Tuition fee waivers and reimbursements

 Eligibility for a waiver
 What must be considered for the application?
 Deadlines

Eligibility for a waiver

If the designated duration of a Bachelor’s or Master’s programme, a Doctoral programme or one part of a Diploma programme has been exceeded by more than two semesters, a tuition fee of €363.36 must be paid for each further semester.

If within the scope of the continuation of your studies, you have been requested by the university to pay the tuition fee, you can apply for a tuition fee waiver.

Students who have been requested to pay tuition fees in order to continue their studies can apply to the university to receive a tuition fee waiver.

A tuition fee waiver can be granted for the following reasons: 

 Illness

Due to an illness the student was prevented from studying for a continuous period of more than two months in the relevant semester.

Proof:   Confirmation by a specialist
Duration of waiver: maximum of two consecutive semesters (re-application possible)

 Pregnancy

Due to a pregnancy the student was prevented from studying for a continuous period of more than two months in the relevant semester.

Proof:  Confirmation by a specialist
Duration of waiver: maximum of two consecutive semesters (re-application possible)

 Childcare

Main caregiver of children living in the same household up to 7 years or older if children start school later

Proof of child-care obligations: birth certificate, residence registration form of the child and the student as well as sworn declaration of the student with child-care obligations (   Eidesstattliche Erklärung).
Duration of the waiver: maximum of two consecutive semesters (re-application possible)

 Care of close relatives

Predominant, more than two months lasting care of close relatives in the relevant Semester

Proof: confirmation of the physician of the person requiring care ( Confirmation by a specialist).
Duration of the waiver: maximum of two consecutive semesters (re-application possible)

 Gainful employment

“Gainful employment” as ground for a tuition fee waiver and the reimbursement of the tuition fee was abolished by the constitutional court with 30 June 2018. As in the past, students from Austria, EEA countries and equivalent persons have to pay only tuition fees if the standard study period and two tolerance semesters are exceeded.

The Rectorate in consultation with the Senate and the Students’ Union (ÖH) has decided to introduce a new regulation.


The directive of the Rectorate can be found here:

     Academic Year 2023/2024: https://www.uibk.ac.at/universitaet/mitteilungsblatt/2023-2024/24.pdf

     Academic Year 2022/2023: https://www.uibk.ac.at/universitaet/mitteilungsblatt/2022-2023/59.html

Academic Year 2021/2022: https://www.uibk.ac.at/universitaet/mitteilungsblatt/2021-2022/13.html

     Academic Year 2020/2021: https://www.uibk.ac.at/service/c101/mitteilungsblatt/2020-2021/30/mitteil.pdf

Academic Year 2019/2020: https://www.uibk.ac.at/service/c101/mitteilungsblatt/2019-2020/03/mitteil.pdf

Academic Year 2018/2019: https://www.uibk.ac.at/service/c101/mitteilungsblatt/2018-2019/03/mitteil.pdf

 

Deadlines - APPLICATIONS for reimbursement

 Disability

Disability of at least 50% according to federal regulations

Proof: disability card issued by the Federal Social Office Duration of the waiver: for the duration of the study programme or for the duration of the disability resp.


 Scholarships

The tuition fee is to be waived for students who have received a scholarship from the Austrian state acc. to the “Studienförderungsgesetz” 1992, Federal Law Gazette No. 305/1992) in the previous semester or are receiving one in the current semester.

Proof: Notification of the granting of the scholarship by the responsible Austrian scholarship authority. Duration of the waiver: maximum of two consecutive semesters (re-application possible)

 Full text of the Tuition Fee Decree

Special case of multiple studies:

Upon request, the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research will refund degree students, who pursue several degree programmes, the paid tuition fee, provided that they can proof a positive performance corresponding to a minimum of 15 ECTS-Credits (Doctoral programmes a minimum of 8 semester hours) for all their study programmes. Applications are to be submitted directly to the Federal Ministry

(Guideline of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research)

(Application for a reimbursement of the tuition fee in case of multiple studies)

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What must be considered for the application?

Students eligible for a tuition fee waiver on the grounds mentioned above, must file an application. The application must be made online via LFU:online.

Depending on the case, the proof requested for the respective ground for a waiver must be presented in original or in copy (certified by a notary, legalised by a court). Foreign language documents (except documents in English) must be handed in with a certified German translation. The translations must be inseparable from the documents.

Attention: Even if the tuition fee is waived, the ÖH-fee must be paid by the end of the grace period at the latest. Only if the ÖH-fee has be correctly paid, you will be registered for the continuation of your studies and can print out your confirmations (confirmation of registration, admission record etc.) via im LFU:online.

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 Deadlines

Application for waiver:

Students eligible for a tuition fee waiver on the basis of one of the new grounds mentioned above must submit an application for this tuition fee waiver

  • by 31 October (for the winter semester) or
  • by 31 March (for the summer semester)

via the online students’ platform LFU:online. 

Important:  If proof for a tuition fee waiver cannot be presented within the deadline (31 October in the winter semester / 31 March in the summer semester), the tuition fee must be paid in any case by the end of the general admission period. Only then a registration for the continuation of studies for this semester is possible.

Attention: Tuition waivers due to gainful employment are no longer possible. The listed deadlines are related to other grounds for tuition fee waivers.

Application for reimbursement:

Students can file an application for reimbursement of the tuition fee in retrospect. The application for reimbursement is best filed online via the students’ platform LFU:online  or in writing and must include the required proof. This is possible to the

  • following 31 March for the winter semester and
  • the following 31 October for the summer semester.

Attention: There are completely new regulations for reimbursements in case of “gainful employment” from the winter semester of 2018/2019 onwards - look at gainful employment

 

The listed deadlines refer therefore to the other grounds for tuition fee waivers acc. to §92 par. 1 Universities Act.

Please note that the listed deadlines are statutory deadlines. Applications received after this time must therefore be rejected.

If you do not have all the necessary documents shortly before the deadline expires, please submit the application in time all the same. You will then get an improvement order from the admission department.

 

As before, the following students can apply for a tuition fee waiver regardless of their nationality:

  • Students who pass study or practice times abroad as part of transnational EU, state or university mobility programmes (e.g. Erasmus).
  • Students with non-Austrian citizenship, who take part in such a programme in Austria.

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