Foreign Applicants: Where Universities Want to See Higher Barriers
The number of applicants from third countries has recently increased significantly. According to the Universities Conference (uniko), the high administrative effort leads to longer waiting times and poorer conditions for all applicants. Therefore, the universities want stricter hurdles for the admission process: applicants from third countries should in the future have to prove a higher level of German and only start their admission process when all documents are available.
A2 Sufficient for Admission
The universities definitely do not want fewer students from non-EU countries, as emphasized by uniko to the APA. Those who are admitted to study should be able to start more quickly. Because while the language level A2 according to the European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is sufficient for admission, the universities require language level B2 (approximately high school level, note) or usually the even higher level C1 for the start of studies.
The lower the language level at admission, the more time applicants have to spend learning German in preparatory courses as extraordinary listeners before starting their actual studies. The universities assume that a higher language level at admission would not only lead to more success in the actual studies. They also expect fewer dropouts in the preparatory courses and thus a lower risk that individuals will not reach level C1 and have to leave the country again.
The number of those affected is quite relevant: In 2024 alone, 49,000 applicants who could already prove a language level of A2 applied for admission according to uniko - and this excludes medical and art universities, which have their own regulations. In comparison: a total of 260,000 people study at the relevant universities. Compared to the admission applications, the number of students from third countries at the relevant universities who were actually able to start a regular study program because they reached the necessary German level is low, with 25,000 according to data from the Ministry of Science.
Lack of Documents
Additionally, some applicants are never admitted due to missing documents. However, for university administrations, these are also a problem: Due to the "deliberate submission of incomplete applications by numerous individuals," which then result in improvement requests, communication loops, and subsequent submissions, the processing time for all applications is delayed, as criticized by the Technical University (TU) Vienna in a recent statement. From the perspective of university leaders, the previous regulation should therefore be reintroduced, whereby only complete admission applications are to be processed.
According to the Student Ombudsman, applicants themselves would also benefit from stricter language level requirements - not only because of higher chances of success in their studies. The measure would also lead to fewer admission applications. Due to the increase in applications, the Ombudsman was regularly contacted in the past academic year because admission decisions for foreign applicants were delayed. This, in turn, has meant problems with visa applications and official procedures.
Ministry of Science Comments
The Ministry of Science stated in response to an APA inquiry that the additional workload for universities due to increasing applications, especially from third countries, is currently being examined. The goal must be efficient procedures to provide the best possible conditions for applicants and universities. At the same time, internationalization is a cornerstone of the Austrian higher education area. "General hurdles in language skills or application requirements must not lead to qualified applicants being excluded from studies," said the office of Science Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ).
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.