Down 15 percent

Budget Crisis Also Hits Kepler University in Linz

(Bild: Wolfgang Spitzbart)

Stefan Koch, rector of Johannes Kepler University (JKU) in Linz, expects a significantly reduced budget for the coming years and warns of necessary cost-cutting measures. 

Stefan Koch has been rector of Johannes Kepler University in Linz since 2023. He proudly reports on what has happened at the university since then: 41 professorial positions have been filled, along with 18 so-called “development positions.” Last winter semester, JKU even set a record with nearly 5,000 first-year students. A total of 27,000 people are enrolled at the University of Linz.

However, just as it is on this positive trajectory, Kepler University now faces a potential setback. As reported, funding remains unresolved. Negotiations will begin in the fall, at which time the budget for the years 2028 through 2030 will be set. In the current three-year period, JKU has a total budget of just over one billion euros. The School of Medicine is not included in this figure; it is funded separately.

That’s already a relatively high figure in terms of the scale of the cuts.

Rektor Stefan Koch, JKU Linz

Bild: Farbwerk, Liz Blur

Koch anticipates a cut of around 15%. Across Austria, universities have calculated a funding need of 18 billion euros; however, only 15.5 billion is currently on the table. “That’s already a relatively high figure in terms of the scale of the cuts,” says Koch.

The rector leaves open what such a shortfall would mean—but he considers it unrealistic that it could be managed without noticeable cuts. A reduction of around 15 percent cannot simply be achieved through a few efficiency measures. Academic programs and course offerings, as well as administrative expenses, would then have to be scrutinized.