More applicants than recently: 16,880 want a medical study place in Austria

By far the highest number of registrations is again in Vienna this year (8,235 people), followed by Innsbruck (3,532). A total of 1,950 places are available, 50 more than last time. These are distributed among Vienna with 784 places, Innsbruck with 430, Graz with 406, and Linz with 330 study places.

On Friday, the country's largest admissions procedure is once again scheduled. The standardized multi-hour test determines who will receive one of the coveted places. At the same time, other admissions procedures are already running at other universities.

Quotas and reserved places

At the same time, on Wednesday, one of two test days begins at the Vienna University of Economics and Business for 13,000 applicants. The admissions procedures for other restricted-admission studies at public universities, such as the nationwide mass subjects, are largely scheduled until mid-July. At the University of Vienna, for example, applicants only actually need to sit exams in nine of the 22 diploma and bachelor's programs with admission restrictions.

Clear quota regulations apply to the allocation of medical study places. At least 95 percent of study places go to EU citizens, and 75 percent to applicants with an Austrian school-leaving certificate (Matura). 87 of the 1,950 study places are also reserved this year for "tasks in the public interest" for the federal states, the health insurance fund, and the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Defence (2025: 85).

New master's program in psychotherapy

Applicants for these public quota places had to participate in the regular registration and additionally commit themselves to the respective institution for a certain period of activity, for example as a panel doctor, hospital doctor, military doctor, or civil servant doctor. This is intended to ensure care in underserved regions and areas.

Parallel to the medical admissions tests, a new nationwide program will start in the fall. In the university master's program in psychotherapy, which is launching this fall at the public universities in Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz, Salzburg, and the Danube University Krems, 500 study places will be offered. 75 percent of the study places are firmly earmarked for students with an Austrian Matura.

Those who have completed a suitable bachelor's degree (e.g., psychology, social work) and have completed an online self-assessment are eligible to participate. The nationwide standardized admissions procedure will take place next Monday.

In the three-hour test, in addition to basic knowledge of psychotherapy and the understanding of English-language specialist texts, the applicants' verbal-analytical understanding and socio-emotional competencies will also be tested. This is intended to identify those candidates who are suitable for the profession both professionally and personally.

The high number of applications in the medical field coincides with a psychotherapy master's program that is also in high demand. Both procedures count among the most extensive admissions processes at domestic universities and are organized and evaluated centrally by the universities.

Overall, the registration trend shows that subjects involving patient-related work – medicine and psychotherapy – are once again seeing increased numbers of applicants, despite the recently declining application figures.