Austrian higher education

1. Online pre-registration (if required)  

2. Submission of all required documents, including proof of university entrance examination (see International Academic Recognition and Nostrification) and proof of German language proficiency  

3. If applicable: entrance exam, interview or audition or submission of a portfolio (often required at art colleges)  

4. If you are accepted, the positive letter of admission  

5. With this letter of admission, you can apply for a residence permit, visa or residence certificate  

6. Please note that you must register with the local registration office within 3 days of moving into an apartment/student residence  

7. To enrol, you must submit your letter of admission, a copy of your passport/citizenship certificate, all required forms and a passport photo 

Please note that you must register online in advance for some degree programs, especially those with entrance tests. As long as you have completed your studies within the EU, your academic achievements should be recognized without any problems, as Austria participates in the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). For degrees obtained outside the EU, you can contact AAIS (Recognition, Application and Information System) to obtain a nostrification. The documents can be submitted online as originals or notarized copies of transcripts in German or English (see translation services). For further information, please contact the Advice Center for Migrants (AST Perspektive). 

If entrance examinations are required for your chosen field of study, these are mandatory for all applicants, even if you have passed comparable examinations in your home country. Once you are admitted, you may have to take additional exams (e.g. a Latin exam if you are studying medicine). In some cases, you will have to complete a Studies Induction and Orientation Period (STEOP) during your first semester. Instead of an entrance examination, you must pass these compulsory courses in order to continue your studies. If you fail one of the STEOP examinations, you can repeat it up to three times. If you fail three times, you are automatically ex-matriculated from the degree program and cannot repeat it. The universities of applied sciences select students through admission tests and selection interviews, whereby the number of students per degree program is usually limited. For part-time studies, applicants with relevant professional experience may be given preference or admitted without a university entrance qualification; this also applies to non-Austrians. 

Non-Austrians are often surprised that higher education at public universities in Austria is very affordable.

The fees consist of tuition fees, material fees and the mandatory membership fee for the Austrian Student Union of €22.70 (in 2024).  

If you have to pay tuition fees, you usually pay them online before each semester. For public universities, EU/EEA citizens and Swiss citizens must pay €363.36 per semester if they exceed the average minimum duration of 8 semesters of Bachelor's studies (or 6 semesters of Master's studies). Third-country nationals pay a semester fee of € 726.72 per semester. Tuition fees at private universities are higher and vary depending on the university. 

For those who cannot afford the tuition fees, there are various forms of financial support.

The Austrian Agency for Internationalization and Education (OeAD) is responsible for providing and managing scholarship programs and exchange programs in Austria. The OeAD offers short scholarships, entire study visits in Austria or abroad, as well as research scholarships. All available scholarships and funding opportunities can be found here. You can obtain free information from the OeAD about all scholarships, but also about the legal conditions for studying in Austria.