National Information

Austria Map

Select country Toggle

OVERVIEW

In Austria fees are applied to home and international students. Student fees at public universities are regulated by law. They are waived for home students for the prescribed duration of the study programme plus two semesters. Universities of applied sciences (UAS) are entitled to charge tuition fees to a maximum of EUR 363.36 per semester. Not all UAS charge tuition fees.
Part-time and short cycle programmes are not available.
There is no fee differentiation depending on the education cycle, the filed of study (specific discipline) and programme (taught in foreign language, studying for a second degree etc.).
Waivers and reductions are available in public universities and are need-based. Universities of Applied Sciences do not apply waivers and reductions.
Direct financial support is provided by need and merit-based grants. Loans are not available. Age limits are applied for access to direct financial support (33/38 years).
Indirect financial support to students and their parents is provided in the form of tax benefits for students' parents and to students with income. Family allocations are available. Other benefits include orphan's pensions, health and accident Insurance, subsidies for the Austrian National Student Union (ÖH). The students' age limit for their parents to be eligible for tax benefits and family allowances is 24/25 years.

Academic year
Type of support

Compare to

Minimum, maximum, and most common annual fee amounts (in EUR)

Cycle
Type of Students
Status of Students

FEES

Fees are charged in first and second cycles to home and international full-time students.
Minimum and maximum (standard performance) fees are not applied.
Students with insufficient ECTS credits and/or extended length of studies are charged with fees.
International students holding the same rights to access employment in Austria under international treaties, as well as international students who are granted the same status as Austrian citizens on the basis of legal provisions, such as refugees, diplomatic staff or students with close bonds to Austria, are treated as home students. International students who are citizens of states aligned with the "Least Developed Countries" according to the "DAC List of ODA Recipients", which is drawn up by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) are exempt of paying tuition fees. Other international students pay higher fees compared to home students.
Universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen) are entitled to charge degree programme students (including home students) tuition fees to a maximum of EUR 363.36 per semester and may charge non-EU and non-EEA students with cost-covering fees. Not all UAS charge tuition fees.
The total share of fee payers at Universities (first and second cycles) is 34%. 24% of the University students pay fees, 85% of the students at the Universities of Applied Sciences pay fees and 11% if the students at University Colleges of Teacher Education are required to pay fees.

Annual grant amounts (in EUR)

Cycle
Type of Students
Status of Students
Type of Grants

DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORT - GRANTS

Need and merit-based grants are available to full-time home and international students in first and second cycles. International students are eligible provided that they have long-term residence permits for Austria (proof by “Daueraufenthaltskarte - EU”) or are treated as family members of an EU migrant worker or an Austrian citizen. At University colleges of teacher training the grant award procedure follows the same rules as applied at universities
The duration covers 12 months.
The minimum and the maximum amount of need-based grants available to full-time home students are statutory. Due to an amendment to the student support act (Federal Law Gazette I No. 174/2022) the amount of the study grant will be adjusted annually, always on September 1, in line with inflation (valorisation).The first adjustment to the amount of the study grant was made in September 2023, increasing it by 5.8 %. This led to an increase of the maximum amount of grant to EUR 11 724 (academic year 2023/24). The minimum amount is not affected by the amendment and remained EUR 60 per year. The most common amount for academic year 2023/2024 was EUR 7 511.
Concerning the most common annual amount of need-based grants, data is only available for the reference academic year 2022/23.

Annual loan amounts (in EUR)

DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORT - LOANS

Publicly-subsidised loans are not provided.

Further readings

National education systems - Austria, Eurydice