Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna is a public art school in the centre of Vienna, on Schillerplatz near the Ringstrasse boulevard. Its main building was planned by Theophil Hansen and opened in 1877, with ceiling frescos by Anselm Feuerbach finished later. The academy began as a private academy in the late 17th century, modelled on the academies of Rome and Paris, and was refounded and reformed several times under imperial patronage. It has held university status since 1998 but kept its original name, and it is the only Austrian university without the word "university" in its title.

Teaching runs through six institutes: Fine Arts, Art Theory and Cultural Studies, Conservation and Restoration, Natural Sciences and Technology in the Arts, Education in the Arts, and Art and Architecture. Fine arts study is organised around four areas of artistic work: Art and Time, Art and Space, Art and Image, and Art and Intervention. The academy is known for its art collections, which are open to the public as a study hall and museum. The Paintings Gallery holds the Last Judgement Triptych by Hieronymus Bosch and Old Master works, the Graphic Collection is one of the most important in Austria, and the Plaster Cast Collection was set up for study purposes. Three contemporary spaces, the Exhibit Gallery, Exhibit Studio and Exhibit Eschenbachgasse, show work coming out of teaching and research.

The national register lists the academy as a public university with 17 programmes in all, 4 of them taught in English: 1 Bachelor's, 2 Master's and 1 PhD or doctorate. Subjects fall under architecture and arts.

For an international student, the practical points are straightforward. You apply directly to the academy, which sets its own application period and entrance procedure, and art schools usually ask for a portfolio or an entrance examination, so check the requirements early. Students from outside the EU and EEA need a Residence Permit for Students. At public universities, EU, EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration of study plus two semesters, while most other students pay a per-semester fee. Every student also pays the student union fee.