NEOS pushes to double tuition fees and raise study load in 2040 university plan
The NEOS party has presented a position paper calling for tuition fees to be roughly doubled and for higher minimum credit requirements as part of Austria’s upcoming Hochschulstrategie 2040.
Ahead of negotiations on Austria’s Hochschulstrategie 2040, the NEOS has submitted a paper that calls for a substantial rise in tuition fees, setting the charge for EU students at roughly 700 euros per semester and proposing a fee of 2,500 euros for students from non-EU countries, coupled with easier access to the labour market. The party also wants to strengthen the minimum study performance rule by requiring at least 32 ECTS credits in the first two years of bachelor and diploma programmes, double one outlet 16-credit threshold.
NEOS argues this will bring study durations in line with international norms and improve course availability and supervision ratios. Additionally, the proposal calls for the Interdisciplinary Transformation University Austria (IT:U) to be merged into the University of Linz and for publicly funded private universities to be included in the national higher-education planning. The ministry is tasked with drafting the final strategy by the end of the first quarter of 2027.
Why it matters
The proposals could reshape tuition costs and study requirements for Austrian and international students.
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