Top 5 Affordable IT Universities in Austria (2026-27): Fees, Deadlines, Requirements & Scholarships

When we talk about the top 5 IT universities, we come up not with the top university but also some affordable options for you to consider for your bachelor’s and particularly master’s in Europe. Here in this blog, we specially bring a country name, Austria, that offers you many courses in IT that are really affordable,e so we can say this confidently that Austria is actually one of the most affordable countries in Western Europe for international students. Yeah, you read that right.

Public universities in Austria charge fees that are almost laughably low compared to the UK, US, or even Germany in some cases. We’re talking around €363 per semester for EU students and about €726 per semester for non‑EU students.

Austrian universities are consistently ranked among the best in Europe, especially for engineering and computer science. So if you’re planning to study IT without paying much fee, Austria is the best option for you in Europe for your master’s. Let me walk you through the five most affordable and reputable IT universities for the 2026‑27 academic year.

 

1. TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology)

TU Wien is the first university in our list of the top 5 best affordable universities in Austria for higher education, e.g., bachelor’s and master’s programs for international students.

 

Programs Offered (2026-27) at TU Wien

 

Bachelor’s Programs:

Informatics (Computer Science), which is offered in German, with a strong focus on theoretical and practical computer science

Computer Engineering, which focuses on hardware-software interaction and embedded systems

Business Informatics, which combines computer science with business administration

 

Author note about it.

All bachelor’s programs at TU Wien are admission-restricted, meaning you must pass a ranking process to get a seat in one of 670 available spots, which I can say simply, and that includes a basic assessment plus test, etc., and it will be based on german so for bechalor german language is important.

 

Master’s Programs:

TU Wien offers over 30 master’s programs, including 10 fully taught in English across engineering, computing, and data science.

Master’s programs include Data Science, Software Engineering & Internet Computing, Logic and Computation, Business Informatics, and Media and Human-Centered Computing.

All master’s programs follow the standard two-year, 120 ECTS format and award the Diplomingenieur (Dipl.-Ing.) degree, equivalent to a Master of Science. Learn more about their master’s programs.

 

 

Tuition fees (2026-27) at TU Wien

• EU/EEA students: about €363 per semester
• Non-EU students: about €727 per semester
• Plus a small student union fee (around €21–25 per semester)

That’s it mean nothing compared to our other blog post about the top 5 IT universities in different EU countries.

 

Application deadlines at TU Wien

Here’s where you need to be careful. TU Wien has a ranking test for all bachelor’s programs in computer science. You must register between April 1 and May 4, 2026. The on-site ranking test is expected on July 13, 2026.

Master’s programs have summer and winter admission. For summer, they start in January and finish in early February, e.g., 7 January 2026 to 5 Feb 2026, so you can consider next year, but the winter semester for 2026 and 2027 admission starts in July, probably after 5 of july to early September 2026.

 

Admission requirements at  TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology)

 

For bachelor’s:

You need to register on the TISS platform between April 1 and May 4, complete an online self-assessment, pay the admission fee, and pass the ranking test. The test is conducted in German, so you’ll need at least B2 German proficiency.

 

For master’s:

A relevant bachelor’s degree from a recognized university. English-taught master’s programs require IELTS 6.5+ or TOEFL 90+.

A strong background in mathematics and programming is expected.

 

Scholarships at TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology)

1. Helmut Veith Scholarship: For talented female students in computer science. Covers tuition fees plus €7,000 annually for up to two years.
2. TU Wien merit scholarships: these include Various options based on your academic performance.
3. OeAD scholarships: it’s a (Austria’s government-funded programs) for additional funding, which you can consider as well.

 

Author note for admission difficulty.

Although for a master its not that difficult to get admission because they have basic requirements that every university in the world expects, e.g., your relevant degree and background in mathematics and computing, etc., plus your English language, which you can show with IELTS generally. However, for a bachelor’s program, it’s different, and you need to have German language proficiency for most of the program. So if you are looking for an English language program, then a master’s admission is the best option for you to consider this university with a low fee.

