IT:U Interdisciplinary Transformation University Austria

IT:U Interdisciplinary Transformation University Austria is a public university in Linz, Upper Austria. It is a technical university that specialises in digitalisation and digital transformation, and it describes itself as one of the first public universities in Europe to focus on the digital transformation of industry, science, business and society.

The institution is young. In summer 2020 the Austrian federal government announced a new technical university. A planning group presented the first academic concept in 2022, with a focus on digitalisation, and the federal act establishing the Institute of Digital Sciences Austria came into force that July. Stefanie Lindstaedt was elected Founding President in March 2023 and took office that July. The name IT:U was unveiled in November 2023. A new federal law replaced the founding law in July 2024, and eleven founding professors began research at the start of the 2024/25 winter semester. The first master's programme launched in autumn 2025, and the first bachelor's programmes are scheduled for 2029/2030.

Teaching is interdisciplinary and project based, with a focus on technology and society. The master's programme in Interdisciplinary Computing covers artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, sustainable transformation and the digital economy. The doctoral side has two PhD programmes, Computational X and Digital Transformation in Learning, the second built with Johannes Kepler University Linz. Research priorities include artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, systems and infrastructure, scientific and medical applications, and economics and sustainability. IT:U is associated with Uninovis and is a member of the Complexity Science Hub and Eurasia-Pacific Uninet. It leases space from Johannes Kepler University and expanded its campus in October 2025.

The national register lists IT:U in the university category as a public institution, with four programmes, all taught in English: one master's degree and three PhD or doctorate programmes, in computer science and IT.

For an international student, the practical points are these. You apply directly to IT:U, which sets its own application period and entrance procedure. Students from outside the EU/EEA need a Residence Permit for Students. At public universities, EU/EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters, and most other students pay a per-semester fee. Every student pays the student union fee.