Évfolyam

Évfolyam is a Hungarian term used in education to denote a grade level or year group within a school system. It refers to a specific stage of study in a given academic year and is usually expressed with a number (for example, az 1. évfolyam vagy a 5. évfolyam).

In general education, students progress from one évfolyam to the next as they complete a school year. In Hungary, a typical path in általános iskola runs from the 1st évfolyam to the 8th évfolyam; after this, students move on to secondary education, with further évfolyam levels defined by the program chosen. The term can also denote a cohort or intake, for example az 2020/2021-es évfolyam, i.e., the group of students who began or completed that year.

Évfolyam is distinct from osztály. Osztály refers to a class or group of students within a given évfolyam, commonly identified by a letter (for example 5.A, 5.B). In higher education, évfolyam is often used to describe a graduating cohort, such as a certain year’s évfolyam (for instance a 2019-es évfolyam).

Usage note: while the word is mainly tied to schooling, it appears in official documents, school catalogs, and enrollment statistics to indicate the year level of students or the size of a year group.