Studying in Austria - AAI - Afro Asiatisches Institut / Graz

Studying in Austria

Information and more for students
- a service provided by the Office for Foreign Students

Information on Studying

Where do I have to register?
How much are the tuition fees?

Residing in Austria

How do I get a residence permit?
Where can I get insurance? Where can I live?

Social Issues

Am I allowed to work?
Where can I get a scholarship?

März 2009 Österreichische
HochschülerInnenschaft

www.oeh.ac.at

Für dein

Studium

geben wir Gas.

Deine

www.oeh.ac.at

Österreichische Hochschülerinnen- und Hochschülerschaft

Wir haben
immer ein offenes
Ohr für deine Probleme.

Deine

www.oeh.ac.at

Österreichische Hochschülerinnen- und Hochschülerschaft

Studying in Austria

Information and more for students
- a service provided by the Office for Foreign Students

Österreichische
HochschülerInnenschaft

www.oeh.ac.at

Table of Contents

Foreword 4

1. Studying in Austria 7

First Steps
Range of Studies

2. Admission for studying 13

2 University Training Courses
Translation and Acknowledgement

Registration

Reporting the Continuing of Studies

Regular and External Students

PhD-Studies

Academic Recognition

Tuition Fees

3. Residence in Austria 29

First Application
Prolonging the Residence Permit

Compulsory Registration
Insurances

Accommodation and Working

Table of Contents

4. Social Issues 45

Scholarships 3
Studying Assistances
Family Assistances
Funds of the Austrian National Union of Students
Studying and Being a Parent

5. About the Austrian National 55
Union of Students

6. Appendix: Addresses 59

Universities and Student Unions
Language Schools (Selection)
Systems of Registration

Offices dealing with scholarships
Ministries

Impressum 73

www.oeh.ac.at

Dear colleagues,

It is an important decision to go to a fo- If there are any problems, we are glad to help
reign country and to study there. In order you in the offices of the Federal Level and at your
to help you with your decisions and to university, vocational college or pedagogical aca-
give you important information and tips, demy. For you, the Federal Office for Foreign Stu-
the Federal Level of the Austrian Natio- dents will be important. It is situated, like all our
nal Union of Students edits this brochure federal offices in Taubstummengasse 7-9, 1040
every year. For the first time, this brochu- Vienna.
re is also available in English.

This brochure provides the most important facts
in order to get started with your studies in Au-
stria. It tells you which official steps have to be
taken and which guidelines foreign students have
4 to follow. Furthermore, you get information on the
conditions of residence in Austria as well as on
issues concerning living, accommodation and stu-
dying in this country. Social issues like financial
assistances or studying-and family-assistance are
also mentioned.

Have fun and a great time while studying in Au-
stria!

Best wishes,

ÖH-Vorsitzender Samir Al-Mobayyed

The Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH) is
the legal representation of all students in Austria,
whether they were born here or not. We represent
the students’ interests to the public and politi-
cians. However, what is even more important for
you: We provide advice and services that will sup-
port you in the course of your studies.

Foreword

Dear Students, 5

A lot of young people come to Austria
in order to complete their studies, or at
least a part of them. International stu-
dents significantly contribute to the so-
cial, economic and cultural enrichment of
universities and vocational colleges. The
diversity and increasing number of inter-
national students results in an increase
of universities’ standards as well as an
improvement of their international repu-
tation.

In order to receive a university place in Austria,
you should be very well informed from the very
start. Sometimes, it can take some time until an
admission is granted. Therefore, we recommend
that you submit all the documents that are de-
manded by the respective university and check the
specific requirements.

It is not always easy for foreign students to start
or finish their studies successfully. Because of
this, we tried to gather the most important in-
formation and present them in a clear manner, in
order to provide a first aid for getting started.

If you have any more questions, please contact us.
We are glad to help you during the office hours!

Tanaz Khorzad, Jens Marxen
Office for Foreign Students

www.oeh.ac.at

6

Studying in Austria

First Steps
Range of Studies

Österreichische
HochschülerInnenschaft

www.oeh.ac.at

Possibilities for studying/
Studying in Austria

Information on Austria can be obtained Federal Office for Foreign Students or the Office
from: for Foreign Students at your university. Addresses,
telephone numbers and contacts are to be found

the Austrian diplomatic authorities (embassies, in the appendix.

consulates, to be found on the website www.bmeia. Before arriving:
gv.at) , the Austrian cultural institutions as well as

from the branches of the Austrian Tourism Agency

On the internet, important information Choose your faculty (resp. academic subject)
concerning the topic ‘Studying in
Austria’ can be found at: and a university. You can find information
on the various faculties, subjects and the
respective overall time of studying on the

Austrian National Union Of Students: website of the universities and vocational
8 www.oeh.ac.at colleges.

ÖAD: Registration on the internet. It is possible to
www.oead.ac.at register on the homepage of the respective
university in order to record your personal
Ministry of Science and Research: data.
www.bmwf.gv.at
Application for admission (i.e. you apply for
Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture: a place in a programme at a university). You
www.bmukk.gv.at can get the respective forms directly at the
Admission Office of the university or via the
General Information: internet. If necessary, you should have your
www.wegweiser.ac.at/ documents translated and acknowledged.

www.studieren.at Application for a residence permit for stu-
dents.
First Steps
After you have received an admission from the
Here you find all the information you need, if you university, you are allowed to apply for an entry-
are interested in studying in Austria. permit (at the respective Austrian authority that
is situated in your country). Please consider the
Information on the respective topics and other is- requirements on part of the authority that exist
sues can be found on the following pages of this apart from those that are necessary for admission.
brochure. For more information, have a look at Chapter 2 –
Residence Permit.
If you have any questions, please contact the

Studying in Austria

After entering Austria: from a list of any curriculum). You have to write 9
at least two Bachelor theses during the course of
1.Registration of your address at the muni- your studies. At the end, you have to pass a final
cipal authority or local government (within Bachelor’s examination.
three days).
Master Programmes
2.Matriculation: Registration at the univer-
sity, for the first time (i.e. ‘Inskription’) In A master study is supposed to provide further,
the course of matriculation, you receive your deeper knowledge on the basis of a Bachelor Pro-
student-ID as well as a payment bill for pa- gramme. The latter one is also the requirement for
ying the tuition fees or the course fees of a getting an admission for a Master Programme. Ge-
German language course. nerally, a master study takes four semesters (120
ECTS-Credits) and is concluded by a master thesis.
3.Registration for the continuing of your A bachelor study and a master study together,
studies. This has to be done every semester. equal one ‘Diplome Programme’.
Please mind the deadlines for registering at
your university. Diploma Programmes

Range of studies This kind of study is divides into two or three seg-
ments. Depending on the chosen study, it lasts
There is a great variety of universities and colleges between four and eight years. The duration of the
in Austria. Apart from the universities and private respective segment as well as the subjects and
universities, academic courses are offered. their content are defined in the curriculum. They
consist of obligatory subjects, obligatory optio-
Bachelor Programmes nal subjects (which have to be chosen from a list
within the curriculum of your studies) as well as
A Bachelor’s degree usually takes six semesters the free optional subjects (which can be chosen
(180 ECTS-Credits). It has to include all subjects from a list of any curriculum). Every segment is
that are necessary for a scientific or artistic educa- concluded with a diploma-examination. In order
tion in the respective academic field. The subjects to receive an admission for the final diploma ex-
and their content are defined in the curriculum. amination, requires an approbation of your diplo-
They consist of obligatory subjects, obligatory op- ma-thesis.
tional subjects (which have to be chosen from a
list within the curriculum of your studies) as well
as the free optional subjects (which can be chosen

www.oeh.ac.at

Doctoral Programmes The requirement for acknowledgement is that you

did not posses a school leaving certificate at the

In general, a doctor’s degree takes at least two time you took the exam. In the course of an ex-

years. An admission is granted on the basis of a ternal study it is not possible to take or doctoral

completed master- or diploma study or an equal exams!

