Medical studies in Austria remain socially selective: children of academics and doctors' families significantly overrepresented

Admission procedures reinforce selection

The admission procedures introduced in the early 2000s further reinforced social selectivity, according to an IHS evaluation from 2020. "Mit Einführung der Aufnahmeverfahren 2006 wurde der Zugang für Bewerber ohne akademischen Hintergrund noch etwas schwieriger", the study states. Applicants without an academic background receive a place less often than applicants from academic families.

How large the attrition between registration and actual enrolment is becomes particularly clear at the Medical University of Vienna: in 2019/20, 40 percent of those registered came from a non-academic parental home, but among those enrolled it was only 31 percent. "An den Medizin-Unis Graz und Innsbruck bzw. der Medizin-Fakultät Linz war der 'Schwund' teilweise etwas geringer, aber ebenfalls vorhanden."

Government target narrowly missed

The federal government has set itself the goal that by 2025, half of first-year students in human or dental medicine should come from a non-academic parental home. "Eigentlich hat die Bundesregierung als Ziel ausgegeben, dass bis 2025 die Hälfte der Studienanfänger in Human- oder Zahnmedizin aus einem nicht-akademischen Elternhaus kommen soll." At least at the Medical University of Vienna, the 50-percent threshold was narrowly achieved in the past two years, according to an analysis for the APA.

A contrary trend is shown by an evaluation by the Centrum für Hochschulentwicklung (CHE): in 2023/24, just under 43 percent of first-semester medical students fell into the group with fathers without a university degree, whereas five years earlier it was still 47 percent. This means that the trend has actually moved away from the goal of increasing the share of non-academic students.

High failure rate and multiple attempts

The chances of success in the MedAT are overall low: in 2018/19, according to the IHS study, only a minority secured a study place on their first attempt, just four out of ten applicants. Many try multiple times: "30 Prozent sind schon zum zweiten Mal angetreten, für elf Prozent war es das dritte Mal." In 2025, at the Medical University of Vienna, only half of test participants were first-timers.

Test participants who have just completed their school-leaving exam are particularly rarely successful: "Gerade einmal sieben Prozent aus dem Maturajahrgang 2025 haben im Vorjahr an der Medizin-Uni Wien sofort einen Studienplatz erhalten." One third of study places went to test participants from the 2024 school-leaving cohort, 28 percent from the 2023 cohort. Those who ultimately make it have good prospects: "Ist erst einmal ein Platz ergattert, ist ihre Aussicht auf einen erfolgreichen Abschluss aber höher als davor."

Alternative studies in natural sciences and law

Those who do not get a place temporarily switch mainly to natural science studies, according to the IHS evaluation, "wo die Chancen auf Anrechnung von Studienleistungen besonders gut stehen". "Dauerhafte Ausweichstudien sind laut der IHS-Evaluierungsstudie für je ein Viertel Naturwissenschaften oder auch - Stichwort Berufsprestige - Rechtswissenschaften." Around 40 percent of successful applicants made it on their second attempt, according to the IHS.

Overall, the data paint the picture of a field of study in which background and family networks play a particularly large role. While the federal government is aiming for a quota of non-academic first-year students, current surveys suggest that the share has tended to decline in recent years.

The findings raise the question of which measures could actually improve access to medical studies for applicants without an academic background. Topics under discussion include adapted selection criteria, additional preparation programmes, and a stronger consideration of non-cognitive factors in the entrance test.

Regardless of the social composition, competition for the few places remains intense: with around 17,000 applicants for 1,950 study places, the MedAT is one of the most selective processes in the German-speaking higher education landscape.

The next IHS evaluation and further data from the Centrum für Hochschulentwicklung will show whether the trend towards social selectivity in medical studies can be reversed or will become further entrenched.