Studying And Working In Austria: What Are Your Options?

Austria is a popular destination for students, with over 70 higher education institutions and more than 2,000 courses of study. The country's high quality of life and social security, as well as its reputation as a renowned university location, attract a large number of international students each year. For those considering studying and working in Austria, here is an overview of what you need to know.

Working in Austria as an EU/EEA citizen

As an EU or EEA citizen, you have unrestricted access to the Austrian labour market during your studies. This means that you can work full-time, part-time, or be marginally employed, and you can also take on traineeships or internships. However, it is important that your studies remain the top priority and are not negatively affected. You must be officially registered in Austria and obtain a Registration Certificate ("Anmeldebescheinigung") for this purpose.

As an EU/EEA national, you can enter Austria without a visa and can work without a work permit. However, you must report your place of residence within three days and apply for a Registration Certificate at the responsible office of the Immigration Authority within four months of entering the country.

If you are an EU, EEA, or Swiss national, you are generally allowed to enter Austria without any issues. This is not dependent on the specific country where you graduated from school. In principle, secondary school diplomas from the EU, Switzerland, and the EEA are considered to have the same value as an Austrian secondary school diploma ("Matura").

If you are an EU/EEA national, you are required to register in the municipality you move to within the first three days of your stay in Austria. You will then be given a residence registration ("Meldezettel"), which you will frequently need in Austria. For example, you will need this residence registration at many universities when enrolling.

You must register as an EU/EEA/Swiss national in the first four months after arriving in Austria. The certificate you will apply for is called the Registration Certificate ("Anmeldebescheinigung"). You have to personally apply for the registration certificate at the Immigration and Residence Authority ("Aufenthaltsbehörde"). The location of this government office depends on where your place of residence in Austria is. Obtaining the certificate incurs a fee of €15.

The following documents must be taken to the competent Immigration and Residence Authority when applying for the Registration Certificate:

• Valid passport or identity card
• Residence registration ("Meldezettel") as proof of the place of residence in Austria
• Proof that you are studying in Austria (enrolment certificate, up-to-date student record sheet, etc.)
• Proof of sufficient means of subsistence (salary slips, bank account statements, etc.)
• Proof of health insurance coverage (Austrian e-card, European Health Insurance Card, etc.)

After residing in Austria for five years, you have the right to permanent residence ("Daueraufenthalt"). You can submit an application to the Immigration and Residence Authority for a document certifying permanent residence. For this purpose, you will have to prove that you actually lived in Austria for at least five years and had health insurance coverage during this time. The Registration Certificate does not have an expiration date, and you are not required to extend the certificate as long as you continue to fulfil the requirements.

Working in Austria as a third-country national

If you are a third-country national, you are allowed to work in Austria during your studies if you have a Student Residence Permit (Aufenthaltsbewilligung Student). If you wish to work as a self-employed person, you do not need a work permit, but it is important that you are not in an employment relationship and that all legal requirements for self-employment are met.

If you want to work as an employed person, your company or employer must apply for a work permit (Beschäftigungsbewilligung) for you before you are permitted to begin work. Your employer must also notify the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) of your employment.

If you are a third-country national with a Residence Permit – Student and would like to work up to 20 hours per week alongside your studies, you can do so with a work permit. Within the context of the application process, the AMS will check if you have a valid Residence Permit – Student and whether the application includes all the required documents from your employer. You also require a work permit even if you are only in marginal employment.

If you are a third-country national with a Residence Permit – Student and would like to work more than 20 hours per week alongside your studies, the AMS may carry out a special procedure called a labour market test (Ersatzkraftverfahren) as part of your application for a work permit. In this process, the AMS determines if other skilled workers are already registered for the specific position. Only if this is not the case will the work permit be granted.

If you are doing a traineeship or internship that is part of your studies, your employer does not need to apply for a work permit for you. It is sufficient if they report your studies to the AMS in a timely manner. Your university must confirm in writing that the traineeship or internship is necessary to complete your studies or will be credited to your studies.

If you have a Residence Permit – Student and will soon finish your studies in Austria, you can extend it for one year after graduation. During this year, you can look for a full-time job matching your qualifications and work as a self-employed person thanks to the Residence Permit – Student, or you can obtain a work permit to enable you to work as a salaried employee during this time.

If you have already found a full-time job after concluding your studies, the Red-White-Red – Card for Graduates (Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte für StudienabsolventInnen) is the best solution for you.

Red-White-Red – Card for Graduates

As a first step, you can extend your residence permit for another twelve months and calmly look for a job during this time. As soon as you have a binding job offer from a company in Austria that requires finished studies, you or the company can apply for a Red-White-Red – Card for Graduates on your behalf. This Red-White-Red – Card paves the way for you to stay in Austria for a longer period of time and is the most suitable Red-White-Red – Card for your situation. Similar to other Red-White-Red – Cards, the Red-White-Red – Card for Graduates is valid for a period of two years and can be extended and converted to a so-called Red-White-Red – Card Plus afterwards. The Red-White-Red – Card Plus allows you to work wherever and however you wish. In this case, you are no longer bound to a single company.

To extend your Student Residence Permit by twelve months in order to search for a job, you will need to show evidence of your ability to financially support yourself, your health insurance and your accommodation.

You will require at least the following documents in order to apply for the Red-White-Red – Card for Graduates:

• Passport photo fulfilling EU criteria
• University diploma with a list of grades and subjects
• Declaration of the employer (Arbeitgebererklärung)
• Residence registration (Meldezettel)
• Hired full-time as an employee by an Austrian company

Requirements for admission to Austrian universities

Admission to Austrian higher education is organised by the educational institutions themselves. To be admitted to a higher education programme, you must first contact the institution that offers the programme. They can inform you of the exact admission requirements for the programme of your choice.

