Corvinus University of Budapest

In 1846, József Industrial School opened its gates with departments for economics and trade for upper grade students. The immediate forerunner of the Corvinus University of Budapest, the Faculty of Economics of the Royal Hungarian University, was established in 1920. The faculty was an independent organization that was granted the same status as faculties of other universities.

In 1934, the faculty was merged with other institutions including the University of Technology to form the Hungarian Royal Palatine Joseph University of Technology and Economics. Modern economist training began in 1948, when the Hungarian University of Economics was established as a separate universitas. Since then, the institution has undergone multiple name changes. In 1953 it was renamed Karl Marx University of Economic Sciences. In 1990, following the end of communism in Hungary the name of the university was changed to the University of Economics of Budapest.

In 2000, with the integration of the College of Public Administration, the institution was named Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration (BUESPA). The College of Public Administration was founded in 1977.

In 2003, the three faculties of the former University of Horticulture (then part of the Szent István University) were integrated into the BUESPA. The first predecessor of the horticulture faculties, the School for practical Gardening (1853–1860) was the first institution of horticultural professional training in Hungary. The school was founded and managed by the horticultural scholar and publicist Dr Ferenc Entz (1805–1877), who was also a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. In 1939 an independent Royal Horticultural Academy was launched. It included three departments: agriculture, horticulture and landscape architecture. The latter was one of a kind in Hungary at the time.

In 2004, the university received its present name. The name the Corvinus University of Budapest refers to the name of Corvinae (codices). Bibliotheca Corviniana was one of the most renowned libraries of the Renaissance world, established in the 15th century by King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary.

The Faculty of Public Administration was appended to the newly formed National University of Public Service on 1 January 2012.

From 2013 Corvinus University of Budapest offered a Summer School program.

In February 2019, the government announced that it would place Corvinus University under the newly created Maecenas Universitatis Corvini Foundation from July 2019. The foundation will be allocated 10% of the government's stake in MOL and Gedeon Richter worth HUF 380 billion at the time, with the operational expenses to be paid with the dividends from these companies.

The Regional Centre for Energy Policy Research was established in 2004. The three main pillars of the Research Centre are education, research and consultancy. Their analysis focuses mainly on electricity and natural gas markets. They have been working on water management issues since 2007 and on transport issues since 2017.

In 2018, the Corvinus Institute for Advanced Studies (CIAS), an international research centre, was established to strengthen Corvinus' scientific performance and international embeddedness. There are more than 20 research centres operating besides them at the university.

Several research-related journals (Society and Economy, Vezetéstudomány [Management], Corvinus Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Corvinus Journal of International Affairs, and Köz-Gazdaság [Public Economy]) and publications (e.g. workshop series: Corvinus Economic Working Papers RePEc, and Corvinus Law Papers) are published by the university.