Study in Austria from Kazakhstan
Banking is clean and the embassy in Astana takes applications directly, so the only real gate is the 90–180-day permit clock. €1,453/year at a public university makes Austria cheaper than the Netherlands for the same EU degree — if German is on the table.
Document requirements collected
Fact7 items in the pack — the same across all 845 programmes we hold for this country.
We review the pack for completeness and consistency. Whether a document is genuine is decided by the university or the consulate. Source verification may be required.
What this route does not require
Not a promise — a rule of the route. Every line is derived from one data field and names what it rests on.
No payment workarounds are needed — tuition and fees go through an ordinary bank transfer.
FactSources:StudyRoute payment-route check
What it does require
The other side of the same list. Amounts and scores are in the facts above.
- Proof of funds in an account — mandatory.
- A language certificate — mandatory.
- Paid diploma recognition through ENIC NARIC Austria (aais.at).
- A separate work permit — the employer applies for it before you start.
What works on this route
- Third-country tuition at public universities: €726.72/semester = €1,453/year, plus €26.20 ÖH. Kazakhstan is not on the exemption list in the Anlage zu § 4 Abs. 2 Z 1 Studienbeitragsverordnung (BGBl. II Nr. 218/2019 idF BGBl. II Nr. 301/2022) — that annex is the OECD DAC least-developed-countries list.
- Austria has no student visa. § 64 NAG grants a residence permit «Student»; the D visa is only a transport document. Statutory processing is 90 days, extendable by another 90.
- Bolashak covers full costs but is highly competitive and Austria has to be on the approved-university list for your year — verify with the Bolashak Centre before building the plan on it.
- Austria funds almost nothing for degree-seeking non-EU students: OeAD Ernst Mach weltweit pays for 1–9 month stays, not full degrees (deadline 1 December, age ≤35).
- German C1 for German-taught programmes (71% of the catalogue); otherwise Bedingter Zulassungsbescheid → Vorstudienlehrgang (VWU).
Why applications get rejected
- Means of subsistence below €1,308.39/month (24+) — or rent above €386.43/month not covered on top
- Health insurance certificate missing or below €30,000 cover at entry
- Missed 5 September — public universities have no Nachfrist
How the route unfolds
The order comes from the same checklist you get after the quiz. A date is shown only where the country fixes one.
- 1Diploma recognition
Verify your qualification via ENIC NARIC Austria (aais.at).
- 2University applicationSeptember 5· national date
Submit before the intake deadline.
- 3Language certificate
Reach the required level (IELTS 5.5 or equivalent).
- 4Proof of funds / blocked account
Show €15,701 — open the blocked account early; it can take days to fund.
- 5Health insurance
Arrange cover valid from your arrival date.
- 6Scholarship application
Apply for: Bolashak. Deadlines often fall before admission.
- 7Visa appointment
Book early — processing takes 13–26 weeks after the appointment.
On your own, or with the route
Not a claim that you cannot do this alone — a count of how much runs in parallel on this route.
- Steps before departure
- Lodging on your own7 steps, assembled yourself from the university's, the consulate's and the recognition body's own pages.
- What the route already coversThe same 7 steps, in order, in the timeline above.
- Organisations you correspond with
- Lodging on your own6 of them, each with its own channel, format and response time.ENIC NARIC Austria (aais.at)the universitya language test centrea bankan insurerthe consulate
- What the route already coversNamed one by one, with what each of them needs from you.
- Dates to hold at once
- Lodging on your own7 dates, of which 1 is fixed nationally — the rest are set by the university.
- What the route already coversThe national date is on this page; the checklist counts down to it and reminds you 14 days out.
- Known reasons for refusal
- Lodging on your own3 reasons documented on this route — they have to be found and closed before you lodge, not after.
- What the route already coversListed above, with what each one looks like in practice.
- Where you lodge, and the wait
- Lodging on your ownAustrian embassy in Astana. Processing runs 13–26 weeks, and you subtract that from your start date yourself.
- What the route already coversThe lodging point and the 13–26 weeks are already written into the visa step.
Nothing here is sold by fear, and nothing here is a promise of admission. If this table convinces you to go alone, it did its job — everything in the right-hand column is open on this page.
Example institutions
| Example institutions | Programme | City | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universität Wien | Bachelor / Master — mostly German-taught | Wien | €1,453/yr (€726.72/sem) + €26.20 ÖH/sem |
| Technische Universität Wien | Informatik / Engineering (Master often EN) | Wien | €1,453/yr (€726.72/sem) + €26.20 ÖH/sem |
| Universität Linz (Johannes Kepler) | Business / Informatik / Law | Linz | €1,453/yr (€726.72/sem) + €26.20 ÖH/sem |
| MCI Management Center Innsbruck | Business / Engineering (EN tracks) | Innsbruck | €16,500/yr — 50–60% scholarship for non-EU |
| MODUL University Vienna | Tourism / Business / Data Science (EN) | Wien | €18,000/yr |
After visa: settling in
- 1File the Meldezettel at the local Meldeservice within 3 days of moving in — MeldeG § 3 says three days, not three working days, and the registration slip is what the residence authority, the bank and the university all ask for.
- 2Collect the residence permit card (Aufenthaltsbewilligung Student) in person at the Aufenthaltsbehörde — the BH or Magistrat, in Vienna MA 35. The D visa in your passport is only a transport document; the card is the actual status.
- 3Take out the ÖGK student self-insurance (Studierendenselbstversicherung, €78.84/month, 2026 rate) once you are here — the ≥€30,000 entry insurance only bridges the gap. Every year the university's Fortsetzungsbestätigung has to reach ÖGK by 31 December.
- 4Do not start any job — including a geringfügige one — before your employer has the Beschäftigungsbewilligung from the AMS. For 'Student' permit holders it is granted without a labour-market test for up to 20 hours a week, but the employer applies, not you.
- 5Line up housing months ahead: Austria has no central student-housing service, so it is Studentenheime plus the OeAD Housing Office. A single room in Vienna (~€480) or Graz (~€478) sits above the €386.43/month rent threshold, which raises the means you have to prove.
- 6File the extension at the Aufenthaltsbehörde no earlier than 3 months before the card expires, with the proof of study progress (Studienerfolgsnachweis) — 16 European credit points (ECTS) or 8 Semesterstunden for the academic year. While the decision is pending your stay stays legal even if the old card has run out.
Financing your studies
Scholarships for this route
- •Bolashak
Routes to Austria by citizenship
Select your citizenship to see the route, visa requirements and realistic odds
Related routes
Figures are indicative for the 2026-27 academic year and must be confirmed at the official source before applying. Admission and visas are never guaranteed.