postsecondary graduation. The subjects and their

content are defined in the curriculum. The main There are following requirements to be accepted

focus lies on the doctoral thesis and studies in as an external student:

related disciplines. The study is concluded by the

approbation of the thesis as well as a doctoral ex- Every Austrian or foreign citizen can register as

amination (i.e. ‘Rigorosum’). an external student. No school leaving certificate

is required. You just need to prove that you have

10 fulfilled 15th year of your life. Therefore, a birth
Academic Courses certificate or a valid passport is sufficient. For

registration, you need a valid ID and a passport

Academic courses are courses that are conducted photo.

according to a defined curriculum. This curriculum

contains the aims, duration and organisation of The Admission Office of your university is respon-

the academic course as well as the requirements sible for the registration as an external student.

for admission. Additionally, it contains the label

and amount of hours of the single subjects, both The same deadlines that are applied are equal to

obligatory and optional. Finally, it also contains those of regular students.

the respective mode of examination.

Academic courses can be attended by regular and
external students as well as by guest attendants.
For academic courses, teaching fees as well as
exam fees have to be paid.

External Studies

In the course of an external study, you do not
achieve a graduation, since this is only possible in
the course of a regular study. However, exams that
you pass in the course of an external study can be
acknowledged for a regular study, later on.

Studying in Austria

Vocational College (FH)

Especially two aspects are typical for vocational deadlines in time. The assessment criteria at the
colleges: First, there are assessment centres at all various vocational colleges can be very different.
vocational colleges, since every course of studies In most cases, there will be a personal interview
always provides just a limited number of places. or a written test. However, you may also have to
These assessment centres are very often conduc- participate in a role-play or have to give a pre-
ted in several steps and already start in spring sentation or something similar. Information on
before the actual start of your study. Therefore, the respective modes of assessment can be found
it is important to get information on the respec- at the respective vocational college and at www.
tive modes of assessment as well as eventual fachhochschulen.ac.at/

University or Vocational College? 11

An Overview

University Vocational College
Scientific education Practical Education of a job
Rather theoretical; broad knowledge Less theory, very often specialised
High degree of organising yourself; very often a Fixed timetable; defined duration of studying
longer duration of studying
Usually a higher number of students Small groups every year

www.oeh.ac.at

Pedagogical Private Universities
Academy

Education for Becoming In Austria, it is also possible to conduct a study
a Teacher at a private university. You can find information
on accredited studies at www.oead.ac.at or www.

Pedagogical academies are currently one of two bmwf.gv.at.

possibilities to become a teacher at a school. At Upper Austria
pedagogical academies, teachers for primary- and Katholisch-Theologische Privatuniversität Linz
secondary schools, as well as for schools for edu- Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität
cationally subnormal children are trained. If one

of these jobs appeals to you – YOU ARE IN THE Tyrol
RIGHT PLACE! University for Health Informatics and Technology

Tyrol

12 Duration of the Education to a Salzburg
Private Medizinische Universität Salzburg
Bachelor of Education

Basically, the education takes six semesters plus Vienna
one semester of tolerance. The education has a IMADEC University
very ‘school-like’ character and doesn’t provide as Webster University Vienna
much freedom as a university. Core competences PEF Privatuniversität für Management
of the pedagogical academies are the pedagogi- www.privatuniversitaeten.at
cal and didactic training. Practical work for three
years and a introductory stage of study complete Important: Restrictions for Access to Uni-
the training. versity

There are restrictions for accessing certain courses
of study. That means that there are only a certain
number of places.

At vocational colleges, this is always the case,
whereas at university only partially. Before ad-
mission, please get some information concerning
possible restrictions for you course of study. You
can get it either at the Austrian National Union of
Students or at the respective universities.

Admission for studying

Matriculation
Continuing of studies
Academic Recognition

Tuition fees

Österreichische
HochschülerInnenschaft

www.oeh.ac.at

Admission for
Studying

Deadlines for Admission if this proof was issued in Austria. This is true
for those who are members of one of the groups
The application for an admission for a study at a of persons listed below. These groups of persons
university has to be delivered to the administrati- have to show evidence that they belong to the
on of the respective university: respective group in addition to the proof that they
are entitled to study. If you belong to one of the
for the winter term until September, 1st at groups mentioned below, you don’t have to prove
the latest that you have a place at university. Additionally,
you don’t have to consider the period of admission
for the summer term until February, 1st at for foreign students. Instead, the general period of
the latest admission is valid for you.

14 This applies to every calendar year and re- Groups of Persons:

lates to the applications for the following Persons who, due to a state treaty or legal
semester. The application has to be complete ordinances, receive privileges and immunity;
and in time. - Persons who were abroad on behalf of the

Applications that were delivered too late are only Republic of Austria and received, due to a
recognised for the following semester. state treaty or legal ordinance privileges and
immunity there, at the time when they got

Exceptions their school leaving certificate. This also ap-
plies to their children and spouse.

Students that are EU/EEA-citizens and students In Austria accredited foreign journalists
that are equal to Austrian citizens (persons af- whose main work is situated here, as well as
fected by the ordinance of groups of persons, see their children and spouses.
below) may also apply within the general period
of admission. Persons who have had at least five consecu-
tive years before the application for admissi-
In the case of universities of art and vocational on the centre of their vital interests situated
colleges, the dates for the admission-exams have in Austria. If this is only valid for at least
to be considered. one relative who is legally obliged to provide
maintenance, a person also belongs to this
Ordinance of Groups of Persons category.

For some persons, the proof that they are entitled Persons who hold a scholarship for the in-
to study at an Austrian university is treated as tended study, either due to a state treaty or
due to assistances financed by means of an

Admission for studying

Austrian territorial entity. Requirements for an admission 15
to a study for Non-EU-citizens
Persons who posses a school leaving certi-
ficate from an Austrian Foreign School. The proof that they are entitled to attend
university or vocational college (an academic
Refugees according to the convention on the authority has to acknowledge the respective
legal situation of refugees, or persons who certificate)
have got a residence permit due to the Au- If the foreign certificate does not fulfil an
strian law of asylum from 1997. equal standard to that of an Austrian school
leaving certificate, the rector of the respec-
Southtyroleans tive university has to propose a supplemen-
tary examination. This exam has to be taken
Citizens of Luxemburg, Liechtenstein and the before admission and is supposed to assure
Switzerland are equal to Austrian citizens in the equality between the foreign and the Au-
terms of the procedure of admission, due to strian school leaving certificate.
international agreements. Persons who have to take a supplementary
examination before starting a regular study,
Requirements for an admission are accepted as external students for a li-
to a study for EU-citizens mited period of time. They have the option
to attend the intended courses which help
They have to proof that they are entitled to to prepare for the exam. These are university
attend university or vocational college. training courses organised by Viennese uni-
Compare ‘Translation and Acknowledgement’, versities. The course fees are currently 400
page 20 euros per semester.

Knowledge of German: The proof that the person has a place at
Persons who don’t speak German as their a university in same country in which the
mother tongue, have to proof their know- school leaving certificate was acquired. This
ledge of German. For the exact require- proof has to be up-to-date and has to be for
ments, please contact your respective the exact same academic discipline that the
university or vocational college person intends to study in Austria.

