The global recorded music industry is a major creative sector: recorded music revenues reached USD 31.7 billion in 2025, marking the industry’s 11th consecutive year of growth.
Although Austria is a small country, it has one of the world’s strongest musical traditions. Music remains a core part of Austrian cultural identity, from historic concert halls and opera houses to festivals and contemporary venues across the country.
Vienna is often described as a musical capital, and it became a major center of classical music, especially in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Many major composers lived, worked, or were born in Austria, including Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Johann Strauss II, and Franz Schubert.
As one of Europe’s great cultural destinations, Austria continues to attract students who want to pursue their dreams in music. Choosing to study music in Austria can be an excellent decision for students interested in both classical traditions and contemporary musical training.
Top Music Schools in Austria
Austria is known for relatively affordable public higher education. At public universities and public universities of the arts, Austrian and EU/EEA students generally do not pay tuition if they stay within the minimum program duration plus two semesters; after that, they usually pay 363.36 euros per semester. Other third-country students with a Residence Permit–Student are generally required to pay 751.92 euros per semester.
Austria’s universities and universities of the arts combine comparatively affordable tuition with strong academic and artistic training.
Here, we have these music schools in Austria that offer education to international students.
1. University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw) is one of the world’s largest and most renowned arts universities in the fields of music, performing arts, and music education.
It is committed to recruiting students with dedication and talent. Admission is based on each program’s requirements and, in many artistic fields, an entrance examination or audition.
The university trains more than 3,000 students from around 70 countries and offers 115 artistic, research-oriented, and education-related programs across 25 departments at nine locations in Vienna.
The mdw offers a broad range of bachelor’s and master’s programs in fields such as instrumental studies, voice, musical theater direction, music education, music therapy, musicology, and artistic and academic doctoral study options.
2. University of Vienna
The University of Vienna was founded in 1365 and is one of the oldest universities in Europe. It is also Austria’s largest research and educational institution.
This university offers degree programs in several fields, including a bachelor’s and master’s program in Musicology. The bachelor’s program lasts six semesters and is worth 180 ECTS credits, while the master’s program lasts four semesters and is worth 120 ECTS credits. The master’s program includes specialization modules such as the history of European music, ethnomusicology, systematic musicology, music and society, and individual specialization.
The program provides a strong foundation for students interested in the academic study of music, while also building practical qualifications in areas such as editorial techniques, sound and image recording, librarianship, archive studies, museums, and the media business.
3. University of Music and Performing Arts Graz
The University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (Kunstuniversität Graz) traces its roots to the Academic Music Society’s vocal school, which began offering tuition in 1816 and became the root of today’s university.
KUG is located in the center of Europe, with campuses in Graz and Oberschützen, and connects the region’s cultural heritage with contemporary arts.
KUG has around 2,295 students and offers a wide range of programs in music and the performing arts, including composition, computer music, sound art, jazz, instrumental studies, music therapy, musicology, and doctoral study programs in artistic research and scientific research.
4. Jam Music Lab University
Jam Music Lab University was founded in 2011 by Marcus Ratka, Johannes Valentin, and Andreas Bartosh as a private music conservatory with public recognition as an education institution. It became a private university in 2017.
It is Austria’s first music university to focus holistically on jazz, popular music, and media music.
Located at Gasometer Music City in Vienna, Jam Music Lab offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in music, music education, media music, and arts management, as well as an artistic doctoral program leading to the Doctor artium. The university aims to extend Austria’s musical reputation beyond classical music to include pop, rock, jazz, and media music.
5. Mozarteum University
Mozarteum University combines artistic practice, education, and research across music, performing arts, and visual arts. It has campuses and departments in Salzburg and Innsbruck.
The university brings together highly talented students from around the world and offers training with experienced teachers in an arts-focused environment.
The university also maintains international relations through exchange programs, scholarship programs, exchange concerts, and joint projects with other music and art institutions.
Mozarteum University offers more than 40 artistic and education courses in music, the performing arts, and the visual arts. Bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees are awarded, and doctoral options include Ph.D. programs in areas such as Music Education, Musicology, and Fine Arts.
FAQs: Music Studies in Austria
What Career Opportunities are Open to Graduates with a Music Degree?
As a music graduate, teaching, performing, and composing are three common ways to pursue a music career. You could also choose to continue your education in a desired field of study, such as instrumental teaching, vocal teaching, music performance, or musicology.
There are many job opportunities related to a music degree, including music producer, music therapist, musician, private music teacher, secondary school teacher, sound designer, sound engineer, sound technician, talent agent, acoustic consultant, and more.
Austria’s rich musical history attracts young talents globally. Today, Austria can offer comparatively affordable public higher education, especially at public universities and universities of the arts, to students who are ready to prove their talent and dedication. In addition, Austria ranked among the five most peaceful countries in the 2025 Global Peace Index.
We hope this article will serve as a guide in choosing the right music school! You can also find more information on different European universities and scholarship opportunities on the Study in Austria and Available Programs for International Students pages.
