Karl-Franzens-Universitaet Graz

Universitaetsplatz 3, 8010 Graz, Austria

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Overview

Karl Franzens Universitaet Graz is the second oldest University in Austria. Established in 1585, it is now home to almost 30,000 students, of whom more than one sixth are from outside Austria. As a progressive institution of higher education, it strives for complete equality, with barrier free access to all University locations for disabled students, and equal gender representation across Faculties.

Academic and research activities at the University of Graz are divided into six Faculties (Catholic Theology, Law, Business, Economics and Social Sciences...

University Highlight

Establishment year	1585
Total Students	29,419
International Students	5,089
QS World University Rankings 2024	661-670
Campus Size	N/A
Total Number of Campuses	1
University Website	https://www.uni-graz.at/en/
No. of Schools and Divisions	6 Faculties
Nobel Prize Winner Alumni	6
No. of Education Programs	62 (undergraduate), 89 (Master’s)
Student to Faculty ratio	8.9:1

Course Highlight

Karl-Franzens-Universitaet Graz offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses through 6 Faculties, which are further subdivided into Institutes and Centers.

The Faculty of Catholic Theology provides UG and PG taught and research programs through twelve Institutes: Canon Law, Catechetics and Religious Education, Church History and Contemporary Church History, Ecumenical Theology, Eastern Orthodoxy and Patristic Studies, Ethics and Sociology, Moral Theology, New Testament Studies, Old Testament Studies, Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Psychology, Systematic Theology and Liturgical Studies, Theology and Philosophy, and Religious Studies.
The Faculty of Law conducts undergraduate and postgraduate programs through ten Institutes: Civil Law, Foreign Private Law and Private International Law, Civil Procedure and Insolvency Law, Corporate and International Commercial Law, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law and Criminology, European Law, Fiscal Law, Foundations of Law, International Law and International Relations, Labour Law and Social Security Law, and Public Law and Political Science. It is also home to eight Centers, including theEuropean Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy of the University of Graz and the Research Center for Climate Law.
The Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences teaches UG and PG courses, and carries out research via its sixteen Institutes: Accounting and Auditing, Accounting and Control, Accounting and Reporting, Accounting and Taxation, Banking and Finance, Business Education and Development, Economic and Social History, Economics, Finance, Human Resource Management, Leadership and Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Organization and Economics of Institutions, Operations and Information Systems, Public Economics, and Sociology. It also has five Centers, including Accounting Research, Center for Social Research, and Entrepreneurship and Applied Science in Business Economics.
The Faculty of Humanities provides UG and PG taught and research programs through fifteen Institutes: American Studies, Art History, Information Modelling, Classics, English Studies, European Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Literature Research, German Studies, History, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Romance Studies, Slavic Studies, and Translation Studies. It is also home to seven Centers, including German as a Second Language and language education, Inter-American Studies, and Cultural Studies.
The Faculty of Natural Sciences conducts undergraduate and postgraduate programs through eight Institutes: Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Mathematics And Scientific Computing, Molecular Biosciences, Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Physics, and Psychology. It also has four Centers that focus on the Didactics of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Geometry, and Physics. It is home to 9 Doctoral Schools.
The Faculty of Environmental And Regional Sciences And Education provides UG and PG taught and research programs through seven Institutes: Educational Sciences, Geography and Regional Sciences, Education Research and Teacher Education, School and Teacher Education, Human Movement Science, Sport and Health, System Sciences, Innovation and Sustainability Research, and Climate and Global Change. Its two Centers deal with the Didactics of Geography and Economics and Sustainable social transformation. It has four Doctoral Schools, including one in Sports Science.

Academic and research activities are also carried out at 12 inter-faculty centres, including the Centre for Digital Teaching and Learning, the Coordination Centre for Gender Studies and Equality, the Confucius Institute, the Competence Centre for University Teaching, and the Centre for the History of Science.

Eligibility Criteria

International applicants to undergraduate courses at the University of Graz must satisfy the following requirements:

Possession of a valid identity proof, ideally an active passport.
An updated Curriculum Vitae document.
Possession of a secondary school leaving certificate or a diploma.
If the country of origin of the applicant is one of Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Iran, or Turkey, scores from the national university entrance examinations must be submitted.
For courses taught in German, the applicant must be proficient in the language, with a level of at least C1. In case this is not possible, the candidate can submit a certificate of German proficiency at level A2, B1, or B2, and take a preparatory course in the language at the University after arrival.
For courses where the medium of instruction is English, TOEFL or IELTS scores (at least 95 or 7.0 respectively), or equivalent international examination scores must be submitted.
All documents must be legalised by notaries in the country of origin. Both the original and translated versions must be combined into a single PDF file before submission.
Documents whose language is not German or English must be translated into either of these languages before they are submitted to the University.
Some Bachelor’s courses, like the Teacher Training Programme, have additional requirements (an entrance test), due to the restricted number of seats.