Knowledge of German:
Persons who don’t speak German as their mo-
ther tongue, have to proof their knowledge
of German. This proof can be given by a cer-
tificate that proofs German lessons.

www.oeh.ac.at

If the proof can’t be given, the respective there is an existing entitlement to study the
university proposes an exam which has to be chosen academic subject in the respective
taken before admission. country where the school leaving certificate
was acquired.
A free place to study at a university in Austria
(this only applies to studies like medicine as
well as studies at an academy of arts).

Documents that proof the leaving from an Remark

other university, or a grant of absence by All documents and translations (Non-German do-
another university. This only applies if there cuments have to be translated!) have to be ack-
was a change from another university to the nowledged, according to the respective directives,
by the authorities in the country of origin, as well
16 respective Austrian one. as by the Austrian representative authorities.

(Attention! There are different directives, depen-

Application for Admission ding on the country of origin! Compare 1.6 ‘Trans-
lation and Acknowledgement.)

The first step is the pre-registration via the inter- The translators that are affirmed by a court are
net. After you have pre-registered, you’ll send an responsible for translating documents in Austria.
application for admission to the Admission Office
of the respective university you want to study at.

The application has to be delivered to the uni- On the basis of the documents presented, the rec-
versity by September 1st (summer term) or by tor decides whether an applicant immediately gets
February 1st at the latest (this doesn’t apply to an admission as a regular student or has to take a
EU-citizens). supplementary examination beforehand. The deci-
sion is announced in a written form and delivered
The following documents have to be included: to the applicant.

A school leaving certificate in an acknow- Admission for a Vocational
ledged version. The single grades of the re- College
spective subjects have to be obvious.
Vocational colleges are generally accessible if the
If existing, the proof of knowledge of Ger- requirements are met. The requirements for a Ba-
man. chelor study at a vocational college or for a voca-
tional diploma-course of studies is a general entit-
Proof of a place to study: The proof that

Admission for studying

lement for attending a university or a specialised in Austria, the equality has to be confirmed by 17
professional qualification (most of the time with a state treaty or due to a nostrification on part
additional exams). The requirement for a Master of the Ministry for Education, Science and Arts; if
study is a successfully finished Bachelor study or neither is the case, the head of the curriculum is
a graduation of an equal study at a recognised entitled to acknowledge the certificate in single
Austrian or foreign postsecondary educational in- instances.
stitution.
Modes of Assessment
Attention
The total number of students is limited per year When students meet the requirements for an ad-
and course of studies. Therefore assessment cen- mission to study at a vocational college, they
tres are usual. have to pass a certain mode of assessment. This
is different at the various colleges and course of
Requirements: studies.

General entitlement to study at a university In general, the following criteria are taken into
(school leaving certificate) account for assessment:

Austrian school leaving certificate Written application (gives an impression
about the applicant’s personality, life and
Another Austrian certificate that proofs that motivation)
you are entitled to study at a university
(University Entrance Qualification Exam) A written test and a presentation (assess-
ment of analytic-logical thinking) and very
Foreign certificate that is, due to academic often a
validation or acknowledgement, equal to one
of the certificates mentioned above Personal interview

Certificate of a graduation of a study that Remark
lasted at least three years at a recognised Graduates of a Bachelor-, Master- or Diploma-stu-
Austrian or foreign postsecondary educatio- dy at a vocational college are entitled to start a
nal institution PhD-study in the very same discipline at universi-
ty. If the duration of studying at the college was
specific professional qualification (most of shorter than that of an equal study at university,
the time with additional exams) the PhD-study is prolonged proportionally.

If the school leaving certificate was not acquired

www.oeh.ac.at

The following degrees can be achieved: Students who attend a university training course
Master (FH) don’t have to pay tuition fees. They only have to
Graduate Engineer (FH) pay the fees for the courses they attend within the
offer university training course. Due to the great
www.fachhochschulen.at number of students (in Vienna), German language
courses are going to be offered by the ÖOG (Au-
strian Oriental Society) and by the WIHOK (Vienna
International Academic Courses).

University training courses More information can be found at www.vwu.at and
at the Admission Offices of the universities.

18 In Graz, Leoben and Vienna, universities offer

university training courses for all foreign students University training courses:
who have to take a supplementary examination or

an exam in German. Within these courses, foreign Leoben
students have the possibility to specifically prepa- Franz-Josef-Straße 18
re for the examinations demanded. The courses are A-8700 Leoben
held both in the winter term (October until Janua- Tel.: 03842 /402 – 8001
ry) and in the summer term (March until June).

The precondition to have access to the courses Graz
is a positive certificate for admission. The course Neubaugasse 10
fees are currently, for example in Vienna 370 eu- A-8020 Graz
ros per semester. Tel.: 0316/83 14 96
www.vgu.at
Each exam can only be repeated three times. It
is also possible, by the way, to take the entrance Wien
examination without attending any courses. Liechtensteinstraße 155
A-1090 Wien
Attention: A confirmation that you attend a uni- Tel.: 01/319 99 91–0
versity training course is necessary to be able to www.vwu.at
sign a cheap student’s health insurance. A health
insurance at the territorial health insurance agen-
cy is a precondition to prolong the residence per-
mit!

Admission for studying

Translation and Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, 19
Acknowledgement Estonia, Finnland, France, Greece, Great Britain,
Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuana,
Documents that are necessary for the procedure of Luxemburg, Liechtenstein, Malta, Macedonia,
admission (school leaving certificates, certificates Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portu-
of already finished studies, confirmation of a place gal, Romania , Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Slova-
of study) have to be translated in a notarised Ger- kia, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary and Cyprus
man version, if they are not in German.
Due to state treaties (Hague Convention), some
Which documents need an documents from countries don’t need a full ack-
acknowledgement? nowledgement, but only a final acknowledgement
(i.e. ‘Apostille’) in the country where they were
School leaving certificates, certificates of already issued. You get these Apostilles at the Ministry of
finished studies, confirmations of a place of study Foreign Affairs in your home country. The following
have to be officially acknowledged by an authority countries have signed the Hague Convention:
within the procedure of admission, if they were
not issued in Austria. Copies of an original certi- Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argenti-
ficate are only accepted if they are also officially na, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbijan, Australia, Bahams,
acknowledged by an authority. In the case of do- Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Do-
cuments that were issued in Turkey, only originals minica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Georgia, Grena-
can be accepted. da, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Israel,
Kazakhstan, Colombia, Lesotho, Liberia, Macau,
Which conditions apply to the Malawi, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Mo-
various states? naco, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Niue,
Panama, Russia, Solomon Islands, Samoa, San
The specific conditions of acknowledgement are Marino, Seychelles, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia,
defined by the Ministry of Science and Research St. Vincent and the Grenades, Republic of South
for every state. Africa, Suriname, Swaziland, Tonga, Trinidad and
Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, USA, Venezuela and Zim-
For the following countries, a notarised acknow- babwe.
ledgement is only necessary if you don’t show the
original document:

www.oeh.ac.at

Documents from countries that haven’t signed the Passport photo

convention need a full acknowledgement. In order

to get the necessary document, you have to get The Admission Office then issues a student ID.

confirmations from your Ministry of Education as

well as from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at your You also get a payment bill for paying the tuition

home country. Once in possession of these confir- fees and the contribution to the Austrian National

mations, you can turn to the respective Austrian Union of Students. The amount of the tuition fees

representative authority. depends on your citizenship and on the time of

payment.

Further information on the requirements for the

acknowledgement for certain states, can be found Only after the tuition fees and the contribution to

at the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and the Austrian National Union of Students are consi-

20 Culture or at NARIC (National Academic Recogniti- dered as paid on the respective account, you have

on Information Centre) AUSTRIA. the admission to study.

