Medical education in Austria

Medical education in Austria and the requirements for entering the field of medicine

Studying medicine in Austria requires one year of preparation course or pre-medical course. The Foundation course for Austrian and international students is in German and prepares them for major medical studies in Austria. All international students must take Foundation courses before enrolling in a university. In the preparation programs for medical education in Austria, students take courses in chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics, the preparation for the entrance exam is intensive and of course in German. In order to study medicine in Austria, you must pass an entrance exam, and have main subject exams and a C1 level German language certificate. The entrance exam lasts 8 hours and is held simultaneously at all medical universities across Austria, so students can only apply for one university. The entrance exam for studying medicine in Austria takes place only once a year. In order to take the entrance exam, you must register by March 31st. The exam is held every Friday in July, the results will be announced in the first week of August, university registration is available and possible until the September 5. There is a quota for medical education in Austria which is related to citizenship. International students hold only 5% of medical university seats, while EU students hold 25%. The entrance exam for Medical education in Austria consists of 4 main topics:

• Medical basics

The questions are in the form of multiple-choice questions and the main topics such as chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics are evaluated.

• Vocabulary understanding and understanding the medical texts

Students will read several pages of medical texts and then according to the information in the text will answer to the multiple-choice questions.

• Social and emotional testing

Includes two parts: the ability to recognize the emotions and feelings of patients and how to make appropriate social decisions according to the existing conditions.

• Intelligence questions

Mostly questions with geometric shapes, numbers and comprehension and vocabulary.

In the Comments section, you can also ask your questions and answer them in a short time.

Topics reviewed in this article:

• Medical education in Austria and medical universities
• Medical education in Austria and the required documents for university admission
• Medical education in Austria and tuition fees
• Medical education in Austria and other fields of medical sciences
• Medical education in Austria and getting a visa
• Medical education in Austria and working after graduation

Medical education in Austria and medical universities

Because the education system in Austria is free, many applicants apply for medical education in Austria every year. The high social welfare and the reputation of its universities among other European countries as well as German-speaking countries have attracted many people to this country. The table below introduces the top universities for medical education in Austria.

• Vienna University of Medicine

This Medical University was a part of the University of Vienna. It was one of the four faculties of the University of Vienna, which was established in 1986. Vienna Medical University was opened in 2004 as a separate university, and independent of Vienna University. It is ranked 50th in the world, 14th in Europe and 3rd among German-speaking universities.

• Medical University of Graz

Medical University of Graz was founded on January 1, 2004. Before that, this university existed as one of the faculties of the Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz. In the history of this university there is the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics Fritz Pregl and in medicine Julius Wagner and Otto Leovi

• Medical University of Innsbruck

Innsbruck Medical University was founded on January 1, 2004, when this university split from Leopold-Franzens-Universität. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1923, Fritz Pregl in 1928, Adolf Windhaus and in 1930, Hans Fischer. Currently, Innsbruck Medical University is active in scientific research and education in medicine, life sciences and neuroscience.

Medical education in Austria and the required documents for university admission

The following documents are required for admission and medical education in Austria.

• A valid travel document (passport)
• University degrees and high school diplomas

Including the latest school report, university degree or a university entry degree or its foreign equivalent with a copy of a degrees outside of EU or a certificate of completing of at least three years of study at a domestic and foreign educational institution which is recognized after high school. (180 credits or ECTS)

• Austria identification number (eCard) if there is any available
• German C1 certificate if required
• In case of transfer from an Austrian university to another Austrian university in the same field of study, academic transfer certificate and your academic history
• Motivation Letter
• If it is required, all of the documents must be submitted in the original form, and an English or German language certificate must be added.
• copy of passport

After checking the documents, tuition and student fees can be paid immediately. the process of admission will be done immediately.

As mentioned earlier, for studying medicine in Austria, you must first take a pre-medical course and then take a medical entrance exam. Proficiency in German at B2 level is required for pre-medical course.

