Education in Figures 2020/21: more pupils eligible for promotion, higher pass rates at the main date of the 'Matura' examinations and more students at public universities

Press release: 12.809-107/22

Vienna,2022-05-12 - As shown in the current publication "Education in Figures 2020/21" by Statistics Austria, the proportion of pupils not eligible for promotion to the next grade has decreased significantly due to loosened promotion requirements. In addition, beginning with the main term 2020, there have been some facilitations in the "Matura" (the final exams of upper secondary academic and vocational schools that qualify graduates for university) due to the Corona pandemic. As a result, 93.5% of the pupils who took part successfully completed the "Matura" at the main date in 2021, far more than before the pandemic (main date in 2019: 85.1%). There are also influences at the universities, so in 2020/21, in the first winter semester after the outbreak of the pandemic, the number of regular students at public universities rose by 1.2% to 268 240. Negative effects were temporarily evident in further education participation, which in 2020 fell by 29% compared to the previous year, but in 2021 almost returned to the initial level before the pandemic.

"The Corona pandemic had a major impact on education in the 2020/21 school year. However, the short-term negative consequences on formal educational success were largely cushioned: For example, significantly fewer students had to repeat a grade during the Corona pandemic than in previous years due to relaxed transfer rules, and in the case of the final exams (Zentralmatura), facilitation measures led to a higher pass rate. It remains to be seen whether the Corona crisis and the measures associated with it will also have long-term consequences," says Statistics Austria Director General Tobias Thomas.

For more detailed information please refer to the German version.