Medical School Entrance Exam: Number of Registrations Increased

An increase in applications for the medical school entrance exam was observed in Vienna and Linz - in Vienna, 7,729 people (2024: 7,384) registered for the entrance exam this year, in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, about 2,084 (2024: 1,975). In Innsbruck (3,238) and Graz (2,617), the numbers remained almost unchanged. In Vienna, a total of 772 places are available, in Innsbruck 420, in Graz 388, and in Linz 320.

Medical School Entrance Exam: Seven to Ten Applicants Per Study Place

The record number of registrations was recorded in 2021: At that time, around 17,800 applied for a study place. In 2022, it was 15,800, in 2023 15,400, and in the previous year 15,200. Experience shows that around 80 percent of those registered actually appear for the eight-hour written exam. Mathematically, there are about ten applicants per study place in Vienna, about eight in Innsbruck, and about seven each in Graz and Linz. At least 95 percent of the study places in human medicine are reserved for EU citizens, and 75 percent of the places are reserved for applicants with an Austrian high school diploma. There is no such quota for dentistry. The entrance exam mainly tests knowledge from medically relevant subjects (especially biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics) and cognitive abilities (including memory, recognizing implications). Ten percent of the test result depends on the text comprehension section, and another ten percent on the section recognizing emotions and social decision-making. A high school diploma is not yet a prerequisite for taking the test - the diploma must be presented during the admission process.

85 "Dedicated" Study Places in Medical School Entrance Exam

Once again, up to 85 of the 1,900 study places are reserved for tasks in the public interest for federal states (59), the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (13), the Ministry of the Interior (3), and the Ministry of Defense (10). Those who wanted to apply for these had to participate in the regular registration and commit to a certain period of service with the respective institution, such as working as a health insurance, hospital, military, or official doctor.

For this, a lower score is sufficient in the test. Applicants do not necessarily have to be among the best candidates at the respective university, but "only" achieve a performance of 75 percent of the result of all applicants who took the test (and be among the best applicants within the respective quota of dedicated study places). Last year, not all dedicated places were utilized - partly because candidates did not achieve the necessary score, partly because they were "too good" and qualified for a regular study place. In these cases, the places were then filled with the next best test participants.

Ongoing Debate About the Number of Study Places

The number of study places is likely to be discussed again: The SPÖ has repeatedly advocated for a doubling in the past. Currently, an expansion program initiated by previous governments is underway to reach 2,000 places by 2028, and there are also more places at private universities. The current government program only vaguely mentions providing "sufficient" places, and a needs assessment is planned. There could also be changes in the medical entrance procedure - for example, by crediting professional competencies.

(APA/Red)

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