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Some international students in Austria could face much higher university fees under a proposal being put forward as the country works on its future higher-education strategy.
The €726.72 fee many third-country students currently pay each semester would rise to €2,500, according to ORF.
Across two semesters, that would come to €5,000, before the compulsory contribution to Austria's student union, the ÖH.
But students shouldn't start setting aside the extra money yet.
The proposal comes from liberal NEOS, one of the three parties in Austria's federal coalition alongside the ÖVP and SPÖ. It's the party's position going into the talks and hasn't been agreed as government policy.
Austria is currently drafting its Hochschulstrategie 2040, a long-term plan for higher education due to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2027.
Who currently pays the €726.72 fee?
Not every student from outside the EU pays the higher rate.
Under Austria's current university fee rules, officially enrolled third-country students who hold an Aufenthaltsbewilligung Student (student residence permit) and aren't covered by an equal-treatment category generally pay €726.72 per semester.
Other third-country nationals can fall under different rules. Someone with another type of residence status, for example, or who belongs to one of certain legally defined groups, may be treated in the same way as Austrian and EU/EEA students when it comes to fees.
For those students, tuition is generally free for the standard duration of the degree plus two tolerance semesters. After that, the current fee is €363.36 per semester.
The Local has a full breakdown of university fees and other costs for students in Austria in 2026.
What would happen to students' right to work?
NEOS says the higher fee for third-country students should come with easier access to Austria's labour market, along with incentives for people with sought-after qualifications to stay in the country.
They didn't say what "easier access" meant in practice.
Under the current rules, third-country nationals studying on an Aufenthaltsbewilligung Student generally need a Beschäftigungsbewilligung, or employment permit. Their employer applies for it through Austria's public employment service, the AMS.
For jobs of up to 20 hours a week, the permit can be issued without a labour-market test. The job also can't interfere with studies, which remain the main purpose of the person's stay in Austria.
Students can work more than 20 hours, but in that case the AMS generally has to check whether an eligible jobseeker already on the Austrian labour market could fill the job instead.
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What else does NEOS want to change?
Non-EU students aren't the only ones who could be affected.
NEOS also wants to increase the fee paid by Austrian and EU/EEA students who remain enrolled beyond the standard duration of their degree plus two tolerance semesters.
They currently pay €363.36 per semester after that period. The proposal would raise it to €700.
The party also wants students to show more study progress during their first two years.
Since the 2022/23 academic year, students starting Bachelor and diploma programmes have generally had to complete at least 16 ECTS credits within their first two academic years. Those who don't meet the requirement can lose admission to that degree programme at their university.
NEOS wants to raise the minimum to at least 32 ECTS credits.
According to NEOS science spokesperson Martina von Künsberg Sarre, the two proposed fee increases could bring in around €100 million in total.
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What has the reaction been?
The proposals haven't been well received by student representatives.
Austria's national student union, the ÖH, opposed the plans, arguing that higher fees would make existing financial barriers to university education worse.
It was especially critical of the proposed €2,500 fee for third-country students, which it described as a major extra financial burden.
JUNOS Studierende, the liberal student organisation associated with NEOS, has also warned against simply using higher fees to plug gaps in university funding.
Instead, JUNOS supports a system where graduates start contributing later, once their income reaches a certain level.
The Greens have also criticised the proposed increases.
Could the €2,500 fee actually become law?
There's still a long way between this proposal and students actually receiving a €2,500 bill.
The Science Ministry is developing the Hochschulstrategie 2040 with universities, the ÖH, and a range of other organisations.
And Austria's current €363.36 and €726.72 university fees are set out in the Universities Act. The statutory rates would have to be changed through the legislative process before universities could start charging the proposed new amounts.
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Key vocabulary
Studienbeitrag – university tuition or semester fee
Drittstaatsangehörige – third-country nationals, people who aren't citizens of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland
Aufenthaltsbewilligung Student – student residence permit
Beschäftigungsbewilligung – employment permit
Hochschulstrategie 2040 – Austria's long-term higher-education strategy
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