Those interested commit to working in these areas after completing their training and in return receive a scholarship and easier entry tests. However, only 49 of the 85 places could be allocated using this method this time. Those interested commit to staying with the partner institution (the respective federal state, the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), the Ministry of the Interior or the Federal Army) for 17 or 20 years, but in return they only have to come in the top 25 percent in the entry test. Those who end their studies or service early must pay back the scholarship.
According to Ö1’s “Morgenjournal” and ZiB, there were several hundred interested parties. However, they either did too poorly to get a dedicated place on the course, or their results were so good that they were given a regular place on the course without any obligation. However, the dedicated places that were not allocated do not expire, as the Ministry of Education stresses. They fall back into the regular system and are awarded, as usual, to those who do particularly well on the entrance test. This year there were around 11,700 applications for 1,850 places, and 15,400 people took the entrance test.
“A certain standard of performance is required”
According to the report, only the Federal Army, where the model is being used for the third time, and Vienna were able to fill all of their dedicated places. Of the applicants for the three places in the Ministry of the Interior, none achieved the necessary points, and the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) was only able to fill six of its 13 places. According to the report, Burgenland and Vorarlberg are also unable to use their two and three dedicated study places, respectively, and Styria can only allocate three of its eight places. The three federal states therefore called for improvements to the allocation method. The ministry said that the handling of the allocation of places is already entirely up to the states. “A certain performance standard for admission to medical studies is in any case necessary in the interests of quality assurance and fairness of performance compared to other applicants,” said department head Martin Polaschek (ÖVP).
In Tyrol, four of the five dedicated study places were awarded, and the applicants are to be committed to working as public health officers for Tyrol. There, three other applicants who have received enough points for a regular study place will also be offered a support contract with commitment. Salzburg was only able to award one of the four dedicated places, but has awarded a training contract to four other prospective medical students.
