The top ratings of the Austrian UASs underline their high quality in teaching and practice - now fair funding and independent doctoral legislation are needed to secure this success in the long term.

The current CHE University Ranking 2026 of business, economics and social science degree programmes at UASs shows an extremely positive picture. The high level of student satisfaction in key quality dimensions of the degree programme is particularly striking.

The Austrian UASs achieve top ratings in numerous areas, particularly in terms of study organisation, support from teaching staff, support during studies and professional and practical orientation. Those factors that are decisive for academic success and successful career entry are emphasised particularly positively by the students.

What is also striking is the consistently high quality across different subject areas, from business informatics to business administration, social work and industrial engineering. Several Austrian UASs achieve ratings well above four out of five possible stars, confirming their strong position in the German-speaking higher education sector.

„The CHE ranking once again confirms the central role of our universities: practice-oriented, modernly organised, closely geared to the needs of students and with a strong focus on employability and career prospects,“ says FHK President Ulrike Prommer. „Investing in our universities strengthens Austria's innovative power, opportunities for social advancement and the transfer of knowledge to society more efficiently than any other area of education.“

FHK Secretary General Kurt Koleznik adds: „Especially at a time when issues of teaching quality, social permeability and labour market relevance are becoming increasingly important, the results underline the high performance of our universities. In order to safeguard these positive effects, we are once again appealing to the federal government to improve the financial and structural framework conditions of our universities. There needs to be sustainable, structural funding for applied research and teaching at UASs, as well as the possibility of offering externally accredited doctoral programmes at research-strong UASs.“

„Federal Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner has recognised that UASs can be a core element of her science policy. Now is the right time to turn this into concrete reforms,“ concluded FHK President Prommer.