Medical education in Austria and tuition fees

Austria is an expensive country for tourism industry. Vienna is one of the most expensive capitals in Europe, and winter holidays in the Austrian Alps are popular among the wealthy and rich people. However, when it comes to studying abroad in Austria, the first thing that excites people around the world is that it’s education is free for students coming from the European Union and the European Economic Area. There is no tuition fee at the universities of Austria for students from EU countries, Switzerland and less developed countries. Tuition fees are generally between 600 to 1,500 euros per year, meaning that the average tuition fee is 726.72 euros per semester. However, all students (EU and non-EU students) must pay € 18 for insurance. You also have to pay € 1,180 per semester for general preparation courses.

Medical education in Austria and other fields of medical sciences

Also many people are interested in other medical disciplines, so the study conditions in other paramedical disciplines are examined below.

• Study pharmacy in Austria

Pharmacy is a subject that in which you are dealing with techniques for the preparation and distribution of drugs. Students who enter the field of pharmacy learn how different types of drugs affect the human body and mind and how they are mixed together. To study pharmacy in Austria, the duration of the course is 5 years or 10 semesters. It is possible to study at undergraduate and graduate levels in the fields of medicinal chemistry, toxicology, pharmaceutical biotechnology. This course is offered mainly in German or English at public universities in this country. The entrance exam for this course, like the entrance exam for studying medicine in Austria, is held in German and being fluent in German is a requirement. After completing this course, students need to take a practical course and work in a pharmacy.

• Study dentistry in Austria

In order to study dentistry, like studying medicine in Austria, you need to pass the university entrance exam. This exam is in German and in specialization courses such as biology, chemistry, physics, math plus intelligence questions. The duration of this course is 6 years and being fluent in German is a requirement.

• Study nursing in Austria

In order to study nursing in Austria, you must first pass the entrance exam in this field and have a face-to-face interview to qualify for this profession. The undergraduate course is 6 semesters and in fact 3 years and the language of instruction is German. At the end of this course, you will be a general nurse and to continue your education and get specialization, you can study in a higher education course, like master’s degree.

The master’s degree in this field fall change into the various branches and becomes more specialized. Including midwifery, health management, complementary and alternative medicine, nutrition and diet, health sciences and… the duration of studying in the master’s degree is 4 semesters, ie 2 years. The language of this course is also German. For the PHD (doctoral) degree in nursing, the duration of study is 8 semesters.

Medical education in Austria and getting a visa

In order to study medicine and get an Austrian student visa, you need to provide the following documents.

• Complete the visa application form for studying medicine in Austria.
• A valid passport that you have received in the last 10 years and is valid for at least 3 months and has 2 blank pages for the visa.
• Two photos
• Travel insurance covering 30,000 euros
• You must justify the purpose and motivation of your trip to Austria.
• Proof of financial ability
• Determining the place of your residence

In addition to the documents that have been mentioned above, you will need the following documents to get a visa for medical education in Austria.

• Certificate and registration form for a medical course in Austria
• Letter of acceptance confirmation from the university or educational institution where you are registered to study medicine in Austria. (if there is any)

Medical education in Austria and working after graduation

There are several ways to migrate. One of these ways is education. In fact, by studying in the destination country, you have the chance to get a permanent residence permit and even under certain circumstances get a passport. Through studying medicine in Austria, you can also immigrate to one of the best and most valuable countries in the world. After studying medicine in Austria you can enter the labor market of this country and if you pay taxes and insurance after about 5 years you can get a permanent residence permit in this country. And after 6 to 7 years, if you can prove that you have the requirements of Austria, you can apply for an Austrian passport. You must be able to comply with the culture and customs of this country, the laws and legal regulations of this country and its official language. In the following, we will review the unemployment rate in Austria. To work after studying medicine and graduation in Austria, you must be familiar with the working conditions and income of doctors in Austria. The average unemployment rate for Austria from 1991 to 2018 was 4.87%, with a minimum of 3.42% in 1991 and a maximum of 6.01% in 2016.

The gross annual income of doctors in the first year is about 50,000 euros. Usually it will be around € 60,000 in the fourth year. However, it depends on your job position. Doctors in public hospitals earn less.