Second chance: Studying without a Matura

By 2025, the number of first-year students in Austria with "non-traditional university access" is expected to increase to 5,300. This refers to people who start their studies with a higher education entrance qualification or vocational school-leaving certificate, external school-leaving certificate or without a school-leaving certificate.

Here, too, the FH Burgenland has been successfully pursuing a path towards permeability for years. Among first-year students in 2022/23, 15.35% found their way to university without taking the traditional route via the school-leaving examination. In the university of applied sciences sector, this figure is 8% of all first-year students throughout Austria, and only 4.25% at Austrian universities (evaluation (unidata.gv.at)

An important contribution to reducing the barrier for people without a school-leaving certificate is a preparatory course that the FH Burgenland has been offering for many years. In addition to its extra-occupational organisational form, it also boasts an enormous success rate: 96% of graduates of the one-year course go on to study for a Bachelor's degree.

Prepared for the degree programme

Sandra Schaden had already completed an apprenticeship as a pharmaceutical commercial assistant when she decided to become a healthcare and nursing assistant. She found out about the preparatory course at the Burgenland University of Applied Sciences through a counselling session at the Public Employment Service (Arbeitsmarktservice) and gained her university entrance qualification.

As the courses at the Pinkafeld study centre take place on Friday afternoons and Saturdays, she was able to work full-time alongside her studies. "The most challenging thing for me was learning how to study again. The preparatory course was also a great start to my studies in this respect." She found it a great advantage to get to know the university before starting her studies by attending the preparatory course. "You are already networked, know some of the lecturers, know the building. That makes it easier to start studying."

Preparatory course as a door opener

Josef Kretz completed a technical college for IT and then worked in IT support for several years. In order to gain a higher qualification in the field of IT infrastructure, he decided to enrol on the IT Infrastructure Management Bachelor's degree programme at Burgenland University of Applied Sciences. Prior to this, he took advantage of the one-year preparatory course to obtain his university entrance qualification.

In the meantime, he has also completed a Master's programme at the Burgenland University of Applied Sciences. In the Master's degree programme in Cloud Computing Engineering, he found the right preparation for the topics that are currently dominating the IT sector.

He advises people who do not have a school-leaving certificate but can imagine studying for a degree to follow his example. "The preparatory course opened important doors for me."

The vast majority make the leap to university

The university is particularly proud of the 95% transfer rate from the preparatory course to a Bachelor's degree programme. "We give applicants without a school-leaving certificate access to a university degree programme at our UAS after successfully completing the exams. I always enjoy seeing the high level of motivation with which the participants pursue their goals on the preparatory course and in their subsequent studies," emphasises course director Martin Jandl.

The preparatory course is aimed at people with relevant professional qualifications for the relevant degree programme. "As a rule, this means a relevant apprenticeship qualification or a qualification from a relevant vocational secondary school," explains Jandl. Additional examinations can be taken at the end of the course for all Bachelor's degree programmes at Burgenland University of Applied Sciences. Preparation for this takes place on two to three weekends (Friday afternoon and Saturday) per month alongside work. The course starts in mid-September and registration is possible until 31 August.

University entrance qualification examination also possible at the FH

You can also prepare for the university entrance qualification examination at the FH Burgenland. This is not taken for a specific degree programme, but for a group of degree programmes. The acquired university entrance qualification certificate is valid for any university or university of applied sciences at which a degree programme of the respective study group is offered. The prerequisites for taking a university entrance qualification examination are the age of 20 and successful vocational or extra-occupational prior education for the desired degree programme that clearly goes beyond the fulfilment of compulsory schooling.