Matura (Reifeprüfung)
The Austrian school-leaving exam and the general entry ticket to university.
- Who sits it
- Students finishing AHS Oberstufe, HTL, HAK or HLW.
- When it happens
- Written papers in May, orals in June of the final year.
- Preparation time
- The whole final year, with the written paper started a year earlier.
- How often
- Once a year, with autumn resits.
- Cost
- Free in public schools.
What the exam is like
Three or four written papers, a pre-scientific paper or diploma project, and two or three orals.
Stage by stage
1
Choose your written and oral subjects in the autumn
2
Write the Vorwissenschaftliche Arbeit or diploma project
3
Sit the standardised written papers (Zentralmatura)
4
Defend your paper and sit the orals
How the mark is used
Graded 1 (very good) to 5 (fail); most degrees only require a pass.
Careers that need it
No careers are linked to this exam yet.
Pathways through this exam
From the Matura into an Austrian university
How the Austrian academic route works: pick your Oberstufe subjects, pass the Matura, clear any Aufnahmeverfahren for capped degrees, and enrol at a nearly free public university.
From HTL into an engineering job
The five-year HTL route: workshop training, a diploma project, the Matura, and a technician role at 19 — with the Ingenieur title after three years of practice.
Lehre: Austria's paid apprenticeship route
Find a company, sign a Lehrvertrag, work four days a week and study one, then pass the Lehrabschlussprüfung. "Lehre mit Matura" adds the Matura at no cost.