 

2. University of Vienna

The University of Vienna is 2^nd university in our list, which is not just an old university but also the largest university in Austria, and it has a strong reputation for research, especially in areas like data science and artificial intelligence. So that’s why we put it in a second position in our list.

 

Programs Offered (2026-27) at the University of Vienna

 

Bachelor’s Programs:

• Informatics (Computer Science)
• Business Informatics
• Teacher Training in Digital Basic Education and Informatics

 

Author note about that.

Just like previous universities, this university also offers all bachelor’s programs in German, so without German, you cannot be enrolled in this university. All taught primarily in German.

 

Master’s Programs:

• Computer Science (taught in English)
• Media Informatics (taught in English)
• Data Science
• Bioinformatics

 

Tuition fees (2026-27) at the University of Vienna

Same as the standard public university rates:

• EU/EEA students: about €363 per semester
• Non-EU students: about €726 per semester, plus the student union fee (around €21 per semester)

 

Application deadlines at the University of Vienna

• Application period for master’s programs for 2026/27 will probably be in the winter, from March 2 to April 7, 2026, which has already passed, but you can consider it for 2027, as the summer admission for 2027 will start from 11 March 2027 to 31 March 2027.
• Entrance exam date is July 8, 2026
• Exam language exam with a duration of 90 minutes, and an administration fee of €50
• Bachelor’s application deadline typically runs from March to June for the winter semester, January to March for the summer semester

 

Admission requirements at the University of Vienna

 

For master’s:

You must hold an eligible higher education degree of at least three years. Required documents: completed higher education degree certificate and transcripts (at least 150 ECTS for a bachelor’s degree with 180 ECTS), CV, letter of motivation, proof of English language proficiency at level B2, which can be through your IELTS or TOEFL. No German language proficiency is required for these master’s programs.

 

For bachelor’s:

Secondary school leaving certificate and university entrance qualification. German proficiency is required as programs are taught in German. Read more about all the requirements.

 

Scholarships at the University of Vienna

1. University of Vienna International Scholarship, which includes a full or partial tuition fee waiver based on your merit.
2. Merit scholarships for you if you are an outstanding student.
3. Other grants through OeAD and the Austrian government.

 

Author note on admission difficulty.

For the 2026/27 academic year, remember that they have only 85 study places available in total for the master’s programs in Computer Science and Media Informatics, and you have to go through a selection process, e.g., an entrance exam to pass and improve your points to reach in 85 available seats for the master’s program. So we can say it’s not that simple to get admission, and admission difficulty is great due to the small number of seats for the master’s program.

 

3. TU Graz (Graz University of Technology)

Our third university in the list is TU Graz, as Graz is Austria’s second-largest city, and it’s incredibly student-friendly. Plus, the city is cheaper than Vienna, so your living expenses go further.

 

Programs Offered (2026-27) at Graz University of Technology

 

Bachelor’s Programs:

• Computer Science (taught in German and English)
• 18 bachelor’s programs in total

 

Author note about the bachelor’s program.

To enrol in a BSc degree programme, you must demonstrate German proficiency at level C1. Although compared to the previous two, they at least offer programs in German and English too. So if you are looking for a bachelor’s in English, then Graz University of Technology is the best choice for you to do a bachelor’s degree in computer science in Austria as an international student.

 

Master’s Programs:

• Computer Science (taught entirely in English)
• Software Engineering & Management
• Information & Computer Engineering
• AI/Machine Learning Double Degree program with University of Ljubljana

 

Tuition fees (2026-27) at Graz University of Technology

The standard public university fee is just like that of other universities.

• EU/EEA students: €363.36 per semester
• Non-EU students: €726.72 per semester with a student union fee, which is around €24.70 per semester

 

Application deadlines at Graz University of Technology

If I am to be more specific about the admission deadline for every year, including 2026 and 2027, then you have to keep these dates in your mind for every year, including 2027 onwards.

 

For bachelor:

• Winter semester starts from 1 May to 15 August
• Summer semester starts from 1 December to 15 January

 

For master’s, especially non eu students

• Winter semester starts from 1 May to 15 August
• Summer semester starts from 1 December to 15 January

 

Author note for you about the admission deadline.

