Studying in Austria in English: Bachelor's and Master's Programmes, Language Requirements and Costs

You can study in Austria in English, but the choice depends heavily on the level. At master's level there are hundreds of options: according to OeAD, the studienwahl.at database lists around 580 English-taught programmes, and at the large public universities English-taught master's programmes clearly outnumber bachelor's. English-taught bachelor's programmes at public universities are individual cases: one at the University of Vienna, BBE at WU, and six each at JKU Linz and the University of Klagenfurt. The language does not change the public-university fee — $830 (€726.72) per semester for non-EU students in 2026/27 — and English is proven with a B2 or C1 certificate.

This guide shows where to find programmes, how to avoid mistaking a bilingual programme for an English-taught one, which English proofs work for applicants from Russia and Kazakhstan, and why German still matters.

The short answer by level

English-taught bachelor's programmes at the main public universities

To save you searching, these programmes were taught entirely in English on 30 September 2026 at the four public universities with the most notable choice.

University of Vienna. Mathematical Foundations of Data Science; admission requires English at B2.

WU Vienna. Business and Economics (BBE). WU planned 240 places for 2026/27. Selection runs once a year: registration for 2026/27 ran from 2 March to 19 May 2026 with a $57 (€50) registration fee, and the written exam was taken in person in Vienna on 30 June. WU plans to publish details of the 2027/28 procedure in mid-November 2026.

JKU Linz.

University of Klagenfurt. Digital Media, Culture, and Communication; Information and Communications Engineering; International Business and Economics; Robotics & Artificial Intelligence; Social Sciences; Worlds of English. See our University of Klagenfurt profile.

For more English-taught bachelor's options, filter FH and private-university programmes by language of instruction on studienwahl.at. How Austrian bachelor's programmes work, and what applicants from 11-year school systems should expect, is covered in bachelor's degrees in Austria.

The bilingual-programme trap

The University of Vienna distinguishes programmes taught entirely in English from multilingual ones. Bilingual bachelor's programmes — International Legal Studies, Economics and Physics, for example — are taught in German and English and require German. Applicants who see an English title often assume the programme is English-only and discover the German requirement only in the admission decision.

Check two lines on the programme page: the language of instruction and the required qualification. If German is listed as an admission requirement, the programme is not an option without German, even if half the courses are in English.

English-taught master's programmes: where the choice is widest

Deadlines, degree requirements and the difference from fee-based professional programmes are covered in master's degrees in Austria.

How to prove your English

Each university publishes its own list of accepted certificates. The University of Vienna is a useful benchmark:

Certificates must be no older than three years at the time of application. The university also accepts other proofs, with conditions that matter for applicants from the CIS:

• a school-leaving certificate with an English final exam counts only if the school is in the EU/EEA, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand; a Russian or Kazakh certificate does not qualify;
• a university degree counts if the full-time programme lasted at least two years, was taught entirely in English and was completed in one of those same countries;
• an IB Diploma with English is accepted.

So a graduate of a Russian university, even from an English-taught programme, will most likely need a test certificate.

What it costs

The language of instruction does not change public-university fees, but without German you are more likely to end up at an FH or a private university.

Living costs are the same whatever language you study in. For the student residence permit in 2026 you must show $820 (€722.58) per month under age 24 and $1,490 (€1,308.39) from age 24, more if your rent exceeds $440 (€386.43) a month. See cost of studying in Austria.

Why German still matters

Residence permit. OeAD does not list German among the requirements for the "Residence Permit – Student", so you can come for an English-taught programme without it. OeAD does, however, recommend submitting foreign documents in German translation, and tenancy agreements and correspondence with authorities are usually in German.

Work during studies. The student permit allows up to 20 hours of work a week, with the permit obtained by the employer. Jobs that require only English are fewer than those requiring German. See working while studying in Austria.

Work after graduation. Graduates can stay 12 months to look for work and receive a Red-White-Red Card with a job in their field at the usual graduate salary. B1–B2 German by the end of your studies widens the range of employers you can approach.

Language centres offering German courses operate, for instance, at the University of Vienna and the University of Klagenfurt; if you are starting from zero, build German into your plan from the first semester. For accepted exams, see German language tests: TestDaF, DSH, Goethe and ÖSD.

How to search, step by step

1. Open studienwahl.at and filter by language of instruction and level. It is the official database of programmes at public and private universities, universities of applied sciences and university colleges of teacher education.
2. For each result, check the language and admission requirements on the university's own programme page: the database gives an overview, the programme page decides.
3. Drop bilingual programmes if you have no German.
4. Match the English threshold and certificate validity to your application date.
5. Note the non-EU application window: at FHs and selective programmes it is often in spring, at universities often in summer.

For an overview of institutions, see universities in Austria for international students; for the procedure, applying to universities in Austria; and for everything else, our Study in Austria hub.

Common mistakes

• Mistaking a bilingual programme for an English-taught one and learning about German only from the admission decision.
• Relying on school English from a Russian certificate instead of a test certificate.
• Taking IELTS too early: the University of Vienna does not accept certificates older than three years at the time of application.
• Looking for English-taught bachelor's programmes only in Vienna and missing Linz and Klagenfurt.
• Aiming for B2 when the programme requires C1, as International Business Administration at JKU does.
• Counting on part-time work without German as your main source of income.

FAQ

Sources

• OeAD / Study in Austria: study programmes in English and the studienwahl.at database, universities of applied sciences — checked 30 September 2026
• University of Vienna: degree programmes in foreign languages, English language proficiency, tuition fee — checked 30 September 2026
• WU Vienna: BBE selection procedure, English-taught master's programmes — checked 30 September 2026
• JKU Linz: degree programmes and language of instruction — checked 30 September 2026
• University of Klagenfurt: list of English-taught programmes — checked 30 September 2026
• TU Wien: English-taught master's programmes, TU Graz: list of master's programmes — checked 30 September 2026
• FH Technikum Wien: fees for third-country students, Modul University Vienna: tuition fees — checked 30 September 2026
• OeAD: Residence Permit – Student, Migration.gv.at: graduates — checked 30 September 2026
• Euro amounts are shown in dollars at the ECB rate of 29 September 2026: €1 = $1.1355

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