 He was born in Apáca (today in Braşov County, Romania) on June 10, 1625; the "Apáczai" in his name is an indication of his birthplace.The Csere family into which he was born were of the minor nobility.After college studies in Gyulafehérvár (Alba Iulia), one of Csere's teachers there, Johann Heinrich Bisterfeld, persuaded the local bishop, István Katona, to fund a scholarship for Apáczai to continue his education in the Netherlands.