The study presents the social composition of students who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the Erzsébet University in Pozsony (Bratislava) from 1918 and then after a temporary stay in Budapest, in Pécs from the autumn of 1923 until the academic year 1929/1930. The article specifically examines the output of university education, excluding students who dropped out or transferred to another institution. It presents the recruitment and mobility of the student body by statistical analysis of the religion, place of birth and father/guardian occupation of the medical graduates of the selected period. The statistical survey shows a large number of Israelites and those born in Budapest. The occupational composition of the father/guardian largely consists of three groups: public and private officials – professionals – traders and large business owners. A separate subchapter deals with the changes resulting from the numerus clausus law in the composition of medical students in Pécs, as well as the attitude of the university in Pécs and its impact on the Hungarian higher education market. The clear goal of the university management was to ensure the survival of the university by increasing the number of students. The main reason for applying numerus clausus as loosely as possible was also the fact that the number of Christian students remained low, often failing to fill in the allotted numbers. Finally, the paper presents possible further research opportunities.

The purpose of the study. To examine the social composition of medical students of the Erzsébet University of Pécs (ETE) between 1930 and 1945 based on statistics about religion, place of birth and father/guardian occupation. To present the external processes affecting the admission of students based on the minutes of the university governing body. To present some typical individual careers of students of the examined period. Applied methods. Statistical analysis of student enrolment and diploma books. Analysis of major processes using the minutes of the medical faculty and university council meetings and literature. Presenting and categorising careers using all available archival and library data. Outcomes. Compared to the previous decade and a half, the number of medical students at ETE decreased for demographic and political reasons. The religious composition of the students changed due to measures restricting Jewish students’ university admission, and disenfranchising them. The careers examined also demonstrate how affected students tried to circumvent these measures.