Well-educated and expensive, three quarters of all German medical students leave Austria after completing their studies. Med Uni Graz wants to take countermeasures.
Unlike in, say, America or England, where you often end up in debt well into old age by going to university, studying in Austria is free. Most students only pay the ÖH rate of 20.70 euros per semester.
In exchange, a medical student at the relevant university (Graz, Vienna or Innsbruck) costs between 54,576 and 63,066 euros – and that on an annual basis. Amounts that the federal government must bear for the most part.
70.5 percent of Germans quickly left
All the more painful is Statistics Austria’s latest analysis of students in Austria: “We took a closer look at the period from 2008/09 to 2018/19, with a focus on medical graduates in Austria,” explains Felicitas Mandl, one of the authors.
Against the background of the acute shortage of doctors in Styria, but also in all other federal states, one detail in particular stood out: “For example, if you take the 2016/17 class at the Medical University in Graz, you will see that in the first In three years, 70.5 percent of German graduates have moved abroad,” says Mandl (see graph).
Relatively many Austrians are also leaving
The statistics did not mention where the Germans were going; However, it can be assumed that the majority will return home, where, as is known, better working conditions and more attractive wages await.
Eight percent of Austrian graduates leave the country. Doesn’t sound like much – but: “Closer analysis shows that doctors move relatively often compared to other fields,” the summary says.
Only a few open their own practice
Not very constructive either: only a few open their own practice after their medical studies. “Five years after completion, the proportion of self-employed people in the reporting period is five percent, 95 percent are in paid employment,” says statistician Judith Zehetgruber.
Politics doesn’t get active
Health Minister Juliana Bogner-Strauß (ÖVP) reacts soberly to the figures: “The established quotas also apply to Austrian students in Germany. It would therefore be good to know what the return rate is here in order to draw the right conclusions. In general, the responsibility for this lies with the Ministry of Education.”
Med Uni wants to respond
The Medical University of Graz sees a need for more action here: “In addition to the expected share of graduates who will return to their country of origin or work in another country as part of the national and EU-wide internationalization efforts, it is important to address the graduates with targeted measures and create attractive preconditions for work in Germany.” The university can also contribute “by setting up activities to convey to students the attractiveness of the location or region in relation to their job”.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