Applicants to Master’s Programmes at the University of Graz must satisfy similar requirements. However, instead of high school leaving certificates, they must submit provisional or final Bachelor’s degree certificates from a recognised global University, in addition to detailed academic transcripts. Certain courses, like the Master of Business Administration programme have additional eligibility criteria that are listed on the respective web pages.

Admission

The University of Graz evaluates applications in two broad phases: administrative (where checks of basic criteria fulfilment are conducted) and content-based (where the quality of the application is tested).

International applicants to both undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the University must complete these steps:

Online application submission: Via the University portal, applicants can submit their personal and academic details, and upload the identity proof and academic documents required.
Evaluation: The University can take several weeks to make an offer to successful candidates due to the high volume of applications. Applicants who are chosen are informed of their selection over email.
Enrollment: The main step in this process is payment of the tuition and Student Union fee for the first semester.

The University offers a free student information service that assists applicants with any queries related to the application and admission process.

Fees

All students of JKU, regardless of nationality, pay the Student Union fee of 21.20 Euros per semester (42.40 Euros per year); this is to be paid even if the tuition fee is waived due to EU citizenship or other considerations.

Students from Austria and the European Union do not have to pay tuition fees for the expected duration of their degree programme, with two extra semesters added. After this time period, they must pay tuition fees of 363,36 Euros per semester.

International students who are not from the European Union must pay tuition fees of 726.72 per semester, or 1453.44 Euros per year. Students from certain third world countries may have their tuition fee waived; the Office of International Relations can provide applicants with more information on this topic.

The University of Graz maintains a database with several housing operations in and around the main campus; the accommodation cost starts at 250 Euros per month, and can go up to 500 Euros per month. Students should also budget for other living costs, like food, transportation, and personal items.

Campus facilities

The campus of Karl Franzens Universitaet Graz contains many iconic landmarks that are associated with the city of Graz. The central building is one of these, in addition to the historic Faculty buildings and the main library. Cyclists and e-scooters can be found everywhere in the main campus, reflecting the University’s commitment to sustainability and environmentally friendly transport.

Many buildings of the University are more than a century old; in a way, the historic architecture of the University of Graz makes it a work of art in itself. Cultural activities are a very common part of student life, with regular exhibitions, concerts, and theatre performances taking place. In addition to several museums on campus, there are also three exhibition areas, which are used to conduct popular science demonstrations and lectures that are open to the public.

The University of Graz has world class event management and hosting infrastructure, including ultramodern conference rooms and lecture complexes, in addition to the Great Hall. Therefore, it hosts many performers and artists of international acclaim. Concerts, parties, and lectures booked by external organisations add to the vibrant and dynamic nature of life on campus.

The University Sports Institute (USI) conducts a total of 300 fitness and sports courses (in sports like soccer, tennis, and basketball, personal gym training, group fitness classes, yoga, and meditation) with a total of over 9,000 participants, or almost 33% of all students at the University. Through this, it gives an opportunity for all members of the University community to stay fit and active, and to make healthy physical exertion a part of their busy academic schedules. The USI also conducts popular annual events like the Clover Leaf Race, a relay competition that attracts over 4,000 participants, making it one of the largest sports events at the University level in all of Europe. Students, staff members, and graduates of the University of Graz can access the services of the USI.

The Career Centre at Karl Franzens Universitaet Graz helps students develop employability skills and connects potential employers with students. All students and recent graduates of the University can use the online portal to view open jobs and internships, and book one on one career counselling sessions. The Career Centre also sets up networking events, workshops, presentations, and seminars. Finally, it provides job application and resume improvement resources, and coordinates Career Fairs, where students can meet prospective employers and learn more about the practical aspects of working in their chosen industry. The University of Graz maintains close ties with prominent companies and research universities across the world; students can use these networks to plan long term career moves after graduating from the University.

Scholarship

The Government of Austria, through the Austrian Study Grant Authority, provides several grants to students based on need and academic excellence; eligibility criteria and award amounts are detailed on the webpage. Other grants and scholarships can be found on the financial aid database website.

Information about Promotional and Merit Scholarships, which are typically awarded based on the recent average GPA of the candidate, can be obtained from the Dean’s Office of the Faculty in which the student is enrolled. These usually range (in award amount) between 750 and 1,500 Euros per year.

The deadlines for applications to all University scholarships are published in the Gazette; students are advised to check this document for information about payment schedules, selection requirements, and application timelines.