If you want to apply for a Master’s in Computer Science, then you have to keep in mind that the Registration and document upload for the academic year 2027/28 is from October 15 to December 15, 2026. They will announce the result by  March 1, 2027

 

Admission requirements at Graz

 

For master’s:

The admission procedure requires registration, uploading of documents (CV, letter of motivation, transcript of records, and curriculum), and ranking by the selection commission. English language proficiency is required as the program is fully taught in English, which is e.g., IELTS 7 bands, TOEFL 95, Cambridge certificate with 180 points, and they also accept PTE with at least 79 score.

 

For bachelor’s:

You need to have a recognized secondary school leaving certificate as well as a grade report. German C1 proficiency required.

 

Scholarships  at TU Graz

1. TU Graz High Potentials, which is up to €8,800 for bachelor’s students, up to €17,600 for master’s students, over two years.
2. GRAWE Scholarships is also an option for you to consider, which covers computer science and related programs. €8,800 total for bachelor’s.
3. Federation of Styrian Industries Scholarships, which is also around €8,800 for bachelor’s, and €17,600 for master’s. Preference for students from Southeast Europe.

 

Author note about admission difficulty.

As the number of seats is limited at this university, you can expect high competition for your master’s program, especially as the seats are around 30, and anyone around the globe applies for their master’s program, so you can expect high competition with such a low seat. So the admission difficulty is higher as compare to others. While the IELTS bands should be 7, other universities accept 6.5 too. Read more about admission and other key info.

 

4. Johannes Kepler University (JKU) Linz

JKU is one of Europe’s top young universities, and its computer science department offers you a professional IT-related degree, especially if you’re looking for software engineering, data science, or cybersecurity. However, we put this in fourth position in our list.

 

Programs Offered (2026-27) at JKU

 

Bachelor’s Programs:

• Computer Science 3-year program, and this program covers theoretical computer science, software development, databases, networks, and artificial intelligence
• Business Computer Science, which combines business and technical content.

 

Author note for you

You don’t need to go through an entrance exam, not like other universities we discussed before, with you mean its allow you to combine computer science with other fields.

 

Master’s Programs:

Computer Science  2-year program (120 ECTS), which is taught entirely in English, and includes Master’s in Artificial Intelligence, Master’s in Business Informatics, Master’s in Computational Mathematics, etc.

 

Tuition fees (2026-27) at JKU

• EU/EEA students: €363.36 per semester (can be waived)
• Non-EU students: €726.72 per semester Plus student union fee (€25.20 per semester)

 

Application deadlines at JKU

• Winter semester: September 5 deadline
• Summer semester: February 5 deadline.

 

Author’s note about admission

You have to count this every year from 2026 to 2027 and onwards, but I suggest you apply several months earlier, before this deadline, as the processing takes time, especially for your visa applications. But if I make it more specific for you, then it’s like that.

Summer 2026: Generally, the summer program for master’s starts from January 7, 2026, to March 31, 2026

Winter 2026/2027: Master’s program for winter starts from July 8, 2026, to 31 October 2026, and the same applies to the bachelor’s program, but its end is on 5 September 2026.

 

Admission requirements at JKU

 

For bachelor’s:

You, as a Students can qualify for university admission if you get a Matura diploma or successfully pass the university enrollment eligibility examination.  This will allow you to study Computer Science at the JKU. However, the good thing is you don’t need to do entrance exam.

 

For master’s:

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a similar field, plus your English proficiency, e.g.,  IELTS 6.5+ or TOEFL 90+, plus your Strong academic record, especially in programming and math. As their standard requirement for English is B2 and C1, and the same applies to German, with additional A2.

 

Scholarships at JKU

1. JKU merit scholarships for you if you are an outstanding student.
2. Various industry-sponsored scholarships (check the JKU website).
3. OeAD scholarships for international students, which are very common in an Austrian university, so you can consider this as well.

 

Author note about admission difficulty

As compared to other university esicpally TU Graz, this university’s admission process and requirements are not that tough, so I can say that the admission difficulty is not that great, especially if you have a relevant bachelor’s degree.  For a bachelor’s degree, they don’t have an entrance exam, while the other have one, which we already discussed with you above.  If you are an international student, then read more about the program and other details.

