Today, around 370,000 students are starting the winter semester. The number of students continues to grow steadily: according to Statistics Austria, there has been an increase of 1.5% compared to last year. At public universities, this figure is 1%, and at universities of applied sciences and teacher training colleges, it is as high as 3%. At the same time, students have been watching inflation eat into all areas of life for years. High rents, rising public transport ticket prices, expensive canteens, and increased costs for learning materials are becoming an ever-greater burden for students. Universities themselves are also suffering: chronic underfunding, excessive dependence on third-party funding, and years of austerity measures are jeopardizing the quality of teaching and research. Overcrowded lecture halls, a lack of study spaces, and outdated infrastructure are part of everyday life for many students. This development threatens not only fair study conditions, but also free access to higher education, social justice, and the autonomy of universities. Climate justice and sustainable development are increasingly falling by the wayside.
We urgently need a turnaround in higher education policy: no more savings at the expense of students and universities. Instead, we finally need more money to invest in our future! At today’s press conference at the University of Vienna, the ÖH chair team presented a list of demands to the federal government. In addition to the long-term goal of fully funding universities at 2.5% of gross domestic product, immediate relief measures are also being called for.
Investing in affordable higher education
Immediate investment and a broad package of measures are needed to alleviate the financial and social pressure on students. This must cover various areas of students’ lives:
- Financial aid: Strengthening existing financial aid, especially student grants, and expanding the circle of recipients to prevent more and more students from falling into poverty.
- Public transport: Free public transportation for all students
- Affordable Housing: Rapid budgeting and implementation of state funding for student housing, more public and subsidized housing units for students, and centralized and fully funded housing assistance.
- Cafeterias: Government intervention in food prices, targeted support measures, and significant price reductions in university cafeterias. A hot lunch should not cost more than €3 for a cafeteria meal.
Funding for universities: 2.5% of GDP for education
In addition to immediate relief measures, the ÖH is calling for structural safeguards with at least 2.5% of GDP allocated to universities. This would mean doubling funding and creating the basis for high-quality teaching and research, climate-neutral university development, independence of universities from third-party funding, and free and open access to higher education.
The full list of demands can be found here.
