Calculating the study duration and semester fee

Any full-time, registered course of study is taken into account when calculating the duration of study. The system uses the stored data to determine when the fee-exempt period is exceeded. During the fee-exempt period (i.e. the minimum duration of study plus two grace semesters), only the ÖH contribution is payable per semester. If the contribution-free period is exceeded, the tuition fee and the ÖH contribution must be paid per semester. However, if the statutory grounds for exemption are met, there is the possibility of a waiver or refund of the tuition fee: waiver of the tuition fee and refund of the tuition fee.

Students from countries listed in the annex to the Tuition Fees Regulation – which are the poorest countries in the world – are only required to pay the ÖH contribution per semester. It is irrelevant which semester you are in, as you only ever pay the ÖH contribution per semester.

Students from all other countries, so-called third countries, are generally required to pay the tuition fee of €726.72, as well as the ÖH contribution per semester. Here, too, it is irrelevant which semester you are in, as this amount must generally be paid every semester. However, there are exceptions: people from other countries.

Students from all other countries, known as third countries, are generally required to pay a tuition fee of €726.72, as well as the ÖH contribution, each semester. It does not matter which semester you are in; this amount must be paid every semester.

There are exceptions to this: people from South-Eastern Europe or people from other countries.

If a student is enrolled on multiple degree programmes at the University of Graz, the fee-free period is calculated for each programme. It does not matter which programme is considered the ‘main programme’!

Any tuition fees due are then determined by the degree programme in which the tuition-free period ends earliest.

This means that if the minimum duration of study is exceeded in one of the registered degree programmes, the tuition fee plus the ÖH contribution must be paid.

If you are studying multiple degree programmes at different Austrian universities, each university calculates the tuition-free period independently of the others.

For further information, please refer to the Re-registration/Payment page.

Following the amendment of Section 91 of the University Act and the Constitutional Court’s annulment of the section of the University of Graz’s statutes relating to ‘tuition fees’ in 2013, there is no longer any valid legal basis for carrying over a ‘tolerance semester’ from one stage of a degree programme – which was completed within the minimum duration – to the next stage of study.

Due to Covid, there is no ‘neutral semester’ at the university.

However, a ‘neutral semester’ did exist, for example, for the study grant. This means that the same semester count continues to apply to university tuition fees. If the standard duration of study plus the two grace semesters is exceeded in one or more degree programmes, tuition fees plus the ÖH contribution will be charged.

If you have exceeded the minimum duration of study plus the tolerance semesters, there are statutory grounds for exemption or repayment of the tuition fee.

You can find detailed information on waivers here. Information on repayment can be found here.

If you have taken or are taking a leave of absence from the university by means of an application, the semester of leave does not count towards the semester count and only the ÖH contribution is payable; if the tuition fee has already been paid, you may apply for a refund of the tuition fee.

You can find information on taking a leave of absence here.