At Austrian public universities, most students from outside the EU and EEA who hold a Residence Permit, Student pay EUR 726.72 per semester. EU and EEA nationals pay nothing within their programme's standard duration plus two semesters, and EUR 363.36 per semester after that. Everyone also pays the student union fee of EUR 26.20 per semester, whatever their tuition status.
Who pays what
The rules split students into groups, and your group decides your fee from day one or only after a set number of semesters.
- EU/EEA nationals and Austrian students: no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters. After those two tolerance semesters, EUR 363.36 per semester.
- Third-country nationals holding a Residence Permit, Student: generally EUR 726.72 per semester.
- Third-country nationals without the student permit, for example holders of a Researcher title, a Red-White-Red Card or a family member title, fall into the group that pays no tuition for the free period.
- Non-equal third-country nationals and extraordinary students pay the tuition fee from their first semester.
On top of any tuition, the ÖH-Beitrag of EUR 26.20 per semester is compulsory for every student and includes student accident insurance. Our tuition fees guide walks through these categories in more detail if you are unsure which one fits you.
How the free period is counted
"Standard duration plus two semesters" is not one number for everyone, it depends on the programme. TU Wien spells it out for its own programmes: 8 semesters for a bachelor's (6+2), 6 for a master's (4+2), 8 for a doctorate (6+2) and 3 for an extension programme (1+2).
Other universities apply the same principle to their own curricula, so check the standard duration of the exact programme you want. If you switch programmes or take longer than planned, the tolerance semesters can run out, and then the EUR 363.36 applies to EU/EEA students.
Who is exempt from tuition
Some students pay only the ÖH fee for their whole studies. The clearest case is citizenship of a country on the annex to the Studienbeitragsverordnung, which lists least developed countries, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Uganda are the examples given by TU Wien. If your country is on that list, you are generally exempt from tuition.
There are also exemptions or partial refunds in special cases: holders of certain scholarships, participants in exchange programmes and university partnerships, and students from specific countries. These are decided case by case, so ask the admissions office or the study department at your institution before you assume you qualify.
What the fees do not include
Tuition and the ÖH-Beitrag are not the whole cost of arriving. Students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland who stay more than six months need a Residence Permit, Student. As of the current wording on oesterreich.gv.at, the application fee is EUR 218 and the authority decides within 90 days. That fee comes from the government page, not from your university, and the residence authority, not the university, decides on the permit.
Living costs, accommodation and insurance beyond the accident cover included in the ÖH fee are separate again. We have not been given figures for these, so check studyinaustria.at and oesterreich.gv.at for current guidance rather than relying on a number someone quotes you.
Fees differ by institution and programme
Public universities follow the fee rules above, but not every institution in Austria is a public university, and programme-level charges can differ. Our catalogue lists 65 Austrian higher education institutions and 589 programmes with English among their languages of instruction, imported from the Austrian national register: 455 are taught in English only and the rest in German and English. You can browse universities to see which institutions offer what.
Programmes and fees in the register come from BMFWF open data and studienwahl.at as of October 2026. Treat any figure as listed in the Austrian national register and confirm it directly with the institution before you budget. The same applies when you compare all universities in Austria, a fee shown for one programme does not automatically carry over to another.
| Student group | Tuition per semester | ÖH fee per semester |
|---|---|---|
| EU/EEA nationals within standard duration + 2 semesters | None | EUR 26.20 |
| EU/EEA nationals after the two tolerance semesters | EUR 363.36 | EUR 26.20 |
| Third-country nationals with Residence Permit, Student | EUR 726.72 | EUR 26.20 |
| Citizens of countries on the Studienbeitragsverordnung annex | None for the whole studies | EUR 26.20 |
Applying and paying
Admission is handled by each institution, not centrally. The OeAD does not process study applications and there is no central application portal, so you apply to the university itself and pay fees to the university once you are admitted and enrolled.
At public universities the general deadline for most bachelor's programmes is 5 September for the winter semester and 5 February for the summer semester. Other programmes, and applicants from outside the EU/EEA, can have different deadlines, check the institution's own pages early. Our overview of tuition fees in Austria is a good starting point, but the university's admission office has the final word on both your place and your fee category.
Sources
- Study in Austria, tuition fees (data/facts/sia__tuition.txt)
- TU Wien, Studienbeitrag (data/facts/tuwien__studienbeitrag.txt)
- Study in Austria, application and admission (data/facts/sia__application-and-admission.txt)
- oesterreich.gv.at, admission of international students (data/facts/oesterreich__zulassung-auslaendische-studierende.txt)
- oesterreich.gv.at, Residence Permit, Student (data/facts/oesterreich__aufenthaltsbewilligung-student.txt)
- Austrian national register, open data (data/facts/register__open-data.txt)
Frequently asked questions
How much are university tuition fees in Austria for non-EU students?
Most third-country students who hold a Residence Permit, Student pay EUR 726.72 per semester at public universities, plus the EUR 26.20 student union fee. Non-equal third-country nationals and extraordinary students pay tuition from their first semester. Confirm your category with the institution before you budget.
Do EU students pay tuition in Austria?
EU and EEA nationals pay no tuition within their programme's standard duration plus two semesters. After those two tolerance semesters they pay EUR 363.36 per semester. The EUR 26.20 ÖH fee is compulsory for everyone regardless.
Who is exempt from tuition fees at Austrian universities?
Students with citizenship of a country on the annex to the Studienbeitragsverordnung, least developed countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Uganda, are generally exempt and pay only the ÖH fee for their whole studies. Exemptions or partial refunds are also possible for certain scholarship holders, exchange programme participants and students from specific countries.
How many semesters do I get before tuition starts?
The free period is the standard duration of your programme plus two semesters. TU Wien, for example, counts 8 semesters for a bachelor's (6+2), 6 for a master's (4+2), 8 for a doctorate (6+2) and 3 for an extension programme (1+2). Check the curriculum of your own programme.