Online Tipp Afterwards, you will get a form called ‘Studien-
Information at www.bmwf.gv.at buchblatt’ via mail. This form provides information
on the respective discipline of study as well as
Matriculation on the date of you matriculation. A confirmation
of admission and a sticker are also delivered. The
If your application for admission was granted by latter has to be attached to the student ID and
the respective university, you can have you first guarantees its validity.
time registration (i.e. ‘Matriculation’) at an Au-
strian university. Report of continuing
a study
In order to do this, the following documents have
to be delivered to the Admission Office of your In order to report your continuing of a study, you
university: have to pay the tuition fees and/or the contribu-
tion to the Austrian National Union of Students
A positive conformation of admission within the period of admission. This means you
have to pay either within the general period of
A valid passport or a certificate of citizen- admission or within the period of grace at the la-
ship test. When paying, it is important that you pay
the complete amount (i.e. the contribution to
Filled-in forms Austrian National Union of Students plus eventu-
al tuition fees). Only if the federal centre of fi-

Admission for studying

nance reports to the university that the complete You are an external student if 21
amount has been paid, your study is considered to
be continued. You have completed the 17th year of your
life (in some studies the 15th), are in pos-
If you have the admission to study at several uni- session of the required knowledge and only
versities, you have to report the continuing to attend certain courses, but don’t intend to
the respective Admission Office. There you have graduate in a regular study;
to proof that the tuition fees are already paid. No
matter how many universities you attend and for You have not yet passed the language ex-
how many studies you are matriculated, you have amination for university and/or the required
to pay the tuition fees only once per semester. supplementary exams;

If the demanded amount is registered as paid, you You have already successfully completed a
get your documents (‘Studienblatt’ and the pay- regular study and only want to attend certain
ment bill for the following semester) via mail. lectures or courses;

Regular and External Students You attend an academic course of studies;

Austrian universities distinguish between: You have to attend certain lectures or have
to take some exams (in this case, you are
Regular students and only allowed to take the respective exams!)
in order to get notrified. At an academy of
External students arts, the possibility to attend certain lectu-
res is bound to an admission examination.
You are a regular student if
External students are entitled to attend ‘Kolloqui-
you intend to study a ‘regular’ study (e.g. a en’ and to take supplementary examinations and
Diploma- or PhD-study). Regular students exams in connection with a university course. Ho-
have to proof their entitlement to attend a wever, they are not entitled to take exams that
university (school leaving certificate or ano- are intended for regular studies (Applicants for
ther entitlement to study at a university) nostrification are an exception).
and must have already passed the language
examination. External students, who only have an admission for
attending certain courses, are entitled to take an
exam in the respective course, as well as supple-
mentary exams. Positive exams can be acknow-
ledged for a regular study later on.

www.oeh.ac.at

A Doctoral Programme If you can’t find a supervisor for a topic postula-
ted yourself, although it is appropriate for a doc-

PhD-studies are intended to further develop the toral thesis, the dean can chose a supervisor for
independence of the ability to work scientifically. you (if the supervisor agrees).

It also aims at supporting and training the next You have to report the topic of your doctoral the-
scientific generation. In the course of a PhD-
sis as well as your supervisor’s name in a written
study, it is necessary to attend seminars, write a form to the dean before getting started. The topic
doctoral thesis as well as to pass a final doctoral
is considered to be accepted if the dean doesn’t
examination (i.e. ‘Rigorosum’) or various minor protest within a month after receiving the parti-
doctoral examinations. The doctoral thesis serves
culars. It is possible to change the supervisor until
as the proof of the capability to independently you have handed in the finished thesis.
handle scientific issues.
22

Admission to a Doctoral Programme Academic Recognition

You have to apply for an admission to a PhD-study Academic validation provides the possibility of ha-
at the Admission Office. First of all, you need an ving graduations and positive examinations that
application form, which can be obtained at the were done in a specific country acknowledged in
Admission Office. Additionally, you have to show another state.
your student ID, a certificate that you have al-
ready graduated in a Master Programme and the This validation can take place at various stages of
last diploma certificate. Applicants for a Doctoral your study. The overall issue of academic validati-
Programme get a payment bill when applying in on is therefore divided into three main groups:
order to pay the tuition fees.
At the beginning of the study: Admission
Things to keep in mind when choosing a (recognition of a foreign school leaving cer-
supervisor and a topic for your doctoral tificate)
thesis
While studying: Recognition of exams
The topic of your thesis has to be taken from a
subject that was part of the curriculum of the Ma- At the end of the study: Recognition of di-
ster Programme you graduated. It is also possib- ploma certificates (including nostrification)
le that the selected topic is linked to one of the
subjects. You are entitled to postulate the topic of The recognition of a graduation is connected to
the thesis or to choose from a range of suggesti- specific rights, especially the right to carry the
ons on the part of the supervisor. respective academic degree, the admission to an

Admission for studying

advanced programme or admission to certain pro- his/her profession in Austria (compare: What has 23
fessions and functions. to be presented?). In all other cases, the employ-
er is responsible for the evaluation of the foreign
Academic Validation study.

What is an academic validation? Where can I apply for an academic
validation?
Academic validation is the recognition of the gra-
duation of a foreign degree programme. By this, it It is possible to apply for an academic validation
is considered to be equal to the graduation of an at every university in Austria that offers a com-
Austrian Bachelor-, Master-, Diploma-, or Doctoral parable study. In most cases, various universities
Programme. The academic validation is conducted are therefore possible. It is up to the applicant at
by the institution responsible for the programme which university s/he applies for an academic va-
or, in the case of a vocational college, by the re- lidation. However, the same application for acade-
spective college’s academic staff. mic validation can only be done at one university;
retreatment and a repeated application are also
This results in the total equation to an Austrian not possible.
graduation, the right to carry the Austrian aca-
demic degree and the entitlement to conduct a What has to be presented?
profession that is connected with the respective
graduation in Austria. a passport

For example, someone who wants to conduct the proof of the status of the foreign university,
profession of a doctor either has to prove that s/ college or other postsecondary educational
he has successfully finished an Austrian medici- institution
ne study or that s/he is entitled to conduct the
profession due to European law. If none of these best possible documentation of the foreign
is true, the person has to prove that his/her suc- study e.g. curriculum, academic records, gui-
cessfully finished foreign study was validated in delines, certificates of exams, scientific pa-
Austria. pers, certificates of graduation,...

Who can apply for academic validation? certificate that states the graduation and the
award of the academic degree;
The applicant has to prove that the validation is
an obligatory requirement for the conducting of information on the intended profession of
the applicant

www.oeh.ac.at

These documents either have to be submitted of the fact that the differences in comparison to
in original or as attested copies. However the the Austrian study are too huge, it is possible to
degree-awarding certificate always has to be in apply for admission to an Austrian study. After a
original. Attested translations have to be added successful admission, it is possible to apply for re-
to documents of a foreign language. All foreign cognition of the foreign examinations (if they are
documents have to be legally attested – it is re- equal to Austrian exams). Afterwards, the Austrian
commended to contact the institution that is re- studies can be continued and completed.
sponsible in order to check whether you have all
the required documents. Special procedures

How much does an academic validation There are special procedures for certain graduati-
24 cost?
ons achieved in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy, Croa-

tia, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Serbia, Montene-

The fees for an academic validation are currently gro, Slovenia as well as pontifical universities.

