Austria Universities and Colleges

Overview

Overview of Austrian Universities and Colleges

The Austrian higher education system provides well-respected, high-quality education through over 20 public and private universities, many of which have multiple campuses. These universities offer the full-spectrum of programs with some universities offering a broad-based array of programs while others specialize in specific subject areas such as the arts, business or medicine. The universities offer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees which are generally considered equivalent to the same degrees in other European countries, the U.S. and Canada.

Of the universities, 12 are publicly funded and governed. There are a number of relatively new privately-run universities which have lower enrollment than the public universities, but are growing. Higher education is governed by the Federal Ministry of Science and Research which oversees their quality, while private universities must be accredited by the Austrian Accreditation Council. In recent years, reforms have been implemented to improve and expand university education. Austria aims to make university education more accessible to lower-income groups, allow private universities to expand and provide incentives for students to finish their degrees faster by charging tuition under some circumstances.

Types of Schools and Degrees

There are six general or "classical" universities which offer a broad range of programs with the largest being the University of Vienna with about 85,000 students. There are also six universities that specialize in visual and performance art programs, two technical universities and four other specialized universities. There are also three medical schools which provide training and degrees for nurses and medical doctors.

Universities in Austria offer bachelor's degrees which take about three years to complete, master's degrees, which take another one to two years and doctoral degrees. Medical doctoral degree programs are six years in length. There are separate schools that offer vocational programs and continuing education programs. All of the universities are considered of high quality and one school is not seen as better than another except in some specialized subject areas. Similarly, admissions are not competitive and anyone that meets the requirements, which includes passing the Matura examinations, is allowed to enroll in their program of choice, with the exception of some restricted programs in medicine and psychology.

Tuition and Funding

Tuition for Austrians is free unless a student does not complete their program within a pre-determined time period. After this time, students must pay a moderate tuition fee per semester. Tuition is also free for EU citizens and certain other foreign students.

International Students

Austria has one of the highest percentages of international students attending their universities - 17 percent. EU and EEA citizens are admitted to Austrian universities on equal footing with Austrian citizens and are not therefore subject to subject to placement quotas or regular tuition charges. All international students must meet the following requirements:

• Speak German proficiently.
• Have earned a high-school diploma or A-level diploma that can be considered equivalent to the Austrian Matura examination certification or completion of three years at a post-secondary school.
• The diploma or other certification must be considered acceptable in the person's own country for the program they wish to enroll in.
• Possess health insurance.

Non-EU citizens will only be admitted if there is space available at the university in the desired course of study. The Austrian government provides more details for foreign students on their Information for Foreign Citizens webpage.

About Austria

The Republic of Austria is a land-locked, mountainous country of about 8.3 million people and is one of the richest countries in the world. It is a popular tourist destination known for its Alps skiing. Vienna is the largest city with over 1.6 million inhabitants. Over 88 percent of the country speaks the official language of German. Austria belongs to the European Union and the United Nations.

Until the 1960's, Austria's education systems guided the majority of students towards vocational post-secondary education. A smaller percentage was put on a university track during secondary school, based on academic abilities. Over the last few decades, there has been a movement to increase the number of students who attend universities rather than vocational programs. As a result of reforms, private universities have opened, higher numbers of low and middle income students have been attending a university and students are completing their degrees in less time.

Resources

Austrian Federal Ministry for Education Arts and Culture

Austrian Government's Information for Foreign Citizens: Studying in Austria