Ex-Minister and Rector Töchterle: 'If Germans study with us, they should pay something'

Former Austrian Minister of Science and former Rector of the University of Innsbruck, Karlheinz Töchterle, has voiced support for the universities' protest measures, acknowledging the difficulty of operating without even inflation adjustments.

Universities across Austria are raising alarms, with rectors stating that planned budgets fail to keep pace with inflation. In response, the Austrian Universities Conference and the Austrian National Union of Students are organizing a major demonstration in Vienna. Töchterle understands the universities' concerns and defends their protests.

“

Because if not even inflation is compensated, it becomes difficult.

However, Töchterle also sees potential for savings and strongly advocates for the introduction of tuition fees. He specifically points to German students studying in Austria for free as an area where new revenue could be generated. Töchterle argues that charging fees, especially for international students who do not contribute to Austria's tax base in the same way as domestic students, is a viable way to secure additional income for the institutions.

“

If Germans study with us, they should pay something.