Best Public Universities in Austria (2026)

How Are Austria's Public Universities Categorised by Type?

Austria's 23 public universities (Öffentliche Universitäten) fall into six groups: 6 general universities, 3 specialised but general-purpose universities, 3 technical universities, 3 medical universities, 6 universities of the arts, and 1 continuing-education university. 22 of them run under the Universitätsgesetz 2002; IT:U Linz operates under its own federal law and has been running since October 2024.

The type tells you what the university can teach you, not how good it is. The 6 general universities carry the widest subject catalogues, from Universität Wien (founded 1365, the oldest) to Universität Klagenfurt (1970, the youngest of the group). The three medical universities only exist as separate institutions since 2004, when Vienna, Graz, and Innsbruck split their medical faculties out of the parent university, so medicine in those cities is applied for separately.

The three specialised but general-purpose universities are the ones applicants most often miss. BOKU University (1872) covers land, water, and life sciences, Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien (1765) is Austria's only veterinary university, and Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (1898) is the business university. The 6 universities of the arts admit on a portfolio or audition rather than on a school-leaving certificate, and Universität für Weiterbildung Krems (1994) takes only postgraduate students.

How Do You Apply to an Austrian Public University?

Which Austrian Universities Rank Highest?

The University of Vienna is Austria's highest-ranked university: 140th in QS (June 2026 edition), 95th in THE (2026), and 101-150 in ARWU (2026). TU Wien follows at 191 in QS, 301-350 in THE, and 301-400 in ARWU. MedUni Wien takes 181 in THE and 201-300 in ARWU. WU Wien sits outside the main world tables but places 69th in QS Business and Management 2026.

What Is the Difference Between a University and a Fachhochschule in Austria?

The Universitätsgesetz 2002 (UG) governs 22 of Austria's public universities, and IT:U Linz runs under its own federal law. They hold full degree and doctorate rights, and AQ Austria or another EQAR agency audits their quality-management system under the HS-QSG instead of accrediting the institution. The Fachhochschulgesetz (FHG) governs 21 Fachhochschulen, which AQ Austria accredits and which award no doctorate. The PrivHG 2020 governs 17 Privatuniversitäten and 2 Privathochschulen.

Admission separates the three sectors more than teaching does. A Fachhochschule always selects its intake through a competitive Aufnahmeverfahren (interview, written test, or portfolio). A public Universität keeps many programmes open-entry, so you enrol with a valid school-leaving certificate, and only capped fields such as medicine and psychology run their own entrance procedure. A Privatuniversität sets its own rules. A Fachhochschule also runs many berufsbegleitend (part-time, evening) tracks in small fixed cohorts, while a Universität teaches mostly full-time in large lectures with a flexible course plan.

On degrees and cost, a public Universität awards Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate degrees. A Fachhochschule awards degrees equal to university degrees but holds no Promotionsrecht, so it awards no doctorate of its own; among the private sector only a Privatuniversität may run doctoral programmes. EU/EEA students pay €0 per semester at a public Universität within the standard duration, then €363.36; a Fachhochschule may charge up to €363.36 per semester; a Privatuniversität charges unregulated tuition of roughly €2,000 to €40,000 a year. AQ Austria (Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria) runs the public-university audits and accredits the other two sectors, and the Fachhochschul-Konferenz (FHK) represents the FH sector.

How Much Does Public University Tuition Cost in Austria?

For WS 2026/27, EU, EEA and Swiss students pay €0 during the standard study duration plus two tolerance semesters, then €363.36 a semester. Third-country nationals pay €726.72 a semester, or €363.36 if they hold no § 64 NAG student residence permit. Everyone pays the ÖH student union fee of €26.20 a semester, which includes €0.70 of accident and liability insurance.

Several exemptions waive the tuition fee itself. UG 2002 §§ 91-92 and the Studienbeitragsverordnung exempt study-grant holders, students with at least 50% disability, students with illness or pregnancy of two months or more, students with childcare for a child under 7, students on approved leave, and students on EU mobility programmes. The ÖH fee of €26.20 a semester applies to every student regardless.

How Much Does It Cost to Live as a Student in Austria?

A student in Austria spends about €800 to €1,400 per month on rent, food, transport, and insurance, so a full academic year runs roughly €10,300 to €18,250 (study-abroad.org, 2026). Vienna is the most expensive city at €1,000 to €1,400 per month; Klagenfurt is the cheapest at €750 to €1,000. Add student health cover on top of this budget.

What Language Requirements Apply for Public Universities?

Can International Students Work in Austria?

EU, EEA and Swiss students have free labour market access: no permit and no hour cap. Third-country students need their employer to obtain a Beschäftigungsbewilligung from AMS, which AMS grants for up to 20 hours a week without a labour market test. That permit is required even for marginal work, so a few hours of bar shifts still need the paperwork.

Staying on after the degree is the part most applicants plan too late. Once you graduate, the student residence permit can be renewed once for 12 months so you can look for work or found a business. After that, the Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte for graduates takes over, and it is the easiest version of that card: no points test and no labour market test. Graduating from an Austrian public university is therefore the cheapest route into the Austrian labour market for a third-country national, since the degree itself cost €726.72 a semester at most.

Entity References

Full factual profiles for each brand covered on this page:

• University of Vienna

  Austrian Public Universities

• TU Wien

  Austrian Public Universities

• Danube University Krems

  Austrian Public Universities

• WU Wien

  Austrian Public Universities

• University of Graz

  Austrian Public Universities

• University of Innsbruck

  Austrian Public Universities

• Johannes Kepler University Linz

  Austrian Public Universities