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International schools in Austria

23 internationally accredited schools

The market in brief

The ranking holds 23 schools in Austria with an international accreditation or an authorised programme. IB programmes at 19 of them. Cambridge, IGCSE and A-Level, at 2. A preschool section at 7. A year of school costs from €500 to €75 800.

2 schools publish a monthly fee rather than a yearly one and do not say how many payments they charge over a school year. We count such a year as ten payments: that is the number charged by the schools that do state it, and that is how long the school year runs in most countries of the ranking.

Cities: Vienna (8) · Graz (2) · Salzburg (2) · Linz (2) · Innsbruck (2) · Krumbach (1) · St. Pölten (1) · Klosterneuburg (1) · St Gilgen (1) · Perchtoldsdorf (1) · Velden am Wörthersee (1) · Kufstein (1)

Austria next to other countries in the ranking

The median fee for a year of school in Austria is $24 682. That is 33rd for affordability out of 34 countries in the ranking. A comparison only means anything at a single exchange rate, so every figure is converted to dollars from one weekly snapshot.

CountryMedian a yearSchoolsWith an IB programme
Paraguay$4 673956%
Tajikistan$5 011130%
Bosnia and Herzegovina$5 020933%
Kyrgyzstan$6 324277%
Uzbekistan$6 5214719%
Albania$6 5521916%
Chile$7 2396161%
North Macedonia$7 5691060%
Turkmenistan$7 90840%
Georgia$7 9302917%
Azerbaijan$8 8242836%
Lithuania$9 6033853%
Slovenia$9 7441275%
Argentina$10 21321526%
Armenia$10 3361533%
Kazakhstan$10 5148926%
Spain$11 01548653%
Cyprus$11 1843928%
Uruguay$11 6383631%
Latvia$11 7491479%
Portugal$12 4047024%
Estonia$12 693786%
Montenegro$12 947933%
UAE$13 04341315%
Croatia$13 7261656%
Serbia$14 6852326%
Thailand$15 34820920%
Andorra$15 986944%
Brazil$16 78119948%
Vietnam$17 62614417%
Malta$17 737650%
Turkey$20 17024646%
Austria$24 6822383%
Israel$28 3511540%

The median is steadier than the average: one school charging three times the rest does not shift it. It is taken from the top of a school's fee range, that is from the senior stage, which is what families budget for. Free state schools are left out of the median, or it would stop answering the question of what you pay.

What a school in Austria costs

Cheapest$565 a yearInternational School Innsbruck
Median$24 682 a yeartop of the fee range at 15 schools with a published fee
Most expensive$85 634 a yearSt. Gilgen International School
Free4 schoolsBG/BRG Klosterneuburg, GIBS - Graz International Bilingual School, SALIS - Salzburg International School, Lower Austrian International School

Figures are converted to dollars at a weekly rate; schools publish their fees in their own currency. One-off charges, meals, transport and uniform are not included unless the school says otherwise. Fees for schools in Austria are taken from published price lists, not from what third parties say.

Why some schools in Austria do not publish a fee

83 % of schools in Austria name a fee on their own site (19 of 23). Across the whole ranking of 2589 schools it is 41 %. We read every school's site and worked out what schools write instead of a sum, and why openness follows the country and the network rather than the school: the study of school fees →

Private schools in Austria

14 of the 23 schools in the ranking are private. The other 9 are state schools, set out below. The type of school does not affect the score: private and state schools sit in one list and are scored by the same formula, and only verifiable data moves the number.

4 schools in Austria teach an international programme with no tuition fee: BG/BRG Klosterneuburg, GIBS - Graz International Bilingual School, SALIS - Salzburg International School, Lower Austrian International School. On value for money such schools get the top score, because they sit outside the price range altogether.

State schools in Austria

9 schools with an international accreditation are funded by the state: BG/BRG Klosterneuburg, GIBS - Graz International Bilingual School, International School Innsbruck, Lycée français de Vienne, SALIS - Salzburg International School, Linz International School Auhof (LISA), Lower Austrian International School, Volksschule SmartCity Leopoldinum, Accredited European School Tyrol. Admission to these schools is usually competitive, and tuition is free or markedly cheaper than at a private school. In the ranking they stand alongside private schools and are scored on the same nine criteria.

