Austria

Tuition

EU/EEA and Swiss nationals study tuition-free at public universities as long as they stay within the standard programme duration plus two tolerance semesters; once that period is exceeded, the standard fee of EUR 363.36 per semester applies to them too. Third-country nationals generally pay double (EUR 726.72 per semester) from the first semester, though exemptions exist for nationals of certain developing countries and for some residence-permit or scholarship categories. On top of any tuition fee, every student pays the mandatory student union fee (ÖH-Beitrag) of EUR 26.20 per semester, which includes accident and liability insurance. Universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen) and private universities set their own, often higher, fees that are not covered by these figures. ^{[1] [2]}

Visa

Residence Permit – Student (Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Studierende) — 20 hours/week. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Applications

Austria has no single national application portal: applications are submitted directly to each institution. The general statutory deadlines are 5 September for the winter semester and 5 February for the summer semester, but individual universities set earlier internal deadlines, and programmes with entrance exams (e.g. medicine, some arts programmes) can close applications up to six months in advance. Non-EU applicants should apply well ahead of these dates to leave time for document recognition and the residence-permit process. ^{[6] [4]}

Application portals

• Study in Austria (OeAD) – Application & Admission
• oesterreich.gv.at – Admission for non-EU/EEA nationals
• TU Wien – Admission

Language

German. German is the main language of instruction, especially in Bachelor's programmes. English-taught options are concentrated at Master's level and are growing, particularly in business, technical and international-studies fields; TU Wien alone lists 18 English-taught Master's programmes alongside 14 German-taught ones. Applicants for German-taught programmes generally need German proficiency at a level set by the admitting university and programme. ^[7]

Health insurance

Health insurance is compulsory for all students in Austria. EU/EEA and Swiss students are generally covered via the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued by their home-country insurer, or must otherwise arrange qualifying cover. Third-country students must prove insurance valid in Austria (covering at least EUR 30,000 per illness case and valid for the whole Schengen area) to obtain their residence permit; students who are not otherwise insured can take out the reduced-rate student self-insurance with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) for EUR 78.84 per month (2026 rate), subject to income and study-duration conditions. This is general information, not insurance or legal advice. ^{[3] [8] [9]}

Universities

• University of Vienna (Universität Wien), Vienna ^[11]
• TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology), Vienna ^[12]
• WU Vienna (Vienna University of Economics and Business), Vienna ^[13]
• University of Innsbruck (Universität Innsbruck), Innsbruck ^[14]
• University of Graz (Universität Graz), Graz ^[15]

Scholarships

• Ernst Mach Grant (OeAD) — Scholarship programme funded by Austria's Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) and administered by OeAD, supporting study or research stays in Austria for students and academics from abroad. ^[16]
• Erasmus+ Study Mobility — EU exchange programme through which students enrolled at a partner higher education institution can spend part of their studies (up to twelve months per study cycle) at an Austrian university; OeAD is Austria's national agency for Erasmus+. ^[17]