Students at the limit: stress, work and worries in Austria's universities!

Students at the limit: stress, work and worries in Austria's universities!

In Austria, students have been faced with a variety of challenges since pandemic. In particular, this includes financial worries, psychological stress and social hurdles. This problem was recently taken up by the National Council's Science Committee, which took note of two reports on the social situation of students. According to the study, which is based on the student's social survey in 2023 and participating in almost 43,000 students of all types of universities, an increase in financial and psychological problems can be seen. Minister of Science Eva-Maria Holzleitner and IHS college researcher Martin Unger discussed the results that are sobering.

Holzleitner emphasized that the survey, which has been published regularly since 1975, was crucial for the development of targeted measures to promote study and to combat social disadvantages. A concrete result that she presented is the high proportion of employed students in Austria in a European comparison; About every third student has to work due to financial bottlenecks instead of concentrating fully on his studies.

financial and psychological stress

The study shows that many students perceive their employment as a necessary evil. It should be emphasized that 23 percent of the respondents would prefer to invest more time for their studies instead of having to work. The discussion about the effects of this employment on the success of the study was a central topic among MPs. ÖVP MP Thomas Elian asked questions about these effects, while FPÖ MP Manuel Litzke criticized university policy and corona measures.

A report by the Techniker Krankenkasse underlines the psychological stress that many students feel. A Forsa survey from January 2023 showed that 68% of the students in the past 12 months suffered from stress, a dramatic increase compared to the 44% in 2015. In addition, 44% of the respondents report a feeling of loneliness that is reinforced by increasing digitization.

social challenges and family topics

The study survey also proves a social aspect: around 8 percent of students have at least one child under 25 years old, and 10 percent of them are single parent. Martin Unger found that a third of the students of parents come without Matura, which addresses social selection at universities. At the same time, Holzleitner announced measures to combat inflation, which also include increasing the support of study and a cafeteria bonus in order to meet these challenges.

The ombudsman for students registered an increase in inquiries by 6 percent to a total of 822 in the studies 2023/24. Many of these inquiries concerned study conditions, approvals and aid, which further illustrates the current burdens of the students. In autumn, the ombudsman plans to deal with residential issues for foreign students who also suffer from current conditions.