Study Abroad In Austria

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Admission Requirements for Study in Austria
Cost of Studying in Austria
Student Visa Requirements for Study in Austria
Study Abroad Programs in Austria
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Top Universities in Austria
Why study in Austria?

Austrian Education System A Key Factor For The Influx Of Foreign Students – Find Out How

Being one of the most picturesque locations in Europe, Austria has become a favorite tourist attraction. But the cultural background and the peaceful ambience is making it renowned among the student communities to pursue their higher education. As a result of this, not only the students from European Union but those from non-EU countries are also bee-lining for admissions in various Austrian universities.

Why study in Austria

Located in the beauty amidst the Alps in centre of Europe, Austria has been well known in academics because of the number of thinkers and researchers like Sigmund Freud, Franz Kafka, etc and musicians like Mozart, who were born and lived here. A mix of rich heritage of culture, history, literature, philosophy and art can be found in the Austrian cities like Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, etc. Studying in Austria is also being sought by people as the quality of universities and their teaching is quite high, along with the tuition fees being comparatively lower and the fun of learning one of world’s most important languages of German.

Infrastructure

Many people from abroad arrive in Austria to pursue a new study course or continue with the one they were pursuing in their own country. In the Austrian universities, the universities of education and universities of applied sciences, students can find admissions in variety of courses. There are the traditional universities which offer courses covering a wide range of subjects.

Newer universities are more particular in their approach and concentrate on a few specific theoretical and applied disciplines. Research and teaching are being done in combination in most of the universities with stress on interdisciplinary research work, which promotes far sighted development of concepts and solutions. There has also been a constant collaboration with business houses which has led to the establishment of many competency centers allowing cooperation between universities and enterprises.

  • In the last few years, Austria has introduced the Bologna system of academics of three tiers, although a few of the universities, as in medicine, still follow the old two tier system of education.
  • Bachelor and Masters Degrees are of 3 and 2 years respectively, or they can also be provided as integrated courses or dual degrees.
  • The doctoral courses are usually of 2 years duration and are pursued by students who have finished their masters program or diploma program. In such courses more stress is being given on research activities.
  • Traditional diploma courses are usually of the 4-6 years duration and also there are the university training courses which are provided as extension of a particular university course. These are imparted as training for a few semesters.

The courses in Austria are usually divided into two semesters in a year with summer semester starting from February 1st and winter semester starting from September 1st.

Admission requirements and procedure

Students seeking admissions in an Austrian university should send their application for taking admissions in a particular course. With the application form, students need to submit the documents showing that they have appeared in the qualifying exams.

  • These are the school leaving certificate for the bachelor and diploma programs, graduate degrees for masters programs and master’s or equivalent degree for doctoral courses.
  • Along with these, the students must also provide the proof of nationality with official ID document.
  • Proficiency in German is sought by some universities which have to be complied.
  • The documents should be sent in German, and needs to be certified as legal by competent authorities.
  • After these documents are received the university, it will notify the candidate for the admission or the requirement to sit for an entrance examination.
  • When the students go to Austria for taking admissions, they will need to enrol in person in the university or UAS program.

Visa and residence permit

Students belonging to the non-EU/EEA countries require a student visa or residence permit in order to enter into Austria. So those people who are aiming to get their higher education in Austria should start their process of visa application, immediately after receiving the permission of admission from a particular university. Even though people from non-EU and EAA countries have access to Schengen Visa, they will have to apply for residence permit if they plan to study in Austria for more than 3 months.

For the visa application, the embassy or consulate in the home country has to be visited. Along with the necessary documents, the application is submitted to the visa office. Since this application form will have to be sent to Austria for validation, a minimum time of 3 months is required for the application to be submitted before the approximate date of admission. The documents required for the residence permit are;

  • Completed and signed application form
  • Valid passport, whose validity should be at least till the course duration
  • Passport sized color photographs
  • Birth certificate
  • Certificate of good conduct
  • Health insurance which will cover the period from point of entry to the time of admission in the university
  • Notification of admission to the Austrian education institution
  • Proof of sufficient finances for the period of study or for the first 12 months
  • Proof of accommodation after going to Austria

After entering into Austria and getting approval from visa, the students will have to register with the Residence Registration authority. Since the students are living in an accommodation which is not their own, they will have to do so through their host within 3 days of staying.

Cost of study and living in Austria

Non EU students are required to pay the tuition fee in most of the universities in Austria but those from underdeveloped countries are exempted from doing so. The average cost of studying for such students comes to about 400 Euros per semester. If the students are coming through the exchange programs, then they are exempted from providing the tuition fee.

  • Cost of living in Austria is usually around 800 Euros per month which will be inclusive of accommodation, living expenses and other utilities.
  • All the students are required to pay an amount of about 16 Euros per month to student organization by which they can get some discounts in daily living such as cafes, travel, and such utilities.

Scholarships in Austria

Although there are few scholarships for studying full time courses in Austria, the exchange programs can be quite beneficial as these are exempted from payment of tuition fee. Many Austrian organizations also provide for the scholarships for both EU and non EU students.

  • Some of the scholarships that can be availed are north south dialogue scholarships for masters and doctoral courses and the one world scholarships for doctoral studies. Some of the prominent scholarships are
  • Achievement scholarships are provided to students with outstanding academic achievements by the universities, at almost all levels.
  • Private scholarships are provided by private organizations mostly for the research and scientific studies.
  • Language scholarships are provided to people who want to pursue a language course.

People can also avail different types of scholarships by getting the information from the respective universities after they have entered into the academics.

Career and outcome

The universities in Austria have come to be recognized in many of the European countries in recent years. Students after passing out can go into the different companies by obtaining a proper working visa or can get their visa approved by the help of their employers, the latter being the norm. Jobs in these countries are well paid because it is considered that the students are qualified enough if they have passed the education system in Austria.

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