International students are an important part of Austria’s higher education institutions. Nevertheless, students from non-EU countries in particular still face numerous structural barriers. A person’s passport plays a decisive role in determining how much they pay for their studies, how easy it is to work whilst studying, and what bureaucratic and financial burdens they must overcome.
Lengthy admission and residence permit procedures, complicated certification and recognition processes, and poorly co-ordinated deadlines can result in students being unable to start their studies on time or even losing a semester. A particular problem is that universities, residence authorities, embassies, consulates and preparatory courses are often not sufficiently coordinated with one another. Students are sent from one office to the next and sometimes have to submit the same documents several times. The consequences of these institutional problems must no longer be borne by the students.
That is why we need simpler, faster and better-coordinated procedures: electronic applications, digital access to the status of proceedings, sufficient staffing levels at the relevant authorities, clear information and key procedural steps available in English as well, and English-language advisory services. Certification and recognition procedures must also be made simpler and more standardised. No one should lose a semester because of bureaucratic delays.
There is also an urgent need for action regarding language courses. Anyone who requires international prospective students to have language skills must also ensure that these can be acquired under affordable conditions. There is a shortage of places in some parts of the Vienna Universities’ Preparatory Course (VWU), which means that students are forced to turn to significantly more expensive alternatives. We therefore call for an expansion of the VWU and the language centres in line with demand, as well as improved public funding. Students at universities of applied sciences must also have access to affordable, high-quality language courses. In the long term, free German and English courses are needed for students at all Austrian higher education institutions.
At the same time, the financial disadvantage faced by students from third countries must be put to an end. Students who study at the same university and make use of the same services should not have to pay more simply because of the passport they hold. Students from third countries generally pay higher tuition fees at public universities and, at the same time, incur additional costs for residence permits, certifications, translations and insurance.
We therefore call for the abolition of tuition fees that vary according to nationality, improved access to financial support, more flexible rules regarding proof of academic progress, and straightforward and continuous access to student health insurance. Social security and the ability to successfully complete a degree must not depend on nationality.
When it comes to work, too, there is a need for less red tape at long last. Many international students rely on paid work to fund their studies and living expenses, and in doing so gain valuable work experience. However, additional work permits unnecessarily hinder access to the labour market. The right to work must be directly linked to the student residence permit. The 20-hour rule must also be made more flexible – particularly for work placements, study-related employment and during periods when there are no lectures.
And these prospects must not come to an end once students have graduated. Austria educates international students, yet continues to make it difficult for them to enter the Austrian labour market. Part-time roles, fixed-term project contracts or changing jobs are commonplace, particularly at the start of a career. This must not jeopardise their residence status.
We are therefore calling for one and a half years to look for work after graduating, greater flexibility regarding part-time roles and project-based contracts, easier career changes and a smooth transition to further study. Anyone who graduates in Austria needs realistic prospects of being able to put the qualifications they have acquired to use here.
International students are not a marginal issue in Austrian higher education policy. They are an integral part of our universities and must be able to participate on an equal footing in university and social life. Anyone studying in Austria must be able to study, live and work here under fair conditions.
Ministries, universities, universities of applied sciences, immigration authorities, embassies and consulates, the OeAD and the AMS share responsibility for this. The consequences of a lack of resources, poor coordination and unnecessary bureaucracy must no longer be passed on to international students.
International students are not second-class students. Equal rights in higher education must not be a matter of nationality.