Schools with IB and Cambridge programmes in Austria

Schools in Austria with an IB programme (19): BG/BRG Klosterneuburg, St. Gilgen International School, American International School Vienna, AMADEUS International School Vienna, Vienna International School, Schloss Krumbach International School, GIBS - Graz International Bilingual School, International School Innsbruck, International School Carinthia (ISC), SALIS - Salzburg International School, Linz International School Auhof (LISA), Lower Austrian International School, Danube International School Vienna, International Christian School of Vienna, International School Kufstein Tirol, Volksschule SmartCity Leopoldinum, Anton Bruckner International School (ABIS), Campus Wien West, International Highschool Herzogberg. 5 of them run the full three-stage cycle: PYP, MYP and DP. Authorisation is confirmed against the International Baccalaureate register.

The British Cambridge programme - IGCSE and A-Level - is taught at 2 schools in Austria: Schloss Krumbach International School, Private Volksschule MERIDIAN Grinzing.

Best schools in Austria: ranked on data anyone can check

1BG/BRG KlosterneuburgKlosterneuburg, AustriaSchool in the register of IBFree81.68/9 criteria2St. Gilgen International SchoolSt Gilgen, AustriaSchool in the registers of IB, CIS, ACS WASCPart of the network Cognita≈ $37 055–85 634 a year · 32 800–75 800 EUR79.08/9 criteria3American International School ViennaVienna, AustriaSchool in the registers of IB, CIS, MSA, College BoardPart of the association CEESA≈ $17 954–32 836 a year · 15 892–29 065 EUR · Pre-School from 4 years78.28/9 criteria4AMADEUS International School ViennaVienna, AustriaSchool in the registers of IB, CIS≈ $20 284–45 715 a year · 17 955–40 465 EUR · Pre-School from 3 years77.68/9 criteria5Vienna International SchoolVienna, AustriaSchool in the registers of IB, CIS, MSAPart of the association CEESA≈ $10 453–32 943 a year · 9 253–29 160 EUR · Pre-School from 3 years77.58/9 criteria6Schloss Krumbach International SchoolKrumbach, AustriaSchool in the registers of IB, Cambridge≈ $45 076–49 347 a year · 39 900–43 680 EUR77.28/9 criteria7GIBS - Graz International Bilingual SchoolGraz, AustriaSchool in the register of IBFree76.78/9 criteria8International School InnsbruckInnsbruck, AustriaSchool in the register of IB≈ $565 a year · 500 EUR76.58/9 criteria9International School Carinthia (ISC)Velden am Wörthersee, AustriaSchool in the register of IB≈ $7 965–9 558 a year · 7 050–8 460 EUR76.28/9 criteria10Lycée français de VienneVienna, AustriaSchool in the register of AEFE≈ $8 428–8 614 a year · 7 460–7 625 EUR · Pre-School from 3 years75.78/9 criteria11SALIS - Salzburg International SchoolSalzburg, AustriaSchool in the register of IBFree75.58/9 criteria12Linz International School Auhof (LISA)Linz, AustriaSchool in the register of IB≈ $791 a year · 700 EUR75.38/9 criteria13Lower Austrian International SchoolSt. Pölten, AustriaSchool in the register of IBFree75.18/9 criteria14Danube International School ViennaVienna, AustriaSchool in the register of IB≈ $20 590–39 812 a year · 18 226–35 240 EUR · Pre-School from 3 years74.88/9 criteria15International Christian School of ViennaVienna, AustriaSchool in the registers of IB, ACSI, MSA≈ $9 680–24 682 a year · 8 568–21 848 EUR · Pre-School from 5 years73.28/9 criteria16International School Kufstein TirolKufstein, AustriaSchool in the register of IB≈ $6 914–7 998 a year · 6 120–7 080 EUR72.88/9 criteria17American International School - SalzburgSalzburg, AustriaSchool in the registers of MSA, College Board≈ $27 114–57 616 a year · 24 000–51 000 EUR72.48/9 criteria18Volksschule SmartCity LeopoldinumGraz, AustriaSchool in the register of IBPrice on request71.77/9 criteria19Anton Bruckner International School (ABIS)Linz, AustriaSchool in the register of IBPrice on request · Pre-School from 4.5 years69.57/9 criteria20Campus Wien WestVienna, AustriaSchool in the register of IB≈ $11 049 a year · 978 EUR a month68.88/9 criteria21Private Volksschule MERIDIAN GrinzingVienna, AustriaSchool in the register of Cambridge≈ $13 014 a year · 1 152 EUR a month68.38/9 criteria22International Highschool HerzogbergPerchtoldsdorf, AustriaSchool in the register of IBPrice on request66.47/9 criteria23Accredited European School TyrolInnsbruck, AustriaSchool in the register of European SchoolsPrice on request65.17/9 criteria