150 euros and have to be paid in advance. Ad- Here, the procedure of recognition is easier due to

ditional fees and administrative charges are not certain contracts.

included

What is the procedure? Important offices to contact

The criteria of the respective evaluation process at the various universities and vocational colleges
include the content, range and requirements of can be found at www.portal.ac.at
the Austrian study that is supposed to be acknow-
ledged to the applicant. If single requirements are Information on general questions in
not met, it is possible to do the missing parts connection with academic validation is
as an external student. All conditions are stated
in the respective decision. If the applicant has provided by
completed the supplementary conditions or if no
conditions were stated at all, the responsible of- ENIC NARIC AUSTRIA
fice declares an academic validation. Ministry of Science and Research

What if an academic validation is not Minoritenplatz 5
possible? A-1014 Wien

Tel.: 01/531 20–0
Fax: 01 53120–9099
[email protected]

If an academic validation is not possible, because

Admission for studying

Tuition fees have to pay tuition fees: 25

In Austria, some students have to pay tuition students from certain ‘least developed coun-
fees. Austrian citizens as well as EU/EEA-citizens tries’ (compare the list)
are freed from fees if they complete their studies
within the minimum amount of time (plus two se- regular foreign students from respective
mesters). If they take longer, they have to pay countries (according to the ordinance of tui-
the fees. tion fees; compare the list);

Students who are not EU/EEA-citizens, generally students from Austrian universities who cur-
have to pay tuition fees of 363,36 euros. Ho- rently study or conduct practical work abroad
wever, there are lots of exceptions. There is an in connection with international, EU or uni-
increase of ten per cent if the fees are paid in the versity mobility programmes;
period of grace.
students from Austrian universities who cur-
Who pays no tuition fees in spite of not rently study abroad due to obligatory regula-
having a EU-citizenship? tions in the curriculum;

Students, who exclusively attend university students from foreign universities who cur-
training courses, have to pay the course fees, rently study or conduct practical work abroad
the contribution to the Austrian National in connection with international, EU or uni-
Union of Students and insurance fees. Howe- versity mobility programmes at an Austrian
ver, they don’t pay tuition fees. university;

Students at universities of arts, who attend regular students from foreign universities
courses in order to prepare for an entrance which have a treaty with the respective Au-
examination, have to pay the course fees, strian university that includes the relief of
the contribution to the Austrian National tuition fees;
Union of Students and insurance fees. Howe-
ver, they don’t pay tuition fees. conventional refugees;

Students that have temporarily interrupt persons who are in possession of a crime
their studies only pay the contribution to victim-ID or a certificate according to § 10
the Austrian National Union of Students and of the Crime Victim Law;
insurance fees, but no tuition fees.
students that are reliefed from tuition fees
Additionally, the following students don’t due to the university’s charter.

www.oeh.ac.at

An application for relief from the tuition fees has Taking a Leave of Absence

to be submitted before the period of grace of the

respective semester terminates. The form or infor- Students have to be absent for the maximum of

mation on how to apply can be obtained at the two semesters, depending on the individual case.

Admission Office. Certain certificates (like a con- The following reasons have to be proved:

firmation that you attend a mobility programme,

confirmation of the refugee status, crime victim- the conducting of a military or civil service

ID etc.) have to be submitted along the applicati- pregnancy or the caretaking of one’s own children

on for relief of tuition fees. Further cases and more detailed restrictions can be

proclaimed in the university’s charter. Therefore, it

Students that were reliefed from paying tuition is recommended that you get information on the

fees, due to studying abroad in connection with various reasons for taking a Leave of Absence.

26 a mobility programme or an obligation in the cur-
riculum, have to prove to their universities that During the absence, the admission for a degree

they actually have studied abroad. Otherwise, the programme is still existent. However, it is not

tuition fees have to be paid subsequently. admissible to attend lectures, courses and semi-

nars, to take exams or to submit scientific papers.

Survey on those countries which citizens are reli- This also applies to master- and diploma theses.

efed from paying tuition fees: A Leave of Absence does not prolong the period

of termination of certain degree programmes in

Afghanistan, Malawi, Angola, Maldives, Ethiopia, connection with the University Law, for the re-

Mali, Bangladesh, Mauretania, Benin, Mozambi- spective student.

que, Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma), Burkina Faso,

Nepal, Burundi, Nigeria, Djibouti, East-Timor, Eri- If a student has an admission at several universi-

trea, Rwanda, Gambia, Solomon Islands, Guinea, ties, s/he has to apply for the relief of tuition fees

Zambia, Guinea-Bissau, Samoa, Guinea, Sao Tome or a Leave of Absence at every university.

and Principe, Haiti, Senegal, Yemen Republic, Si-

erra Leone, Cambodia, Somalia, Cape Verde, Sudan,

Kiribati, Tanzania, Komura, Togo, Democratic Re-

public of the Congo, Chad, Laos, Tuvalu, Lesotho,

Uganda, Liberia, Vanuatu, Madagascar, Central Af-

rican Republic.

Admission for studying
27

www.oeh.ac.at

28

Residence in Austria

First Application
Prolonging the Residence Permit

Compulsory Registration
Insurances

Österreichische
HochschülerInnenschaft

www.oeh.ac.at

Residence in Austria

The regulations of Residence in Austria are based First Application
on the following laws:
What is necessary?
the Foreign Police Law 2005 (FPL)
completely filled-in and signed form of ap-
the Law of Settlement and Residence (LSR) plication for a residence permit

Students from member states of the European recent photograph
Economic Area (EEA) as well as students from
Switzerland are allowed to enter and study in Au- valid passport (copies of all pages with
stria when in possession of a valid passport and stamps and entries)
without any further visa. A valid ID is also suf-
30 ficient. Persons who want to stay in Austria for birth certificate (copy)
longer than three months have to register at one
of the responsible official authorities (i.e. district confirmation of admission at a university,
administration, municipal authority) in order to vocational college or other educational in-
get a certificate of registration. The following do- stitutions
cuments are necessary:
police record that is not older than six
valid passport or ID months;

confirmation of a sufficient health insuran- particulars on the financing of the stay:
ce (e.g. the Europes e-card) or a student’s
insurance proof of the financial situation according
to § 293 ASVG (relating to 2007; there is
proof of sufficient financial means an annually adaptation)

confirmation of admission at an educational Students who are under 24 and don’t
institution have relatives have to prove a monthly
income of 412,54 euros for one year in
This registration has to be conducted in addition advance.
to the one at the registration department. Stu-
dents from third states need a residence permit Students who are over 24 and don’t have
for educational purposes in order to enter and stay relatives have to prove a monthly income
in Austria. of 747 euros for one year in advance.

All non-German documents have to be submitted
in a translated and attested version.

Residence in Austria

How do I submit the application? always report the place where you study!) and 31
health insurance may not be obligatory.
Basically, the application for a residence permit
has to be conducted at a responsible Austrian re- Prolonging the
presentative authority (embassy, consulate – no Residence Permit
royalty consulates, no cultural institution), before
entering Austria. There, the documents are chec- The residence permit has to be prolonged before
ked and the residence permit is added to your pas- its termination.
sport. The residence permit is usually limited to
one semester. What is necessary?

Students from the United States of America or an application form for a residence permit
Japan; those who directly receive admission to a
university and students who are entitled to enter confirmation that you are continuing your
Austria without further registration may apply for studies in Austria
a residence permit at the Foreign Police Office af-
ter they have entered Austria. photograph

Remarks registration form

Students who apply for a degree programme at a copy of the pages of your passport that are
university of arts or vocational college can apply filled in
for a ‘Visa D’ and residences permit simultaneously.
The visa allows you to take part in the assessment confirmation of the safety of your income
procedure. If admission to a degree programme is (particular amounts, see above)
achieved, the residence permit is granted on the
basis of the respective proof. accommodation with a legal claim (valid te-
In order to make a delivery possible, you have to nancy agreement, a contract with a students’
report your address to the Foreign Police! hostel or a similar document)

You have to take the passport including the re- a sufficient health insurance (student’s in-
sidence permit always with you, since they serve surance)
as a confirmation of the permission to stay in
Austria. a confirmation that you have successfully
completed course in the scope of eight hours
When applying for the first time, the necessity or 16 ECTS-Credits per year (However, there
to proof the status of accommodation (however,

www.oeh.ac.at

are certain possible exceptions like a long rectly at the respective authority
lasting severe sickness).

