Can Research Universities Survive without Control over Admission? Reflections on Austria's Exceptionalism in Higher Education Policy

Abstract

Austria prides itself on its ‘open admission’ policy which is contrary to the selective admission procedures at Anglo-Saxon universities or the Numerus Clausus system in most European countries. All Austrian citizens who have completed the Gymnasium - the elite track of the secondary school - and hold a ‘Matura’ - the Austrian equivalent to the German ‘Abitur’ - are entitled to enrol in any programme at any Austrian university. This paper explains the logic of this policy and its historical roots, demonstrates the implications of this policy under the conditions of mass higher education, and discusses how this policy has triggered a conflict between Austria and the European Union.