The protest against potential cuts to Austria’s universities is entering the next round in Vienna. Since Thursday evening, students have occupied the auditorium of the Academy of Fine Arts at Schillerplatz. They are demanding more funding for universities and an end to tuition fees.

The action follows the large „Ring Lecture“ on Tuesday, where according to the Austrian Students‘ Union (ÖH), around 8,000 people protested against the looming budget cuts.

While the students are intensifying their protests, the administration of the University of Vienna is also warning about the potential consequences of the financing plans. Rector Sebastian Schütze fears a drastic reduction in staff if the university budget for the years 2028 to 2030 remains at the currently planned 15.5 billion euros.

The occupation of the Academy of Fine Arts in downtown Vienna began, according to a report by MeinBezirk, on Thursday, October 15, at 8 PM. The affected area is the auditorium of the university building at Schillerplatz 3 in the first district.

The student union of the Academy justifies the protest with the ongoing negotiations about the funding of public universities.

They fear that the announced cuts could lead to fewer courses, restricted offerings, and poorer study conditions. How long the occupation will last is not determined.

Ertuğrul Bayraktar, chairman of the student union at the Academy, stated to MeinBezirk when asked about the duration: „As long as it takes for something to change with the budget.“ Whether the regular teaching operations are already restricted by the occupation is not clear from the available reports.

The protesters are not only opposing the looming budget cuts. They are also demanding easier access to university education.

Many students have to work alongside their education to finance their living expenses.

„Not only children of wealthy parents have the right to education, but everyone!“ declared ÖH Chairman Ertuğrul Bayraktar in the press release.

A general increase in tuition fees is, however, not documented as a decided measure.

Meanwhile, warnings from university administrations are becoming clearer.

The federal financial framework currently allocates 15.5 billion euros for the performance agreement period from 2028 to 2030.

Schütze warned the APA that a budget of this magnitude, considering inflation, could effectively mean cuts of at least twelve to 15 percent.

„In these magnitudes, this is only possible through drastic staff cuts,“ the rector explained according to ORF.

According to his assessment, fixed-term employment contracts and positions not refilled after retirements would be particularly affected.

The universities are not only facing the question of what the future budget will be.

Schütze points out that around 70 percent of the expenses are for personnel. There are hardly any savings opportunities in other costs such as rent and energy.

From his perspective, 17 billion euros would be a reasonable compromise. The university conference had previously demanded 18 billion euros to offset inflation.

In addition to the amount of total funding, Schütze also advocates for a different distribution of funds.

Furthermore, the rector points out that the University of Vienna is the only Austrian university represented among the world’s top 100 universities.

How the federal government will distribute the budget among the individual universities is still open.

The occupation at Schillerplatz is not the first protest action against the planned cuts.

During this, the Ringstraße between the Parliament and the University of Vienna was temporarily closed to traffic.

On stages and at several action stations, students and university members drew attention to the feared consequences of the cuts.

According to ÖH, around 8000 people participated.

The next few days could be crucial for Austrian universities.

Consultations among the government leaders regarding funding are scheduled for Saturday, October 17, 2026.

A final decision has not yet been made at the time of this report.

Whether other universities will join the occupation actions is currently unknown.

(Ed.)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article .