Studying abroad is a blessing that showers development prospects, networking opportunities, cultural diversity, and endless things to learn. One country which is highly eminent in showering all these benefits on international students is Austria. Austria is one of the European nations located in Central Europe and shares its borders with Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Italy. The country is divided among 9 states and has around 9 million people. There are some of the rankings of this country which compel students to select Austria as their study destination. The rankings are: 

• 4th in safety and security 

• 22nd in education.

• 5th in natural environment.

• 11th in lifestyle and living status.

• 14th in personal freedom.

Austria hosts around 60,000 international students currently. 

Language and culture 

Austrians are known for their fascination with their music, art, and heritage. They love to spend time with their families, enjoying sports, and exploring the natural beauty of the earth. The food culture of Austria is highly influenced by the cuisines of its neighbouring countries, and the prime foods of Austria are meat, beef, chicken, pork, and even goose. The people of Austria love sweets, especially pastries. In fact, Austrians call desserts as mehlspeisen. The national language of Austria is German. English is widely spoken in the corporate world of Austria. Almost 73% of Austrians know English but speak only if it is necessary. 

Education System 

As per the education system followed in Austria, a Bachelor’s education has 180 credits and students can choose to study in either german or english. The academic year commence in the month of September or October and finishes in the same months of following year. On the other hand, master education is quite flexible in Austria in terms of the length of study. Moreover, diplomas in Austria takes upto six years as they include both bachelor and master education and the credits for such diplomas are  240-360. For doctorate education in Austria, students need to spend three years i.e. at least six semesters. 

The Austrian grading system is based on 5 scales. It is as follows: 

1. Sehr Gut: Very Good

2. Gut: Good 

3. Befriedigend: Satisfactory 

4. Genügend: Adequate

5. Nicht Genügend: Unsatisfactory, Fail. 

The Top Universities in Austria

Austria is home to 22 public and independent state-of-the-art universities which work on the fundings of state. On the other hand, there are 13 private universities which receive no fundings from the state. Furthermore, there are 21 applied science universities in Austria. 

The top universities in Austria for international students are: 

1. University of Vienna.

2. Medical University of Vienna.

3. Medical University of Graz.

4. Medical University of Innsbruck.

5. Vienna University of Technology.

6. University of Innsbruck.

7. University of Bodenkultur Wien.

8. University of Graz.

9. Johannes Kepler University Linz

10. Karl-Franzens University of Graz

Tuition fees and living costs.

Education in Austria is free to some extent for students who has the nationality of any European country. For international students, the following are the costs at different level of education. 

• In public universities, students have to pay 726.72 EUR per semester. 

• At different private and applied science universities, students pay somewhere between 3,000 EUR to 25,000 EUR a year. 

Moreover, the average cost of living in Austria is 1,000 euros.