Education in Austria

Education for schoolchildren in Austria is compulsory from ages 6 to 15. After grade 9, students can choose a vocational or general education direction. High schools are divided into:

• Pre-professional schools (Bildungsanstalt für Elementarpädagogik, Bildungsanstalt für Sozialpädagogik) — teacher training colleges that accept applicants after the 8th grade (grades 9-13). Bildungsanstalt für Elementarpädagogik focuses on educating and caring for children from ages 1 to 6 and work in nurseries, kindergartens. Bildungsanstalt für Sozialpädagogik trains child and youth counselors. After them, you can go to universities;
• Part-time vocational schools (Berufsschule, grades 10-13) — additional specialized training. Sometimes serves as an addition to on-the-job training;
• Secondary technical and vocational schools (Berufsbildende mittlere Schule, grades 9-12) — provide students with basic special knowledge and skills for employment in the field of engineering, trade, arts and crafts, commerce, etc.;
• Colleges of higher vocational education (Berufsbildende höhere Schule, grades 9-11, grades 12-13) — allow students to work in the same fields as after secondary technical schools, but in higher positions. After them, you can also go to a university;
• Gymnasiums (Allgemeinbildende höhere Schulen, grades 9-12) are aimed at preparing the student for university education.

Given the variety of secondary schools and qualifications, students make decisions about their future quite early, which often leads to the wrong choice of profession. Therefore, Austria is now developing a more acceptable secondary education system.

There are also private schools in Austria. Most of them are run by the Roman Catholic Church. Such institutions have a reputation of being more selective and strict than public schools, and some of them are considered elite.

• Cheap education. Public universities in Austria are free for EU citizens, and for the rest, tuition costs only 821 USD per semester. At the same time, one does not have to worry about the quality of education: here it is of the highest quality. According to the international QS ranking 2021, 8 universities of the country made it into the list of the world’s best universities, and 11 according to THE ranking. It is worth considering that in some universities of applied sciences and in private universities, the cost of training may be significantly higher, but it is still not comparable to the cost of studying in the United States or the UK.
• Comfortable learning. Educational programs in Austrian universities are famous for both liberal arts, especially in the fields of religious studies and theology, and natural sciences, the strongest areas of which are astronomy and physics. Other countries, like Germany, France and the UK can boast this as well, but the advantage of Austria is that it is a small country with a developed infrastructure, and many universities are located in small towns, where everything is available in a few minute walk radius.
• Liberal atmosphere. The pace of learning in Austria is quite relaxed. Here local students can extend their studies up to 6 years. The almost free education and the long timeframe to complete it, create an atmosphere of freedom and leisure. In general, professors do not put pressure on students and are always ready to help them. Also, students independently choose subjects, topics of term papers and theses and even appoint dates for exams.
• Excellent living conditions. The state has beautiful nature and architecture, a high level of safety and social security, a prosperous economy and stability. Austria is the 2nd country after Switzerland in terms of quality of life, according to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2019^[1]. At the same time, the Expat Insider rating ranks Austria the 6th for the same index. Vienna has become the best city in the world to live in multiple times. In the Quality of Living Survey 2019 by the Mercer Group, the capital of Austria has been awarded this title for the 10th time in a row^[2].
• Rich cultural life. The birthplace of Strauss and Mozart offers a wide range of musical and cultural entertainment for international students. Cheap tickets for opera, ballet and symphony concerts, student discounts for famous festivals such as Salzburg and Vienna, visits to Kunsthistorisches Museum, Albertina, or Palais Liechtenstein art museums diversify the student's life and enrich his personality culturally.

• Expensive life. Accommodation in the center of Vienna will cost about 1,130-1,695 USD per month, and in the suburbs — 678-904 USD. These figures do not include utility bills and the Internet, which will add another 226 USD in your monthly bill. To save money, you can rent an apartment for several people (Wohngemeinschaft, WG). It is very popular with students in Austria. For example, a room in an apartment will cost about 395-441 USD per month. An additional option for accommodation can be a dormitory, which includes both double rooms and separate two-story rooms with a kitchen. You should book a place in a dormitory in advance, approximately 6 months before the start of your studies. It should be noted that it is difficult to find accommodation, especially in dormitories, as there is a large number of arriving students. As soon as tenants put up rent offers, the apartments get booked almost instantly, so those who have not succeeded in finding housing sometimes have to postpone their studies and just leave.
• High percentage of expulsions. Austria has a record student dropout rate of 50%. The lowest dropout rate could be seen in Vienna Medical University: only 23% of students leave the university without a degree. However, for most universities in Europe, this figure is very high. This is largely due to the fact that in universities students are perceived as young researchers who have a good understanding of their area of ​​interest. In the case of yesterday's schoolchildren, this does not always correspond to reality. Nevertheless, the reduction of expulsions is included in the Austrian National Development Plan for Public Universities, which is in place until 2024^[3].
• Freedom to schedule. At first, it is unusual for some students to compose their own schedule and select their own subjects. Here you need to consider the time and coordinate the schedule yourself so that the sequence of different lectures does not overlap. It may also turn out that certain days will be packed with classes, while the rest will be free. Moreover, the classes fill up quickly, so you need to register for them as early as possible.
• Language barrier. If you do not speak German, then living in Austria will not be easy. In large cities, one can still do with just English, and in small towns, residents speak only German and often with a specific Austrian dialect. Moreover, in the provinces, the attitude towards foreigners is wary and not always hospitable. And finding a job without knowledge of the German language will be almost impossible. Therefore, the applicant is advised to start learning German in advance, even if the study itself will be in English.
• The unfriendliness of the locals. Despite the fact that there are a large number of foreign students in Austria (for example, in 2017-2018, 26% of all students in the country were foreigners), Austrians are not particularly friendly^[4]. For some foreigners, locals can even seem rude due to their directness and honesty. Expats evaluated the criteria of friendliness and the ability to find friends in Austria as quite low: the country ranks 4th and 7th in the aforementioned ranking, and that is counting from the very bottom of the list^[5]. Also, Austrians are often called xenophobes and even racists. The situation is better in cosmopolitan Vienna and other big cities. A prospective student should take this into account when choosing a country of study, but not dwell on this too much. Local residents need time to get used to aliens, and the international community in universities and cities will not let an active student get bored.