Facilities at schools in Austria

A facility counts only when the school names it outright on its own site: a modern campus is not a swimming pool. Boarding: 5 schools · School transport: 5 schools.

How to compare schools in Austria

Comparing schools on a single feature is useless: the most expensive is not the best, and a famous name says nothing about what is backed by documents. The score is therefore built from nine criteria with different weights - from academic programmes and accreditation to facilities, clubs and fees relative to other schools in the country.

A criterion counts towards the score only when there is verifiable data behind it. That is why every score says how many of the nine criteria were counted: at schools in Austria that is 7.8 out of 9 on average. A school with a detailed site and a school with no site cannot earn an equally reliable score, and that is shown rather than hidden.

Ratings and reviews from Google Maps and other map services are not used: their terms forbid aggregation. Only verified reviews left here count. Full methodology →

Frequently asked questions

How many international schools are there in Austria?

The ranking holds 23 schools with an international accreditation or an authorised programme: Vienna - 8, Graz - 2, Salzburg - 2, Linz - 2, Innsbruck - 2, Krumbach - 1, St. Pölten - 1, Klosterneuburg - 1, St Gilgen - 1, Perchtoldsdorf - 1, Velden am Wörthersee - 1, Kufstein - 1. Every school says where its accreditation came from: found in a public register, confirmed by a document from the school, or claimed by the school with nothing behind it. We do not hide a claim, but it does not go into the score.

Is an international school in Austria expensive next to other countries?

The median fee in Austria is $24 682 a year. That is 33rd for affordability out of 34 countries in the ranking. Cheaper: Paraguay, Tajikistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Albania, Chile, North Macedonia, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Slovenia, Argentina, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Spain, Cyprus, Uruguay, Latvia, Portugal, Estonia, Montenegro, UAE, Croatia, Serbia, Thailand, Andorra, Brazil, Vietnam, Malta, Turkey. The comparison only holds inside one year: all fees are converted into dollars at one weekly rate.

Are there free schools with an international programme in Austria?

Yes, 4: BG/BRG Klosterneuburg, GIBS - Graz International Bilingual School, SALIS - Salzburg International School, Lower Austrian International School. These are state schools where the international programme runs with no tuition fee. They stand in the ranking on equal terms with private ones.

How do you check that a school really holds its accreditation?

We look the school up in the public register of the organisation itself. There are ten such registers today: International Baccalaureate, Cambridge International, CIS, NEASC, COBIS, AEFE, MSA (Middle States Association), Cognia, Pearson Edexcel and the network of German schools abroad. The list grows with the geography of the ranking: a new country usually has an organisation of its own. An accreditation found in a register is marked green and goes into the score. One confirmed only by a document from the school is yellow, and weighs less. One claimed in words is red, and the school's accreditation score is then the lowest. Membership of a network or an association is counted apart: a school joins a network, but earns an accreditation, so membership weighs one step lower. That is why a school calling itself international and a school standing in the ranking are two different things.

Other countries: Spain · UAE · Turkey · Argentina · Thailand · Brazil · Vietnam · Kazakhstan · Portugal · Chile · Uzbekistan · Cyprus · Lithuania · Uruguay · Georgia · Azerbaijan · Kyrgyzstan · Serbia · Albania · Croatia · Armenia · Israel · Latvia · Tajikistan · Slovenia · North Macedonia · Montenegro · Paraguay · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Andorra · Estonia · Malta · Turkmenistan