Remarks

Compulsory Registration If you are a regular tenant, the registration form

Due to the federal law concerning the system of has to be signed by the estate management. In
registration, all persons are obliged to report to the case of a sublease, the regular tenant has to
and register at an official registration authori- sign. In the case of a freehold flat or house, the
ty after entering Austria or changing residence respective owner has to sign.

32 within Austria. Foreign students who temporarily If you change your place of residence, you can
lodge in hostels, hotels or pensions are registered conduct the registration at the new place and the
by the respective host. notice of departure at the old place simultaneous-

ly. In this case, the registration service at the new

Deadline place of residence is responsible.

Within three days (only business days count) In the appendix, you can find a list of the respec-
tive official authorities in the university cities and
Austria.

Responsible official authorities (Source and online information: www.help.gv.at)

In the federal states: Insurances
The reporting service of the local government
In Vienna: There are treaties on social insurance wit certain
The reporting service of the district administration states (e.g. EEA-member states). If you come from
one of these states, all you need is to get a con-
Documents to take with you firmation that you have a health insurance in your
home country. Having this confirmation, it is not
ID that confirms your citizenship necessary that you sign an additional insurance
in Austria.
passport

(birth certificate) All other persons have to sign a health insurance,
registration form that can be obtained di- which is also a requirement for prolonging the re-
sidence permit.

Residence in Austria

Student’s health insurance For a registration, the following docu- 33
ments are necessary:
A student’s health insurance provides the possibi-
lity to get a rather cheap insurance, if there is no form of application
other insurance cover.
valid passport
Requirements that entitle you to apply for in-
surance: confirmation of admission or the continuing
of your studies
residence in Austria
registration form
the minimum duration of the degree pro-
gramme plus one semester and per stage of your ‘Studienbuchblatt’
study must not be exceeded by more than
For external students: Eventually, the confir-
four semesters (e.g. The duration of the de- mation that you attend a university training
gree programme is eight semesters, there are course and the certificate of admission of the
two stages. This equals: 8+2+4=14 seme- university.
sters).
The insurance is valid one day after the applica-
the annual income must not be higher than tion was conducted. A student’s health insurance
5.814 euros. currently costs 23,84 euros.

no graduation in a degree programme The student’s health insurance
is terminated:
not more than two changes of a degree pro-
gramme if the requirements are not longer met

Attention! External students can only take in- at the end of the month in which the quit-
surance if they attend a university training course ting was declared
or a course of preparation for a degree program-
me. at the end of the third month after a degree
programme was finished

as soon as two amounts were not paid. If
this happens it is only possible to get an
insurance six months later.

www.oeh.ac.at

Important: Since a health insurance is necessary Tel.: 02682/60 80

for a prolongation of the residence permit, it is www.bgkk.at

recommended that you sign a contract with ano-

ther insurance provider (at least for the period of

these six months)! STGKK for Styra

8010 Graz

Attention! You have to submit a valid confirmati- Josef-Pongratz-Platz 1

on that you are currently continuing your studies Tel.: 0316/80 35

to the respective health insurance institution by www.stgkk.at

31st December. This confirmation has to state the

student is entitled to continue his/her studies at

an Austrian university as a regular student for one GKK for Upper-Austria

34 more year. 4020 Linz
Gruberstraße 77

It is also possible to include your spouse and Tel.: 05/78 07 – 0

children in the student’s health insurance.

Health care institutions-GKK GKK Carinthia
9021 Klagenfurt
GKK Wien Kempfstraße 8
1100 Wien Tel.: 050/5855 – 1000
Wienerbergstraße 15-19 www.kgkk.at
Tel.: 01/601 22
www.wgkk.at GKK Tyrol
6010 Innsbruck
Lower Austrian Health Insurance Institution Klara-Pölt-Weg 2
Kremser Landstraße 3 Tel.: 059160
3100 St. Pölten www.tgkk.at
Tel.: 05/08 99 6100
www.noegkk.at GKK Salzburg
Engelbert-Weiß-Weg 109
BGKK Burgenland 5020 Salzburg
7000 Eisenstadt Faberstraße 19-23
Esterhazyplatz 3 Tel.: 0662/888 90
www.sgkk.at

Residence in Austria

General self-insurance 35
www.oeh.ac.at
If a student’s health insurance is not possible for
you, a (voluntary) general self-insurance can be
signed.

This kind of insurance currently costs about
341,92 euros. In the case of a low income, it is
possible to apply for a reduction. The amount
can be reduced by a separate application and the
submission of the respective evidence (e.g. tax
bill, wage, passbooks, proof of obligatory mainte-
nance). A reduction is only possible if the person’s
economic situation demands it.

The reduction is granted from the very beginning
of the period of insurance, if the application for
reduction was simultaneously submitted with the
application for insurance. Otherwise, the reduction
is valid by the 1st of the month that follows the
time of application for insurance. The reduction is
valid until the end of the calendar year.

Personal accident insurance provided by
the Austrian National Union of Students

All students that are members of the Austrian Na-
tional Union of Students automatically receive a
liability and accident insurance. If you want to
claim the insurance, you have to report the re-
spective accident or damage.

Web link
You can find more detailed information at
www.oeh.ac.at

Accommodation

Accommodation possibilities Union of Tenants

Temporary accommodation Federation of Tenants and Settlers
It is possible to rent a room in a pension Chamber of Workers and Employees
at about 22 euros to 37 euros a day in all Society of Consumer’s Information
Austrian cities that have universities. A list Mediation Agency
with hotels can be found at every airport and
train station. However, it is also possible to
stay at a youth hostel.

Private flats and flat-sharing Attention! Some institutions only provide advice
for paying members.

36 Students’ hostels
The respective addresses of all students’ ho- The Office of Social Affairs of the Austrian Natio-
stels can be found in the brochure ‘Studying nal Union of Students offers advice on issues in
and Accommodation’ by the Union. You can connection with the law of habitation. The office
get it at the Austrian National Union of Stu- hours can be found at www.oeh.ac.at or under
dents, Taub­stum­mengasse 7-9, 1040 Vienna, 01/310 88 80.

Tel.: 01/310 88 80 – 0 as well as at every Questions about rent, operational costs, tenancy
Office of Social Affairs at every university. agreement, trials in connection with the law of
habitation, as well as other issues concerning the
Web links: law of habitation can be sent to wohnrecht@oeh.
www.oeh.ac.at ac.at. This offer especially addresses students of
www.jobwohnen.at pedagogical academies and smaller universities
www.hostelscentral.com where no detailed advice is provided by the local

Union.

