Education in Austria: school types, the Matura and university entry

In short

Education in Austria is organised by the federal state, and the same basic structure applies in all nine federal states. Children start primary school at about the age of six, and school is compulsory for nine years. After four years of primary school, pupils move to a secondary school that either prepares for the Matura (Reifeprüfung), the school-leaving examination that opens the way to university, or leads to vocational training. Vocational routes are strong in Austria, so many young people reach the Matura or a professional qualification through technical and commercial schools. This guide explains the stages, the Matura and university entry, and then shows how to practise on GetMyMockTest.

School stages

1. Primary school (Volksschule): Four years, usually from age six to ten. Pupils learn German, mathematics, general studies, music, art and physical education, and begin a foreign language, usually English.
2. Lower secondary school: Pupils aged ten to fourteen go either to the Mittelschule, which offers general education with different levels of demand, or to the lower cycle of an academic secondary school (AHS-Unterstufe, often called Gymnasium).
3. Upper secondary school: After the ninth school year, pupils choose between several routes:
   • AHS-Oberstufe: The upper cycle of the academic secondary school. It lasts four years and ends with the Matura.
   • BHS (higher vocational school): A five-year school, such as a higher technical school (HTL), a commercial academy (HAK) or a school for economic professions (HLW). It ends with the Reife- und Diplomprüfung, which gives both a vocational qualification and access to university.
   • BMS (intermediate vocational school): A shorter vocational school of three or four years.
   • Apprenticeship (Lehre): Training at a company combined with a vocational school, usually for three or four years. A programme called Lehre mit Matura allows apprentices to prepare for the Matura at the same time.
4. Higher education: Public universities, universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen), university colleges of teacher education (Pädagogische Hochschulen) and private universities.

The Matura

The Matura is taken at the end of the final school year, normally at about the age of eighteen or nineteen. Since the reform of the last decade, it is a standardised and competence-based examination, often called the Zentralmatura. It has three parts:

• Pre-scientific paper (VWA) or diploma thesis: A longer written project on a topic chosen by the pupil. Academic secondary schools use the pre-scientific paper, and higher vocational schools use a diploma thesis.
• Written examinations: Central papers in German, mathematics and a foreign language, together with further written papers that depend on the school type. Mathematics papers test basic competences and applications, and the German paper asks for texts such as commentaries and reader letters.
• Oral examinations: Pupils are examined orally in a number of subjects, drawn from topic areas that the school has prepared.

School and examination results use a five-grade scale, from Sehr gut (very good) to Nicht genügend (insufficient), and the Matura certificate states the result of the whole examination. The federal education ministry publishes the rules, and schools explain the details of the dates and the choice of subjects to their pupils.

University entry

A Matura certificate gives general access to higher education. Most programmes at public universities are open to all applicants who hold the certificate, and the first semesters usually contain an introductory and orientation phase. Some fields use an admission procedure, for example human medicine, dentistry and some other programmes. The medical admission test, called MedAT, is used by the medical universities in Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck and Linz. Universities of applied sciences select their students through their own procedures, which often include an interview and a test.

The University of Vienna was founded in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. Other well-known public universities are in Graz, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Linz, Klagenfurt and Leoben, and in Vienna there are also the Technical University and the University of Economics and Business. Programmes follow the Bologna structure of bachelor, master and doctoral studies. People without a Matura can sometimes enter through a special examination, called the Studienberechtigungsprüfung, or through the Berufsreifeprüfung.

Driving licence examination (Führerschein)

In Austria, obtaining a category B driving licence (Führerschein) requires passing both a standardised computer-based theoretical examination and a practical road driving test. Regulated under the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) in conjunction with the Kuratorium für Verkehrssicherheit (KFV), the curriculum is anchored in the Austrian Road Traffic Act (Straßenverkehrsordnung, StVO 1960), the Motor Vehicles Act (Kraftfahrgesetz, KFG 1967), and the Driving Licence Act (Führerscheingesetz, FSG).

Candidates prepare through certified driving schools across all nine federal provinces. Training pathways include standard instruction or accompanied driving from age seventeen (L17 training), which requires documented practice drives before the final examination. The theoretical exam evaluates core modules on general traffic regulations, priority rules such as the right-hand rule (Rechtsregel), road signs and signals, motorway driving, the emergency corridor (Rettungsgasse), and vehicle technical safety. Key safety components include seasonal winter tyre rules, minimum tread depth standards, child safety restraint provisions, and strict alcohol limits during the three-year probationary period (Probezeit).

International students

Students who come from abroad need a school-leaving certificate that is recognised for access to Austrian universities, and many programmes are taught in German. Applicants usually show their German skills with a certificate such as the ÖSD, the Goethe-Zertifikat or the TestDaF. Some master's programmes are taught in English and ask for an English test result instead. Universities publish their own requirements, so always check the pages of the university and the programme you want to attend.

Practising on GetMyMockTest

These are practice questions we wrote for study. They are not the official exams, and we do not claim they match an exam's current format. Free practice for Austria:

• Matura (matura-austria): mathematics, German language and literature, and the history of Austria, with timed tests and flashcards.
• Driving licence examination (fuehrerschein-austria): road traffic regulations, priority rules, road signage, vehicle safety, winter equipment and emergency procedures.
• Austrian general knowledge (gk-at): history, governance, geography, culture, science and society.