Studying Without Matura in Austria: Your 3 Paths to University

You want to study without Matura in Austria? You are not alone. Thousands of working professionals start a degree each year without ever having completed the traditional school-leaving certificate. Austria offers three established paths to university access, and there is a fourth option that many people overlook. Each has different requirements, costs, and time commitments.

Entitlement or Admission: The Difference That Derails Plans

Before we get to the paths, the most important distinction. It sounds like semantics and in practice decides whether your plan holds.

An entitlement is a qualification you hold. It says: you are allowed to study. The Berufsreifeprüfung gives you a general entitlement valid anywhere in Austria, indefinitely. The Studienberechtigungsprüfung gives you a restricted entitlement covering one group of study fields.

An admission, by contrast, is a decision made by the institution. It says: we accept you, for this programme, this semester. Direct access to a Fachhochschule via a master craftsman certificate is exactly that, not a university entrance qualification. Change institution or programme and everything is assessed again.

Why this can get expensive: anyone who starts on an admission and wants or needs to switch in the third semester is left without an entitlement. Anyone who starts via the BRP takes their entitlement anywhere. That is not an argument against the fast route, but it belongs in the decision.

Path 1: Studienberechtigungsprüfung (SBP)

The Studienberechtigungsprüfung is the most targeted route to study without Matura in Austria. It grants access to one specific group of study fields at universities and Fachhochschulen.

How it works:

• You choose your desired study field first. The SBP is then specific to that field group.
• You take four to five exams: one essay (German), plus subject-specific exams depending on your chosen programme.
• Preparation courses are offered by universities, adult education centres, and private providers.

Requirements: minimum age 20 and a relevant vocational background (apprenticeship, BMS, or several years of work experience), plus proof of Austrian residency.

Duration and costs: preparation typically takes 6 to 18 months and costs 500 to 2,000 euros. The exams themselves are usually free at universities.

Advantage: the fastest formal route if you already know what you want to study. You do not need to cover general education topics outside your field.

Limitation: the SBP only opens the door to one group of study fields. If you change your mind, you may need additional exams or have to switch to the BRP.

Path 2: Berufsreifeprüfung (BRP)

The Berufsreifeprüfung (also called Berufsmatura) is the broadest option. It gives you full general university access, equivalent to the Matura. You can study any subject at any Austrian university or Fachhochschule.

How it works:

• You take 4 exams: German, Mathematics, a living foreign language (usually English), and one vocational subject from your professional field.
• Courses are offered by WIFI, BFI, VHS, and private institutions, many with evening and weekend formats for working professionals.

Requirements: completed vocational training (apprenticeship, BMS, or equivalent). At least one exam must be taken at a recognised school or university.

Duration and costs: 1.5 to 3 years part-time, 3,000 to 5,000 euros in total depending on provider. In many Austrian states, chamber of labour and regional programmes cover a significant portion.

Advantage: full university access with no restrictions on study field, and it does not expire.

Limitation: takes longer than the SBP and covers subjects you may not need for your specific study goal.

Path 3: Professional Qualification (Berufliche Qualifikation)

Many Fachhochschulen and some universities accept students based on relevant professional qualifications alone. This path is especially common for applied programmes.

How it works:

• You apply directly to the programme with your professional CV and qualifications.
• The institution evaluates your experience. Some require an entrance exam, an interview, or supplementary exams in individual subjects.
• Meister (master craftsman) certificates, Werkmeister qualifications, and certain advanced vocational diplomas often grant direct access.

Requirements: relevant professional experience, usually several years. This varies by institution and programme.

Advantage: no full school-leaving examination if your professional background matches the programme.

Limitation: only available at selected institutions and programmes, and remember the distinction above: this is an admission, not an entitlement.

Path 4: German Distance Universities, the Overlooked Route

Many German distance learning universities admit Austrian applicants without Matura if they bring a completed apprenticeship plus several years of work experience. That bypasses the SBP and the BRP entirely and lets you start a part-time bachelor's degree straight away.

Two things you need to know. First, admission follows the higher education law of the relevant German state, not the Austrian rules, so requirements differ from institution to institution. Second, many programmes expect a subject-related fit between your training and the degree, and some add a trial semester or an aptitude test. Get the admission confirmed in writing before you pay any fees.

The qualification is a regular German bachelor's degree and is generally recognisable across the European higher education area. For regulated professions in Austria, separate procedures apply regardless of where you studied.

The Four Paths Compared, and What the Longer One Costs

Do not compare course fees, compare total time to graduation. Here is the arithmetic with the intermediate steps.

Take a part-time bachelor's degree with a realistic duration of 4 years. Go via the Berufsreifeprüfung first and you add 2 years of lead time. That means 6 years to graduation instead of 4, plus 3,000 to 5,000 euros in BRP course fees you would not spend on the direct route.

Now the other side of the ledger: with the BRP you hold an entitlement valid for any degree in Austria, for life. On an admission you are tied to that one programme, and switching in the third semester means starting the assessment from scratch elsewhere.

My experience from advising: if your subject is settled and you want to finish quickly, the direct route is clearly better. If you are still undecided or do not want to rule out an Austrian university degree later, the BRP deserves serious consideration. Both are right, just not for the same person.

Two years of lead time means finishing two years later. That is the real price, not the course fee.

What You Can Clarify Yourself, and Where I Help

You can work through these points before deciding, without any help:

• Is your subject settled, or could it still change in the next two years?
• Which group of study fields would your SBP cover, and where would you sit the exams?
• What funding exists in your state, and must the application be filed before the course starts?
• Will your preferred university admit you with an apprenticeship plus work experience? Ask in writing.
• How much of your work experience could be credited towards the degree? The credit transfer check gives you a first assessment in minutes, and credited modules often shorten the route more than any shortcut at the admission stage.
• Does your target profession require a specific form of recognition, for example if it is a regulated profession?

Which of the four paths fits in the end depends on your subject, your background, and how quickly you want to finish. In a free initial consultation, I look at your training and your work experience and tell you whether direct admission is realistic or whether the BRP is worth it for you. All admission paths for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are summarised on the page Studying Without Abitur. Which programmes are actually available in Austria is covered in the article on distance learning in Austria.

Conclusion

Studying without Matura in Austria is not just possible, it is a well-established path. What decides your route is the difference between entitlement and admission: the Berufsreifeprüfung gives you an entitlement that is valid everywhere and permanently, at the cost of one to three years of lead time. Direct access via a master craftsman certificate or a German distance university gets you into a programme immediately but ties you to that institution. Calculate both routes in years to graduation, not in course fees. If you want to find out which route and programme fit your situation, book a free initial consultation. I clarify your options in 30 minutes.