Secondary Education system in Austria

What

The Austrian Secondary Education system is divided into two levels: lower level (obligatory) and upper level (post-obligatory education).

Lower level:

From 2018, there will be 2 different types of secondary school for children who have successfully finished primary school.

  • New secondary schools (Neue Mittelschule – NMS): new compulsory secondary school for pupils between 10 and 14 years old (5th to 9th grade). The average number of pupils per classroom is 25. There are 4 focuses: linguistic and humanistic; scientific-mathematical; economic; and musical. The pupils receive general education in all the fields before choosing their main focus in 7th grade.
  • Academic secondary school (Allgemeinbildende Höhere Schule – AHS): extended general education. It provides pupils with standard entry qualifications for university and solid basis for more specialized training and education. It lasts 8 years divided into two periods: lower level (from 5th to 8th grades, obligatory education) and upper level (from 9th to 12th grades, post-obligatory education). The pupils who want to attend this school must have a “very good” or “good” mark in German language, reading and mathematics achieved in the primary school.

Upper level:

a) Pre-Vocational Year + Integrative Vocational Training (Berufsvorbereitungsjahr + Integrative Berufsausbildung)

    • WHAT: It offers two types of vocational training:
      • Integrated vocational training as extended apprenticeship (extension for 1 year or, in exceptional cases, 2 years)
      • Integrated vocational training that provides qualifications to enter the labour market. It lasts from 1 to 3 years.
    • WHO: Courses designed to help young people in risk of exclusion to enter the labour market (e.g. youngsters with special educational needs or youngsters who haven’t finished the lower level of secondary education)

b) Pre-Vocational School – PVS (Polytechnische Schule)

    • WHAT: Combination of general education and courses in specialised areas. The objective is to give the basic professional knowledge and skills to the students so they can do an apprenticeship or transfer to a secondary education school.
    • WHO: Students who have finished the 8th grade of the lower level of secondary education.

c) Part-time vocational school and apprenticeship – dual training (Berufsschule und Lehre – duale Ausbildung)

    • WHAT: Vocational training that lasts from 2 to 4 years. Apprentices spend around 20% of their apprenticeship in the school, where they learn theoretical knowledge required in their profession and 80% in a company doing practical training. There are around 200 recognised trades which can be learned via apprenticeship in different categories.
    • WHO: For young people who have successfully finished 9th grade. It’s possible to do an apprenticeship after finishing lower or upper level of secondary education.

d) School for intermediate vocational education (Berufsbildende mittlere Schule – BMS)

    • WHAT: It offers qualifications in different fields.
      • Courses from 1 or 2 years: partial vocational training.
      • Courses from 3 or 4 years: completed programme of vocational training.
    • WHO: Applicants have successfully completed the lower level of secondary education at the New Secondary School or at the Academic Secondary School.

e) School for higher vocational education (Berufsbildende höhere schule – BHS)

    • WHAT: 5-years-long course that provides higher level of vocational training in different field such as technical professions, commercial and crafts, business, fashion, tourism, social services, agriculture and health.
    • WHO: Students who have successfully completed the lower level of secondary education at the New Secondary School or at the Academic Secondary School. Students who have finished 9th grade of education at the Pre-vocational School (Polytechnische Schule).

f) Academic secondary school upper level (Allgemein bildende höhere Schule – AHS)

    • WHAT: The upper level of AHS comprises a 4-year education and it ends with the upper secondary diploma. It has 3 different focuses: general, mathematics and science and economics.
    • WHO: It’s a transition from the New Secondary School (Neue Mittelschule) after the 8th grade, to the 9th year of the Academic Secondary School. The prerequisite for entry is the completion of the 8th grade with the marks “very good” or “good” in German language and mathematics).

g) School of nursing (Gesundheits- und Krankepflegeschule)

    • WHAT: 3 year course. It has been recently under reform and from 2024 it will only offer training in assistant nursing. Until then they offer nursing care. From2024, nursing care will be only offered at University of Applied Sciences.
    • WHO: Applicants need to have completed 10 years of general education and pass an admission interview or admission test.

h) Vocational education and training for healthcare profession (Ausbildungen für Gesundheitsberufe)

    • WHAT: Education and training for Health Professionals include a large number of different professions related with health and medicine. Some of the schools and education and training programmes in this area have been set up within or in association with hospitals. It includes training programmes provided by schools, in addition to courses for medical assistant.
    • WHO: Applicants have successfully finished 9th grade of lower level of secondary education. They have to provide certificate of mental and physical health and pass an interview by the educational institution. In some cases, an entrance test is also required. Applicants must be at least 17 years old.

Good to know

More information about secondary education system at (English and German): www.bildungssystem.at.

From August 2017, the program “Education until 18” is implemented in Austria. Its target group are young people under 18 who have finished the obligatory secondary education but they decided not to continue studying. The program intends to help youngsters who don’t want to study to pursue a professional career, through cooperation among state federal governments, municipalities and families.