STUDY IN AUSTRIA

Austria, officially the Republic of Austria is a federal republic and a landlocked country of roughly 8.5 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west.

The capital and largest city, with a population exceeding 1.7 million, is Vienna. Austria is one of the richest countries in the world. The country has developed a high standard of living and was ranked 19th in the world for its Human Development Index. Austria also signed the Schengen Agreement in 1995, and adopted the European currency, the euro, in 1999.

Education System

Higher education is provided by universities and universities of applied sciences (introduced in 1994). There are also Academies (e.g. Teacher Training Colleges). The universities remain State institutions and the State continues to finance them. Universities are fully autonomous to handle their internal affairs and formulate their statutes. At private universities, study programmes can be offered either in accordance with state programmes and degrees, or without reference to them.

Austria combines a long tradition in higher education with state-of-the-art research. The Austrian higher education institutions offer an ever-growing number of degree programmes: you can choose between first-class research-based courses at the Austrian universities, world-famous education at the universities of the arts, high-quality practice-oriented degree courses at the universities of applied sciences, sound, up-to-date teacher education and innovative courses at private universities. International students are of special concern to all Austrian higher education institutions.

In addition to its historical and cultural appeal, you would like to study in Austria because of the high quality of its universities and institutions of higher education, its low tuition fees or the possibility of learning one of the world’s most important languages: German. No wonder Austria is one of Europe’s most popular study destinations.

Requirements:

Undergraduate studies (first cycle)
If you have successfully completed upper secondary studies in one of the signatory countries of the Lisbon, are in possession of a valid school leaving certificate and qualify for higher education studies in your home country, you also qualify for higher education studies in Austria. However, you are requested to prove your level of English and German. In some cases, you are also required to take additional qualifying courses.

Master’s studies (second cycle)

If you are applying for a master’s program at university in Austria, you are required to be in possession of a relevant bachelor’s or equivalent degree diploma.

Doctoral studies (third cycle)

In the event you are applying for doctoral studies at university in Austria, you are required to be in possession of a relevant diploma or master’s degree diploma.

Language requirements:

German

Since the language of instruction at Austrian universities is German, you are required to prove your level of command of the German language. You may do so by presenting the results you received at school examinations if you studied German as part of your study program or by presenting German language courses diplomas, such as the Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache fur ausländische Studienbewerber – TestDaF.

In general, most institutions require a minimum level of command corresponding to the B1/B2 level according to the European language passport. Please, note that the German language requirement usually applies to studies at the first cycle (undergraduate). Master’s and research programs may not require any knowledge of German if they are designed for international students.

English

If the language of instruction of your course is English, you will require to prove your level of command of English. Please, note that in general, schools require a minimum level of command of a language corresponding to the B1/B2 level according to the European language passport in order for you to successfully pass your courses.

Intakes:

The academic year in Austria, as a rule, begins on October 1st and ends on September 30thof the following year.

It consists of two semesters:

• Winter semester (October 1st to January 30th)
• Summer semester (March 1st to September 30th)

Popular Universities:

• Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna
• Burgenland University of Applied Science Campus 02
• University of Applied Sciences
• Carinthia University of Applied Sciences
• Graz University of Technology
• IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems
• Johannes Kepler University Linz
• Medical University of Graz
• Medical University of Innsbruck
• Medical University of Vienna