 

5. University of Klagenfurt (AAU)

Klagenfurt is one of the most recommended universities by international students who are studying there, so that’s why we put it in our list, but of course, in the fifth number to top 5 affordable IT universities in Austria

 

Programs Offered (2026-27) at AAU

 

Bachelor’s Programs:

Applied Informatics is the top-most program that is going to start from the winter semester 2026/27, also offered as Bachelor’s Combination Programs. The main focus areas include software development, mathematics, technical fundamentals, system software, and semantics, etc.

 

Master’s Programs:

• Informatics (Master of Science), which is taught in English. They offer you various specializations, including Artificial Intelligence, Business Information Systems, Data Science and Engineering, Distributed Systems, Human-Computer Interaction, Information and System Security, Multimedia Systems, and Software Engineering, etc.
• Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity (with special admission procedure)
• Game Studies and Engineering
• Business Informatics

 

Tuition fees (2026-27) at AAU

• If you are an EU/EEA student, then you are mostly exempt from tuition (especially within the fee-free period mean 4 semesters plus 2 extra semesters for master’s)
• If you are a Non-EU student, then it is about €727 per semester

 

Author note about cost.

If I give you the total annual cost in a rough sum, if you are an international sudent belong to non-EU country, then it’s roughly €1,453 plus living expenses.

 

Application deadlines at AAU

For the master’s in Informatics:

• General admission period for the winter semester 2026/27 starts from July 6 to October 31, 2026. So if you are a non-EU/EEA citizen, your application must be submitted by June 30 for the winter semester.
• For the summer semester, their admission period starts from January 8 to March 31. So this applies to other years, e.g., 2027 as well. However, if you are non eu, you should apply by 30 November 2026 for 2027.

 

Author’s note about admission

If you are specifically looking for a program that offers you special admission procedures (like Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity), then the application period is from January 12 to April 30, 2026.

 

Admission requirements at AAU

 

For master’s:

Bachelor’s degree in informatics or a related field, you do not need to pass an entrance examination, but simply register and meet admission requirements.

 

For bachelor’s:

You need to have a secondary school leaving certificate with a university entrance qualification.

While talking about English proficiency, then its standard requirements are, e.g., B2 level (IELTS 6.0–6.5 or equivalent) for master’s.

 

Scholarships at AAU

1. The university offers various scholarships (check their financial aid page).
2. OeAD scholarships are available for you, just like other universities.
3. Industry-sponsored grants for specific research areas are also an option for you.

 

Author note about admission difficulty

The admission at AAU is not as difficult as compared to the first three universities in the above list. You have to go through the standard process of admission, just like other universities. So they don’t particularly give the number of seats for admission and other additional requirements, so I can say that admission at AAU is not that difficult. Read more about AAU Master’s programs, etc.

 

Important Note About FH Technikum Wien

I almost included FH Technikum Wien in the top five because it’s Austria’s largest university of applied sciences for technology. It offers excellent IT programs, and the tuition for EU students is very affordable (€363 per semester).

However, the problem is For non EU students, tuition jumps to €3,000 per semester, which is significantly higher than the public universities listed above. That’s why I left it out of the main list. So, for you as an international student on a tight budget, the above public universities are a much better option. However, I still give you a deadline for this university, too, if you really want to join this university.

 

Application deadlines for FH Technikum Wien

• EU applicants: May 31, 2026
• Non-EU applicants: March 31, 2026

If your budget allows it, it’s still a solid option. But if affordability is your top priority, stick with the five public universities above that we discussed already with you. Read more about FH Technikum Wien admission and other details.

 

Other Related blogs to read

Top 5 affordable IT Universities in Spain

Top 5 IT Universities in the Netherlands

Top 5 IT Universities in France

Top 5 IT Universities in Germany

Top 10 IT Universities in Poland

Top 5 IT Universities in Belgium

Top 5 IT Universities in Italy

Top 5 IT Universities in Finland

 

Disclaimer: This blog is only for educational purposes. For exact and up-to-date information, we highly encourage you to visit the official source.

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