Protection against unfair Public transport and possibili-
tenancy: ties to travel

In Austria, there are several unions that represent Within urban traffic, the use of the public trans-
tenants’ interests. The following offices and insti- port (i.e. undergrounds, buses and trams) is re-
tutions provide help in connection with landlords/ commended.
ladies, tenancy agreement (periods of termination
etc.):

Federation for the Protection of Tenants The prices for using public transport are different

Residence in Austria

in each city. Additionally, the various companies Wien 37
offer several charges (one-way tickets, weekly Wiener Linien, Kundenzentrum
tickets, monthly tickets, annual tickets, 24-hour- 1030 Wien, Erdbergstraße 202 (U3-Station
tickets, 72-hour-tickets, etc.). Erdberg)
Tel.: 01/79 09 – 100 oder 110
Further information and timetables can be obtai- www.wienerlinien.at
ned from the public transportation companies.
Within Austria, the railways are probably the
Graz transportation you will use most frequently, since
Grazer Verkehrsbetriebe they provide good connections.
8010 Graz, Hauptplatz 14.
Tel.: 0316/887 – 468 Foreign students who are under 26 can apply for
an ID that grants them reduced prices (i.e. ‘Vor-
Innsbruck teilscard’), if they are regular students. This ID is
Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe AG, IVB- valid for the Austrian Railways (ÖBB) and makes
Informations- und Verkaufsbüro travelling 50 per cent cheaper.
6010 Innsbruck, Pastorstraße 5,
Tel.: 0512/53 0 70 Requirements for application are:
www.ivb.at
issuing until the completion of the 26th year
Klagenfurt of one’s life
Stadtwerke Klagenfurt - Verkehrsbetriebe,
Kartenstelle - Fundbüro, legal ID
9020 Klagenfurt, Heiligengeistplatz 4,
Tel.: 0463/55 1 93 photograph
www.stw.at
The ‘VORTEILScard <26’ is valid for one year and
Salzburg costs 19,90 euros.
Salzburger Stadtwerke – Verkehrsbetriebe
5020 Salzburg, Griesgasse 21, Students over 26 can get a ‘VORT­ EILScard Classic’.
Tel.: 0662/62 05 510 It grants reduced prices on all railways of the ÖBB.
www.salzburger-stadtwerke.at It is valid for one year and costs 99,90 euros. Sin-
ce the ‘VORTEILScard’ requires a photograph, an
application is only possible at a counter.

www.oeh.ac.at

Arbeiten

Reductions for students It is very important to keep in mind that it is not
allowed to finance your studies mainly by earning
Culture wages. According to the law, the work must not
serve the purpose of covering the ‘majority’ of
There are Offices of Culture of the Union at every your living costs.
university (planning of events, theatre evenings,
concerts, etc.; reduced theatre-, concert- and ci- Possibilities to work for foreign
nema-tickets). In Austria students get reductions students
almost everywhere. Cultural and event programmes
are sometimes promoted in the newspapers.

Web link: www.vienna.at, www.falter.at Introduction
38 There are plenty of motives for working – from a

Sports (necessary) additional earning in order to prove
the demanded financial means, to the gathering

University offers diverse and cheap sport facilities of working experience, or the pursue of (financial)
for various kinds of sport. Additionally, dance les- independence. Besides the search for an appro-
sons and more are offered. Detailed information priate job, there are also legal barriers for most
can be obtained from the websites of the univer- foreign students – not everything that is possible
sities. is allowed.

University cafeterias This chapter is supposed to show the general con-
ditions – lots of detailed questions cannot be ans-
University cafeterias are restaurants with self- wered in general. This is why there are offices that
service. They are either run by the Austrian Natio- provide advice and information. They are listed at
nal Union of Students or by another organisation. the end. Beware: ‘illegal employment’ in the sense
They provide cheap meals. It is also possible to of the Foreign Police may lead to the prohibition
get vouchers and special cards at the Austrian Na- of a residence permit. If you have any questions
tional Union of Students. More detailed informati- concerning the complicated directives, please
on can be obtained from the respective branch on contact the Austrian National Union of Students.
the Union at the university.
Different directives

The adherence to social and legal directives in
connection with the labour law should be a self-
evident protection during and after the working

Residence in Austria

relationship. However, this is not sufficient for a Who is allowed to do what? 39
legal working relationship – the social insuran-
ces rarely check whether the directives that are Austrians and legally equal persons
pronounced by the Law of Foreign Employment
(‘AuslBG’) are adhered. In positive cases, the sett- Gainful employment can be conducted by citizens
lement authority remarks any potential problems, of the EU-15 (i.e. the member states before the
when the student’s residence permit is prolonged. enlargement 2004) if commercial directives are
If this is the case, the authority doesn’t recogni- adhered to.
se the respective earned income in the procedure
of prolonging the residence permit. In the worst Citizens of central European, new member
case, a denunciation is conducted due to ‘illegal states
employment’. This is done after a control at the
place of work was conducted by one of the organs Citizens of the new member states may conduct
of the Ministry of Finance. any independent occupation. However, they are,
like citizens from Non-EU states, also obliged to
If you are an independent person, you have to follow the ordinances according to the Law of Fo-
stick to directives in connection with the trade reign Employment (‘AuslBG’) in case of non-inde-
law. The number of ‘bound’ trades is continual- pendent occupations.
ly reduced. However, even in the case of a ‘free’
trade, a commercial certificate is necessary. There There are exceptions for:
are only exceptions with the so called ‘new in-
dependents’. A clear definition is often difficult. Occupations that are generally excluded from
Detailed information is provided by the regional the AuslBG (like artists, journalists, resear-
camber of economics. chers, teachers at certain schools; just to
mention the most important groups)
If there is a denunciation due to illegal employ-
ment: Get competent advice in the trial against Nurses, if the supported person at least falls
the Foreign Police! The official’s suspicion is not into the care-category 3
necessarily true in all cases: A temporary work due
to ‘support of a friend’ may be explained in single persons who have had an admission to the
cases. However if a work was conducted repeatedly labour market since one year (including an
(which has to be reported to the social insurance), allowance of employment)
things may become problematic. Besides: ignoran-
ce is not an excuse. family members of persons with an admis-
sion

A termination of the restrictions for the new mem-

www.oeh.ac.at

ber states is expected by March 2009. working permit: after one year of employ-

ment; it is valid for the respective federal

For independent occupations, these restrictions state

don’t apply. Additionally, the award of a confirma-

tion of trade must not be restricted by fees. certificate of exemption: after five years, it

is valid in all Austria

Citizens from third member states

Due to the Foreign Law 2005, an allowance of

Students from so called third member states need settlement is required in order to receive a wor-

an allowance of employment for all non-indepen- king permit or a certificate of exemption. Howe-

dent occupations that are connected to the Law of ver, students don’t get an allowance.

Foreign Employment. Access to traiding certifica- Existing certificates of exemption and working

40 tes can be restricted. In general here, reciprocity permits are valid until their expiry, but are not
is valid, which means that the same evidence is prolonged. In this case, only allowances of em-

demanded from the applicant as the applicant’s ployment can be granted.

home country would demand from an Austrian.

The employer has to apply for an allowance of em-

The employer has to apply for an allowance of em- ployment, which is tied to a total rate of foreign

ployment at the labour office (AMS). It is only employees, at the labour office. As a consequence,

valid for one employee and has to be prolonged the application is very often refused. Exceeding

every year. of the total rate is treated by a counsel of the

social partners; you have an advantage if you

have special skills that are rare or not available on

Non-independent gainful the Austrian labour market (Like language skills,
occupation special skills in connection with your studies). In
any case a connection to the intended occupation

Occupations where the employee is dependent on should exist.

instructions and owes working time to the em- The probably not entirely correct realisation of an
ployer belong to this category. All persons that EU-directive, which grants students the access to
underlie the Law of Foreign Employment need spe- the labour market for at least 10 hours a week, led
cific allowances for these kinds of occupations. to the habit that most of the allowances of em-
They can be granted in the following forms: ployment are only granted for slight occupations

allowance of employment (the employer has (i.e. a maximum monthly income of 340 euros).
to apply for it and it is only valid for the So called ‘seasonal allowances’ (in certain bran-
respective establishment), validity: up to ches like e.g. gastronomy) that are valid for a
one year maximum of six months, to students can only be
granted for three months.

