How much tuition will I have to pay?

Pursuant to § 91 of the Universities Act 2002 (Universitätsgesetz, UG), the following regulations concerning tuition fees will apply starting in the summer semester of 2013.

Membership to the Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH) is compulsory for all degree programme and non-degree programme students and costs € 24.70. The ÖH membership dues must be paid by all students, including those whose tuition fees are waived.

Degree program students:

The standard tuition fee is € 363.36 per semester. The tuition fee for third-country nationals is € 726.72 per semester.

As a general rule, these tuition fees are compulsory for all students at all Austrian universities. However, tuition fees can be waived permanently or temporarily for certain groups of students unter certain conditions.

Temporary waiver of tuition fees:

Tuition fees are waived temporarily for the length of the prescribed standard duration of the respective degree programme, plus two extra semesters (tuition-free period) for the following groups of degree programme students:

  • Austrian citizens
  • Citizens of EU countries
  • Citizens of EEA countries (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein)
  • Swiss citizens
  • Refugees under the provisions of the Geneva Convention (including students from other EU countries)
  • Beneficiaries of subsidiary protection status
  • Privileged third-country nationals (begünstigte Drittstaatsangehörige) who hold one of the following types of residence permits:

EC Long-Term Residence Permit (Daueraufenthalt - EG) issued by the appropriate Austrian authority
EC Long-Term Residence Permit (Daueraufenthalt - EG) issued by the appropriate authority of another EU country, plus Austrian residence permit
Permanent residence permit (Daueraufenthaltskarte) issued by the appropriate Austrian authority
Students covered by the provisions of the ordinance governing admission of certain groups of potential students (Personengruppenverordnung)
Students who are holders of a residence permit other than a Student Residence Permit (Aufenthaltsbewilligung Studierende)

These students must prove their status to the Admissions Office by providing all the necessary documents (residence permit, administrative decision on asylum application, etc.).

Students who exceed the allowed tuition-free period will be required to pay the applicable tuition fee in addition to the ÖH membership dues. Exceeding the tuition-free period means that a student fails to complete one of his or her academic programmes within the allowed number of tuition-free semesters. Tuition fees can be waived under certain conditions. In these cases, the student must pay only the ÖH membership dues. Please click here for a list of the legally valid grounds for a waiver of tuition fees.

A permanent waiver of tuition fees is granted to degree programme students who are citizens of one of the least developed countries according to the Tuition Fee Ordinance (Studienbeitragsverordnung). The ÖH dues must be paid by all students, however, irrespective of any tuition fee waivers.

Afghanistan • Angola • Bangladesh • Benin • Bhutan • Burkina Faso • Burundi • Cambodia • Central African Republic • Chad • Comores • Congo - Democratic Republic • Djibouti • Eritrea • Ethiopia • Gambia • Guinea • Guinea-Bissau • Haiti • Kiribati • Lao - People's Democratic Republic • Lesotho • Liberia • Madagascar • Malawi • Mali • Mauritania • Mazambique • Myanmar • Nepal • Niger • Rwanda • Sâo Tomé and Principe • Senegal • Sierra Leone • Solomon Islands • Somalia • South Sudan • Sudan • United Republic of Tanzania • Timor-Leste • Togo • Tuvalu • Uganda • Vanuatu • Yemen • Zambia

 

Non-degree programme students:

These students are required to pay the standard tuition fee of € 363.36 and the ÖH membership dues (€ 24.70) starting in the first semester of their studies, regardless of nationality.

Tuition fees are waived for non-degree programme students enrolled only in a certificate programme (Universitätslehrgang) or a university preparation programme (Vorstudienlehrgang). These students must only pay the programme fee and the ÖH membership dues.