FHV with new high: 1,759 students
21.10.2025
Particularly pleasing is the ten percent increase in applicants compared to the previous year, which underlines the continued strong demand for practical, future-oriented education in the region.
"The FHV is a central building block for Vorarlberg as a location for education and business. It offers young people excellent prospects and, with its practical approach, ensures the supply of skilled workers in future-relevant areas," says Barbara Schöbi-Fink, State Councillor for Education. The range of courses on offer has been growing continuously for years, most recently with innovative programs such as the upgrade course in Health Care and Nursing or the newly designed master's degree programme in sustainable management. Governor Markus Wallner emphasizes the overall economic importance of the university: "The FHV is much more than an educational institution - it is a driver of innovation for the state. Research and teaching create impetus for Business and Management and help to ensure that Vorarlberg continues to offer top quality as a knowledge location." With its clear strategic orientation until 2030, European networking as part of the RUN-EU network and a high degree of regional anchoring, the FHV is positioning itself as a strong partner for education, research and future skills in Vorarlberg.
The range of courses on offer and the number of study places at the FHV have grown continuously in recent years. The university presents positive developments for the academic year 2025/26. With 1,759 students in more than 20 study programs, more people are studying at the FHV than ever before. This exceeds the previous record set in the 2024/25 academic year with 1,627 students. The total number of applications for the degree programs has increased by ten percent compared to the previous year. "Overall, we are registering more applications than there are places available and the growth in the number of prospective students is very pleasing. The average application rate is 1.7 applicants per study place. In view of the stagnating student numbers and intense competition between universities, these are very pleasing figures," explains FHV Managing Director Stefan Fitz-Rankl. The complete press release on the press conference at the FHV is available here.
