I am not a typical student. Should I participate in the survey nonetheless?
I am currently doing a semester abroad. Should I participate in the survey nonetheless?
I have already ended my studies. Should I participate in the survey nonetheless?
I only studied in Austria for 1-2 semesters. Should I participate in the survey nonetheless?
How can I participate in the prize draw?
What happens with the results?
Who commissioned the survey?
The survey was commissioned by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy (BMWFW). The project is being supervised by an advisory board containing representatives of the Universities Austria Association (uniko), the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences in Austria (FHK), the Rectors’ Conference of Austrian Universities of Education (RÖPH), the Conference of Austrian Private Universities (ÖPUK), the Austrian Union of Students (ÖH), the Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria (AQ Austria) and the Austrian Council for Sciences, Technology, and Innovation (FORWIT). These institutions all support the survey and have contributed to the development of the questionnaire.
Why me?
The greater the number of students who participate in the survey, the better the results will show that there is no such thing as “the students”. Very different people with different backgrounds, perceptions and goals study at Austria’s higher education institutions. The more detailed the information available on these various groups, the better the higher education institutions, student representatives and higher education policy can react to their different needs and develop corresponding, precisely targeted measures and support options. Accordingly, the information provided by each individual student is of utmost relevance.
I’m not a typical student. Should I participate in the survey nonetheless?
The results of the last surveys showed that there is no (longer) such a thing as a “typical student”. The “untypical” is becoming increasingly “typical”. As a group, students are becoming increasingly heterogeneous, their study situations and living conditions are becoming more diverse. Bachelor degree students, students at universities of applied sciences, doctorate/PhD students, students at university colleges of teacher education, younger students, older students, women, men, students who live with their parents, students who work full-time and study on the side, students with children, foreign students, students with disabilities, etc. all live and study in different conditions and situations.
I received the invitation e-mail at various e-mail addresses. Should I complete the survey more than once?
If you received multiple invitations to participate in the Student Social Survey 2025 (e.g. because you are studying at more than one higher education institution), please only complete the survey once (for your main study programme). Please also ignore any reminder e-mails that are sent to your other e-mail addresses.
I am studying at more than one higher education institution. Should I complete the survey more than once?
If you are studying at more than one higher education institution, you will probably receive multiple invitations to participate in the survey. If this should be the case, please only complete the survey once (for your main study programme). Please also ignore any reminder e-mails that are sent to your other e-mail addresses.
I am currently doing a semester abroad. Should I participate in the survey nonetheless?
The survey is targeted at students who are currently studying in Austria. If you are currently doing a study period or internship abroad, many of the questions won’t “fit” your situation. However, we would kindly request that you indicate this for the statistics on the first page of the questionnaire. Thank you!
I have already ended my studies. Should I participate in the survey nonetheless?
If you are still erroneously included in the e-mail list or have ended your studies in the meantime, we would kindly request that you simply indicate this fact for the statistics on the first page of the questionnaire. Thank you!
I only studied in Austria for 1-2 semesters. Should I participate in the survey nonetheless?
This survey is targeted at students who are studying in Austria over multiple semesters. If you are (or have been) in Austria as an “exchange student” in this or the last semester, you do not form part of the main student population, and many of the questions will not “fit” your situation. However, we would kindly request that you indicate this for the statistics on the first page of the questionnaire. Thank you!
How can I participate in the prize draw?
Participants of the survey can take part in a prize draw. At the end of the survey, you can exit the questionnaire or be redirected to an input field. A new window of your browser will open, where you can fill in your e-mail address and enter the lottery for one of the vouchers. Thereby, there is no connection between your e-mail address and your answers in the survey. The redirection from the questionnaire to the input field is generated only once and can be used only once.
What happens with the results?
The report on the survey represents a very important information basis for Austrian and international higher education policy, since the information collected is not available from other data sources. The results will be published in several reports, will be made available for download and support the work of all manner of different players in the higher education policy sector.
Student grant policy was, for instance, evaluated on the basis of the Student Social Survey. The results are used by psychological student counselling services and in the guidance service provided to final year school pupils. The data obtained are used to produce numerous special evaluations, e.g. for individual higher education institutions, the Austrian Union of Students (ÖH), the BMBWF, the Chambers of Labour and various working groups set up by the Universities Austria Association.
The results of the Austrian student social surveys have also been analysed since the 1990s for international comparison purposes (EUROSTUDENT). The “social dimension” plays an increasingly prominent role in the Bologna Process. Ministerial data from about 30 national social surveys are also processed for the regular Bologna Process Implementation Report. The OECD and the EU likewise use data from these national surveys, since only students themselves can provide information on how the different higher education systems and grant/support programmes function. For example, the 2015 survey provided the data basis for formulating the goals as part of the national strategy for the social dimension of higher education.