Education in Austria

Education in Austria has a free and public school system where every child must go to school for nine years. After these nine years, students can pick different paths, such as learning a trade, studying technical skills, or preparing for university. These paths usually take one to four more years to complete. The rules for primary and secondary education are written in the School Act of 1962.

The Federal Ministry of Education manages money and oversight for primary, secondary, and, since the year 2000, tertiary education. Even though the government decides the rules for education, each state looks after the schools in its area.

Laws about education in Austria are very important and are almost like the country’s most important laws. To change these laws, two-thirds of the parliament must agree, which helps keep the education system strong and steady.

General education

See also: List of schools in Austria

In Austria, children must go to school for nine years. The first four years are spent in elementary school, followed by four more years in either a lower secondary school or a grammar school.

Students who want to start an apprenticeship and do not plan to get a higher education degree need to spend one year at a polytechnic institute. After finding an apprenticeship, they attend vocational school for three years. This can be done either in blocks of time or once a week during the normal school schedule. At the end of the three years, they take a final exam.

Students who want to earn a higher education degree spend four to five years at a higher education school or a vocational school that prepares them for university. Most of these schools require an entrance exam or good marks from their previous school. The final exam for these schools is called matriculation (Matura), which allows students to go to university. Some subjects, like medicine, may need extra exams.

About 10% of schools in Austria are private, including primary and secondary schools as well as some teacher training schools. The Roman Catholic Church runs the most private schools in the country.

Private schools

History

Before 1774, learning in Austria was mainly handled by the Catholic Church. Leaders Maria Theresa and Joseph II changed this by making priests official teachers, helping spread ideas about health, farming, and good citizenship.

In 1774, Empress Maria Theresa made school required for all children aged six to twelve. This was a big step, even though not all families followed the rule right away. Schools were built in towns and villages, and books and training for teachers were made better. Even with these changes, religion and good values stayed important in lessons along with reading, writing, and math.

After World War II, Austria worked to make education fair for everyone, no matter their family background. Before 1962, children had to choose at age ten between different school paths, which often depended on their parents’ money and job. This made it hard for many kids to go to university. The 1962 law tried to fix this by letting children decide later and giving more choices. Today, more girls and boys from all kinds of families can go to university. However, some people still argue about the best way to organize schools for young students.

Matura

In Austria, the final exams for students are called Matura, also known as Reifeprüfung. After finishing these exams, students receive a document called Maturazeugnis.

In schools that focus on general education, called gymnasiums, students take 3–4 written exams and 2–3 oral exams. They also need to write a scholarly paper and defend it in an oral exam. Vocational schools also have Matura exams after five years of study. The grading system uses numbers from 1 (excellent) to 5 (failed).

Students must take written exams in German, Mathematics, and a modern foreign language like English, French, Spanish, or Italian. Some people think the Matura system needs to change to be more creative and modern.

Higher education

See also: List of universities in Austria

Universities

The General Act for University Education of 1966 and the University Organization Act of 1975 provide the rules for tertiary education, and the federal Ministry for Science and Research helps manage education at universities.

Austria has 22 public and 17 private universities. The University of Vienna, founded in 1365, is the oldest and largest. Over time, more people could go to university, not just a few. Many more students now attend, and more women are studying too.

Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Sciences) since the 1990s

In the 1990s, Austria started Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Sciences). These focus on practical skills, and students follow a set path to finish in about three years for a bachelor's degree. In 2025, there were 21 of these schools in Austria.

Private Universities since 2001

Accreditation of private universities began in 2001. This means they can give out academic degrees. In 2025, there were 17 private universities in Austria.

The Gehrer-Schüssel reforms

The former Minister of Education, Elisabeth Gehrer, made many changes to universities. These changes gave universities more freedom but also created new challenges, like limited budgets.

Academic degrees

In Austria, students choose a field of study and usually graduate after four to six years. Since the 1970s, the first degree was the Magister. In engineering and agriculture, it is the Diplom-Ingenieur.

Many universities now offer Bachelor and Master degrees, with Bachelor's taking three years and Master's one to two years. In Medicine, students earn a doctorate after at least six years. Students often write a research paper called a Diplomarbeit. Since the 1990s, postgraduate degrees like LL.M.s and MBAs have been introduced.

The debate on reform

People in Austria often talk about how to improve their schools. Some believe the current system, which separates students into different types of schools, helps students show what they can do. They worry that changing this system might make standards lower.

Others think this system is too strict and does not give all students the same chances to succeed. Because of these different ideas, discussions about education in Austria can become very heated, with people having strong feelings about what works best for students. Some people even want schools to do more than one thing at the same time, which can make it hard to agree on changes.

Main article: Austria: Country Studies Federal Research Division