Student grants at a glance: It’s all about the money!

There are few things about student life that are the subject of as many different stories as student grants. For a better perspective, we have summarized the most important key points for you and explain what will change for you in autumn 2022.

Basic information on student grants

According to Austrian law, the student grant should apply if the parents and/or the student are unable to cover the costs associated with studying from their own resources. From this, the following essential requirements for the entitlement to student grants apply:

• • Social eligibility
  • Favorable academic success
  • Studies started before the age of 30 (note: the limit is higher for self-support grants)

The determining factors of social eligibility are income, marital status and family size. These factors also influence the amount of the student grant. Austrian citizens as well as foreigners and stateless persons have the right to the student grant.

For the first two semesters, only admission as a regular student is required. However, proof of success must be submitted by the end of the application period for the third semester at the latest. Otherwise the student grant has to be paid back!

Proof of academic success provides confirmation of the number of successfully completed academic achievements. This means that achieving a certain number of study goals is a decisive criterion for receiving the student grant. The coursework required may vary depending on the course and educational institution. Details on the proof of performance can be found online.

In order to be able to receive student grants, you must also study within the minimum period of study and a tolerance semester.

What will change with September 2022?

On the one hand, the age you are allowed to be at the beginning of your studies has changed: The age limit for receipt is raised by three years to 33.

The calculation method is also changing: There are relief measures for employed persons and self–employed persons, the student grant is decoupled from the family allowance, the income limits for the grant are increased and the maximum grant is raised (in future €923/month). Overall, the subsidies will increase by 8.5 to 12%.

Still to come in 2022

The federal government’s inflation relief package was approved and brought student grant recipients a €300 relief bonus in March 2022. And now in August, as part of the anti-inflation package, a one-time bonus of €300 is being paid out again. You do not need to submit a separate application for this.

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From 2023

From next year, student grants in Austria will be automatically valued, i.e. the value will be automatically adjusted to reflect inflation.

The amount of the grant is difficult to generalize and varies depending on the given framework conditions. The student grant is paid monthly. The lowest monthly student grant is €5/month. Until autumn 2022, the maximum annual student grant will be €8,580 or €6,000 depending on the criteria. It is precisely because of this large range of fluctuation that it is important to seek advice.

From September 2022, the maximum grant will be raised to €923 per month, which equates to an annual maximum student grant of just over €11,000.

The income limit is €15,000/year. If you exceed this income limit, the student grant will be reduced by this amount. Your income is checked annually, i.e. it makes no difference whether you receive your income during the holidays (e.g. through holiday internships) or during the semester.

Good to know

You can change your degree twice if you were enrolled for no more than two semesters in the previous degree. However, there are some special features to consider here, for example in the case of teacher training courses, the change of subject is already counted as a change of study. You can read online what needs to be considered when changing majors.

The application deadlines are from September 20 to December 15 (winter semester) and from February 20 to May 15 (summer semester). The deadlines for submitting the study results are also particularly important, since the student grant must be repaid in the event of non-compliance!

Should one of the following points change in your life, the scholarship office must also know about it: Dropping out of studies, changing studies, completing studies, changes in family situation (own marital status, marital status of parents, education of siblings), change in additional income (additional income limit €15,000/year) and completion of military or community service.