Residence in Austria

Due to the permanent exceeding of the rate, it employment, which may lead to problems with the 41
can occur that a granted allowance is not pro- Foreign Police! If you are in possession of a trade
longed. The working relationship then has to be certificate, you needn’t worry.
ended within the agreed period of termination –
if the employer agrees, some more weeks may be For delimitation
bargained.
Not all occupations are suitable for a ‘service con-
Every refusal can be challenged at the local branch tract’: Occupations that require the presence in a
of the labour office. However, this has to be done firm at regulated working hours (e.g. call centre)
by the employer, since employees do not constitu- cannot be covered by a service contract – the pos-
te a separate side in the trial on the allowance. sibility to be represented by colleagues may result
in a free service contract at the best. If data or
Independent gainful PCs are provided by the firm, there is strong in-
occupation dication that the working relationship requires a
contract of employment. If however, a computer
The basic distinction here is that the payment is programme was designed on your own computer
conducted in connection with a ‘product’ instead and you only visit the firm for a meeting, a real
of working time. The ‘risk’ has to be taken by the service contract would be the case. If there are
person hired: If the ‘product’ is finished earlier, any doubts, it is recommended to seek advice, sin-
the imaginative wage per hour is higher; if the ce very often it depends on what is exactly written
work takes longer, the wage per time unit is lo- in the contract.
wered. Further aspects that are characteristic for
independent occupations are the use of personal Practical work
working funds or the working for more than one
client. The possibility to include further persons The Law of Foreign Employment distinguishes bet-
into the business on your own account is also ty- ween voluntary work and practical work during the
pical (However, those persons may need an allo- holidays, or in connection with a job: Practical
wance of employment). works are in some curricula obligatory and have
to have a certain ‘economic content’. The latter
If you conduct independent occupations without is evaluated on the basis of the overall working
a trade certificate runs the risk that the social time, the kind of occupation and the respective
insurances finally decide that your mode of oc- wage. However, occupations that require a high
cupation equals an ‘independent service contract’. qualification can be appropriately paid. Volunta-
That would mean that you have to pay fees to the ry work is a ‘voluntary’ acquirement of experience
social insurance subsequently. Additionally, inde- and therefore must not be paid – in some cases
pendent service contracts require an allowance of

www.oeh.ac.at

you should have a check whether an expense allo- women is conducted by the employer and the em-

wance is appropriate. ployee together. This has to be done in the federal

state where the employee’s residence is supposed

If universities are the employers, things are rather to be situated. The responsible authority is the Go-

simple: scientific occupations in the areas of re- vernor of the Federal State (in Vienna: the MA20),

search and teaching, the development and deduc- who also grants the admission as a combination of

tion of arts as well as the teaching of arts are not a settlement allowance and a working permit (This

part of the Law of Foreign Employment. The free- means that the key man/woman doesn’t need any

dom and independence of science and arts are part further allowance of employment). It is valid for

of the constitution. Therefore neither the labour one year.

office nor the residence authorities are entitled to

conduct an own evaluation – even if the particu- Detailed information can be obtained at the la-

42 lars aren’t very concrete. bour office (AMS) and at the various offices:

Students who graduated in an Contacts
Austrian degree programme
Helping hands
After having finished their studies, student may Taubstummengasse 7-9
receive a settlement allowance that is free from
any rates, if they are defined as ‘key men/wo- 1090 Wien
men’: Tel.: 01/310 88 80 – 10
Fax: 01/310 88 80 – 37
The law defines a foreigner as a key man/woman
as a person who www.helpinghands.at

has got a special professional qualification or Web links
working experience that is demanded on the
native labour market and who earns a gross wage www.oeh.ac.at
that equals sixty per cent of the highest class of www.ams.or.at
payment. www.jobwohnen.at

To these two criteria, a third one that expresses
the foreigner’s importance for the Austrian labour
market in an objective way has to be added.
The application for the admission as key men/

Residence in Austria
43

www.oeh.ac.at

44

Social Issues

Scholarships
Studying Assistances
Family Assistances
Funds of the Austrian National Union of

Students
Studying and having Children

Österreichische
HochschülerInnenschaft

www.oeh.ac.at

Social Issues

Scholarships Studying Assistances for the Third World) and at
the website of the development cooperation.

General remarks www.kks-bza.at

Besides assistances in connection with the Law www.eza.at

of Studying Assistances (StudF), which are, for

foreign students, only limited accessible (compa- The One-World- Scholarship Programme
re the chapter ‘Studying Assistances’), a number

of different scholarships for foreign students are
available. In this chapter, we gathered the most Target group:
important scholarship-programmes that especially The One-World-Scholarship-Programme aims at
students from Africa, Asia (including Turkey) and
appeal to students from developing countries.
46 Latin America, who came to Austria on their own

Detailed information can be obtained at the ho- account in order to start an education.

mepage of the ÖAD at www.oead.ac.at/ Requirements:

Eventual changes by the institutions that provide General requirements and conditions

the scholarships are possible. citizenship of a developing country that is
The requirements, periods of assistance, deadlines situated outside Europe or of Turkey (except
and offices where you can apply are different with recognised refugees and asylum seekers)
every scholarship. For some scholarship, an appli-

cation in your home country is necessary. application in Austria after a successful ma-

All scholarships have in common that there is no triculation and registration at an Austrian
legal right to claim one, even if you meet the re- university or

quirements. That means that out of several very relevant organisations of the civil society
good candidates, only a few can get a scholarship

– usually due to a limited budget. Most of the financial necessity
scholarships are basically accessible for students

of all disciplines. good progress in your studies

Special scholarships for foreign students maximum age of 30 at the beginning of the
from Non-EEA-countries assistance

A very good survey on the scholarship program- readiness to return to the home country or to
mes for students from developing countries can be a different developing country
found at the website of the KKS (Contact Comitee

Social Issues

successful completion of the first part of the El Salvador, Central African Republic, Chad, 47
programme in the case of a Diploma program- Colombia, Comoros Cote D’Ivoire, Eritrea, Fiji,
me or a finished Bachelor Programme. Obli- French Polynesia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Gha-
gation to pay back the received assistances na, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,
according to the procedure agreed on at the Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq,
Contact Committee of Scholarships. Iran, Jamaica, Yemen Republic, Jordan, Cambo-
dia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Kazakhstan, Kenya,
women are preferably supported Kirgizia, Kiribati, Korea, Cuba, Laos, Lesotho,
Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macao, Madagascar, Ma-
Deadlines: lawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Morocco, Marshall
Ask at the respective office. Islands, Mauretania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico,
Micronesia, Mongolia, Montserrat, Mozambique,
Amount of money paid: Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia,
Diploma Programmes: 500 euros/month Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Northern Marians,
Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Autonomy Regions,
Maximum amount of time: Palau, Panama, Papua- Guinea, Paraguay, Peru,
The average period of time that is necessary to Philippines, Republic of South Africa, Ruan-
complete the second part of a Diploma Programme da, Solomon Islands, Sao Tome and Principe,
(there are exceptions in well-founded cases). Saudi-Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,
Somalia, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia,
The Afro-Asian departments and the ÖAD support St. Vincent and Grenade, Sudan, Suriname, Syria,
students from all Non-European developing coun- Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tokelau,
tries. The LAI supports only students from Latin Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,
America and the ÖOG only students from the Near Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu,
and Middle East. Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vene-
zuela, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, West Samoa,
Studierende aus diesen Ländern dürfen sich für Zambia, Zimbabwe
das Eine-Welt-Stipendienprogramm bewerben:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua
and Barbuda, Antilles, Argentina, Armenia, Aru-
ba, Azerbaijan, , Ethiopia, Bahrain, Bangladesh,
Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil,
British Virgin Island, Burkina Faso, Guinea,
Burundi, Chile, China, Cook Islands, Costa Rica,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica,
Dominican Republic, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt,

www.oeh.ac.at