based on the result for the semester of the admission period and the end-of-year result of the previous school year. The subjects considered (5) are: grade point average in literature and grammar, maths, history, foreign language (if more than one, the better result counts), science (if more than one, the better result counts). The subject that is included in the admission result must be the same for each school year (e.g., English in one school year and German in the other is not admissible). An exception to this is if the subject is graded in only one school year (e.g., one year is graded in chemistry, the other in biology, and there is no science subject with the same name in both years). This is worth 50 points.
3. Oral interview (admission eligibility decision). A „parents’ guide” written by the parents to help the oral interview is required for the oral entrance exam (to be sent via email: felveteli@akg.hu )

The attainable score prior to the oral exam is 150 points. In the case of an oversubscription of more than fivefold, the score of the student ranked 180th determines the threshold for admission to the oral test—for both sections, separately.

On the oral exam the three-member selection board decides on admission. In the admission process, we take into consideration the written performance, the primary school certificate and the parents’ guide.

The skills tested in the oral exam:

• reading fluency and comprehension of the text,
• writing and composition skills, basic mother tongue language skills, age-appropriate vocabulary,
• speaking skills, communication situational awareness,
• concentration skills,
• the elementary levels of analytical thinking,
• use of the four basic arithmetic operations at a skills level,
• the ability to identify and solve basic logical problems,
• the understanding of rules and norms, ability to cooperate,
• the ability to use appropriate social customs in given situations,
• basic ethical norms,
• ability to navigate and find your way around in the immediate environment.

The decision categories set by the oral examination committee are unconditionally accepted, accepted, admissible on a provisional basis, failed.

If all the admission committees select more suitable candidates in the category of unconditionally accepted than the number of candidates in the announced quota, the ranking will be determined by the combined score of the written test and the general school certificate (maximum 150 points). If fewer candidates fall into the category of unconditionally accepted than the announced quota, the candidates will be admitted according to their ranked position in the accepted category.

Among applicants with the same performance, prior AKG affiliation is an advantage (former AKG parent, current AKG sibling).
Of those admitted, 2/3 are recruited by the school, and the remaining 1/3, who pay additional expenses, are recruited by the Foundation from among those who passed the admission procedure but were not admitted. School admissions are decided by an admission committee, and Foundation places are decided by the Foundation’s management—with the agreement of the micro-school.

There is no fee for the written and oral admission tests.

On the admissions procedure to Foundation places

The purpose of the maintaining the Foundation places is to raise additional funds for the operation of the school.

The additional funds are used for:

1. The infrastructural and technical development of the AKG,
2. Reduction of the average costs,
3. Recruitment of talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
4. Support for underprivileged families.

In recent years, hundreds of millions of forints have been provided annually by the AKG Foundation for the school and its students.

Each year, the AKG Foundation can admit 16-16 future seventh and ninth graders from among the students who have participated in the AKG admission process but were not then admitted. Admission can thus be obtained through sponsorship of the school’s activities that exceed the parental contribution. For these places, a written offer must be made, stating the amount and timing of the additional support.

The additional contributions can be tendered in a sealed envelope, no later than one week later than the decision on the school places is made. The decision will take place in two rounds. All those who submit a tender will be informed of the acceptance of the bid and the possibility of modifying it. After the amendments have been made, the Head of the Foundation shall decide on the admissions with the agreement of the small-school and will inform those who tendered in writing.

The AKG Foundation can only admit students whose admissions have been accepted by the Patrons of the micro-school.

The criteria for the decision on the foundation places

1. The present amount of the offer
2. The student admission performance
3. The amount of immediate support

After the admissions decisions

The 48 students admitted to the school and foundation places will be notified in two rounds, but with the same procedure.

Following our decision, we recommend a tripartite, long-term contract to the families. The contract includes the obligations and rights of the school, the family, and the pupil, including both the substantive and the financial aspects.

In the first round, the school and the Foundation will sign a civil rights contract with the families of the 32 pupils admitted to the school (the text of which will be published in advance on the AKG website). In the second round, after the sponsorship decisions have been made, the Foundation and the school sign a civil rights contract with the families.

After signing the contract, the student becomes a student of the AKG upon enrolment. Once the contract is signed, both groups will participate in the life of AKG in the same way, with the same student status. The fact of whether a student was admitted by the School or the Foundation is not public information.

In the event of withdrawal, the patrons of the school decide on the next pupil to be admitted.

The features of the course

Lower secondary stage
grades 7-10 (six-grade secondary school, 4+1+2)
grades 9-10 (four-grade secondary school, 2+1+2)
(+1 indicates the language year)

Basic training provides general and uniform training, with personalized differentiation within groups. School life is characterized by a pragmatic and problem-oriented approach, epochal teaching [intensive subject study blocks], projects, differentiated but mandatory activities, predominantly school-based, practice-oriented, experience-based knowledge, collaborative learning, and non-classification. We teach in subject blocks, in broader literacy areas: mother tongue, foreign language communication; social studies; mathematics; art; science blocks; practical subjects (it-skills, creative arts, management skills, communication, learning methodology, physical education). Subjects are closely linked and can be developed individually in many areas. Each student spends the most time on whatever interests them most.

During the first two years, they have a higher number of English lessons (another language if enough students with a good command of English are enrolled, taking into account school capacity).

Language year: grade 11 (both year groups)

This year, 2/3rds of the lessons (18 lessons) are devoted to intensive second foreign language study (Spanish, French, German), as well as IT training, physical education, English level maintenance and skills development. Groups start the second foreign language from the beginner level and take a B2 level exam at the end of the school year. In this way, 4 traditional school years of teaching material are concentrated into one year of continuous intensive language learning. At the end of the second term, students go on a 9–10-day exchange trip to the given language area (Spain, Germany, or France). The students of our permanent exchange partners are received by our students. At the end of the language year, a high proportion of our students take an early intermediate Matura or language examination. The period will conclude with an independent annual project report.

Upper secondary level: grades 12-13 (both year groups)

At our secondary school, we offer differentiated, alternative, complete training, culminating in the Matura examinations. This section is characterised by the emergence of independent specialized disciplines, typically individual timetables, independent learning, multi-level (advanced, intermediate) courses per programme, specializations, grading, exams, and individual work on a larger scale. The general aim is career orientation, preparation for Matura exams and admissions, but there is an emphasis on learning as an end, and the pleasure of acquiring knowledge and culture.

Subjects: Hungarian literature, history, foreign languages, mother tongue studies, mathematics, sciences (physics, chemistry, natural geography, biology), social and economic subjects (economics, social studies, psychology, social geography), physical education.

The school offers students the possibility of studying from 5 subjects for the Matura exam and from 8 other subjects.

Horn György az AKG-ról