Hungarian student groups held a massive demonstration in Budapest on Monday to protest against the government's decision last week to heavily cut state subsidies of university tuition.

The Hungarian state has so far fully paid for getting the first university degree and at times often also for a post-graduate degree. The system has been costly and an overhaul was needed as the government remains under pressure to carry out austerity measures.

The government said it would fully subsidize only 10,000 university undergraduate positions as of the next academic year compared to 56,000 in 2010, when the governing Fidesz party came into power, and 34,000 this year. Hungarian universities and colleges offer places for almost 75,000 students every year, including post-graduate students.

The sharp cut hadn't been announced previously and came in the very last days prior to the approval of the 2013 state budget in parliament, without talks with student organizations, these groups claim. The government said the move would force students to assume more responsibility for their lives.

"The era of subsidies by the right of the individual, and of endless studies financed by taxpayers without actually earning a degree has come to an end. It's essential for undergraduates to become responsible for the success of their studies, while universities and colleges must focus on the standard and the market value of the education they offer instead of the endless expansion of their courses," the state secretariat responsible for education said on its website.