Study in Austria
In Austria there is a variety of institutions of tertiary education. In addition to public universities, the Austrian tertiary sector includes universities of applied sciences (UAS, Fachhochschulen, since 1993), private universities (since 1999), private university colleges (since 2021) and university colleges of teacher education.
The common language of instruction is German but some of the programmes are offered in English (about 19 % of the degree programmes at public universities in 2019, about 14 % of degree programmes at universities of applied sciences in 2020).
Stipends and Social Security
If you are not employed or self-employed due to the nature of your stipend, social security issues will have to be dealt with on a case by case basis, depending on the type of stipend and respective personal circumstances. In most cases, if there is no employment or the status of self-employee, general self-insurance or the "Studierendenselbstversicherung" (provided certain conditions are met) can be taken out.
In order to apply for co-insurance with your family/partner, an application form needs to be filled, which can be downloaded at www.sozialversicherung.at (in German only)
Third country nationals coming from a country without a cross-national agreement on social security in most cases will have to insure themselves with the Social Insurance Institution for Trade and Industry (SVA).
If you are not insured anywhere, there are different options, from self-insurance via the main social insurance carriers in Austria to contracts with private insurance companies.
For personal assistance please contact the EURAXESS Centre: research_career_eu@ffg.at
oead4refugees
With the information platform oead4refugees, the OeAD offers an overview of educational opportunities and initiatives in higher education for refugees. The information is aimed at refugees who are in Austria, who are going through an asylum procedure or who have already completed it, who want to study or who would like to have an educational qualification recognized.