Exclusion then

The University of Vienna has always been a place that not everybody could access. At first, only Catholic men were allowed to study here. Then, in 1782, it was opened to Jewish and Protestant men. Women were excluded until 1897. Since they were not allowed to properly graduate secondary school, there was no need to explicitly deny them access to university. A person’s social situation, e.g. their family’s financial or educational background, has always been an important factor in being able to (successfully) study at university. During the Nazi regime, Jewish persons were formally prohibited from studying at the University of Vienna and political opponents were exiled, just as they already were during the age of Austrofascism.

Exclusion now

With the start of free admission in the 1970ies, the University of Vienna transformed from an elite institution to a university accessible to everyone. However, even today, there are obstacles keeping people from studying at university. These barriers often intersect and increase when factors such as social background, origins, skin colour and/or disability accumulate.

The university of Vienna wants to reduce these barriers. There are several contact points in order to do so.