The following requirements must be fulfilled for the matriculation of a foreign citizen (or a stateless person) as a regular student in Austrian university degree programmes:

• A place to study the desired course must be available at the university.
• The applicant must have an A-level or high school diploma, that can be considered equivalent to an Austrian Matura examination certification (either regulated by an agreement or in individual cases decided by the vice chancellor, possibly with certain requirements) or furnish proof of completion of a three-year (minimum) study at another certified post-secondary educational institution.
• The certification must be sufficient for acceptance to the desired course of study at a university in the country in which it was acquired. Any study-related requirements (e.g. entrance examination) must be fulfilled in the country in which the A-level or high school diploma was issued.
• If the desired course of study in Austria is not offered in the home country, then this proof is to be furnished regarding the most similar course of study. Only if the country does not have a university, this proof does not have to be submitted.
• The applicant must have sufficient German knowledge. If necessary, an examination is to be taken.
• A passport, identity card or proof of citizenship in combination with an official photograph identification.
• A-levels, high school diploma or equivalent certification.
• A transcript with grades from the last school year.
• Various filled-out forms, including an application form for admission, a student document of identification with a photograph attached, a form for continuation, and a bank receipt indicating payment of the per-semester tuition fee if the applicant is not exempt.
• All documents are to be submitted in the original and in a German translation which was publicly authenticated in the originating country and was last authenticated by the Austrian representation in that country. The last authentication is not necessary in those countries whose public authentication is recognised by Austria because of treaty agreements.

Additional information

There is no "numerus clausus" system in Austria, which allows or denies students access to higher education based on the final grades achieved in school. Instead, there are admission tests for many fields of study.

As an EU member state, Austria's university degrees follow the Bachelor-Master-PhD degree structure. Most universities have numerous partner universities abroad in both Europe and globally. A semester abroad is perfectly normal for many students in Austria.

Funding and scholarships for international students

Austria offers a variety of scholarships for international students, which are available at the country's top universities. These scholarships are offered for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies, including bachelor's, master's, and PhD programmes, as well as postdoctoral fellowships. The scholarships are funded by universities in Austria, the Austrian government, and private institutions worldwide.

The scholarships can be fully funded or partially funded, and they provide an average monthly stipend of $2000, along with tuition fees, accommodation charges, health insurance, and travel allowances. Some scholarships also offer additional benefits, such as accident insurance and support for students with children.

• Abertay University Scholarships: Abertay University offers scholarships for master's and PhD students, providing a £3,000 award paid in equal instalments in January and April.
• Webster Vienna Private University Scholarships: These scholarships are partially funded and available for undergraduate and master's studies. They cover up to 21,000 Euros of tuition per academic year.
• Vienna International Postdoctoral Program: This is a fully funded scholarship that offers a yearly gross salary of 70,040 EUR, full health insurance, and additional support for students with children.
• Klaus Liebscher Economic Research Scholarship: This scholarship is open to international students interested in postdoctoral research at Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB). Each recipient receives a consultancy fee of up to EUR 10,000 for the entire scholarship period.
• Helmut Veith Stipend for Females in Computer Science: This fully funded scholarship is offered for master's studies in Computer Science at TU Wien. It covers EUR 7000 annually for up to two years and waives all tuition fees.
• IIE-SRF Fellowship: The IIE-SRF Fellowship is a fully funded scholarship for doctoral research studies, providing a grant of up to US$25,000 along with individual health insurance for up to one year.

For a comprehensive overview of scholarships and funding opportunities, international students can refer to the Austrian Database for Scholarships and Research Grants at www.grants.at. This website provides information on various scholarship programmes, including those offered by the OeAD, which is the most important provider of scholarships in Austria. The database allows students to search for scholarships based on their home country and field of study. Additionally, students can explore funding opportunities offered by local institutions in their home countries, as some of them provide scholarships specifically for study and research stays in Austria.

Staying in Austria long-term

If you are an international student or graduate, there are a few things to keep in mind if you want to stay in Austria long-term. Firstly, it's important to distinguish between students from EU/EEA countries and Switzerland, and those from third countries.

For EU/EEA/Swiss nationals, the transition to staying in Austria long-term is relatively straightforward. You are allowed to work in Austria during your studies, regardless of the sector, number of hours, or company. You can even start your own company or apply for funding for a startup. After graduating, you can remain in Austria without any problems to search for a job and work as an employed or self-employed person. The main requirements are that you can financially sustain yourself and have health insurance.

For students and graduates from third countries, there are different procedures and requirements to stay in Austria long-term. You are allowed to work during your studies if you have a Student Residence Permit (“Aufenthaltsbewilligung Student”). To work as an employed person, your company must apply for a work permit (“Beschäftigungsbewilligung”) for you before you can start work. You can also start your own company during this time.

After graduating, if your Student Residence Permit is expiring soon, you can apply for the Red-White-Red – Card for Graduates (“Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte für StudienabsolventInnen”), which allows you to stay in Austria long-term. To be eligible, you must have graduated from an Austrian university and found a job that matches your field of study. You can extend your Student Residence Permit by twelve months to search for a job, during which you can continue working based on your residence permit.

In summary, while Austria offers attractive opportunities for both EU/EEA/Swiss nationals and third-country nationals to stay long-term, the procedures and requirements differ between the two groups. It's important to be aware of these differences and plan accordingly to ensure a smooth transition from student to long-term resident in Austria.

Frequently asked questions