UG amendment - minimum benefit is reduced and comes later

Utl.: Implementation only from 2022/23 - Senate may have a say in first rector re-election - Instead of age limit for rectors, there will be a restriction on periods of office

Vienna (APA) - The planned introduction of a minimum study performance for first-year students in the amendment to the Universities Act (UG) will be significantly softened: instead of the originally planned 24 ECTS in the first two years of study, only 16 ECTS will be required. The ten-year ban on the study programme in question, which is intended as a sanction for non-achievement, will also be reduced to two years, according to the draft available to the APA.

In addition, the new requirement will not come into force in October, but only for the academic year 2022/23. For orientation: A Bachelor's programme usually comprises 180 ECTS. With a study performance of 16 ECTS every two years, graduation at this pace would take a little more than 22 years.

Further changes: The senates may continue to have a say in the first reappointment of rectors. In the review draft, this was still reserved exclusively for the university councils. Unlike before, however, the reappointment of incumbent rectors will not require a two-thirds majority in the senate and university council, but only a simple majority in each case.

The planned introduction of an age limit of 70 years for rectors was also dropped. Instead, their term of office will be limited to three terms. In the senates, a limit of four terms of office will be introduced.

The planned penal provisions for ghostwriting will be tightened: not only the providers will have to expect an administrative fine, but also the clients due to a reference in the administrative penal law. And finally, there is a kind of "Lex Aschbacher": in addition to universities, universities of applied sciences and private universities are to be explicitly obliged to comply with good scientific practice.

Education Minister Heinz Faßmann (ÖVP) and the Greens' science spokesperson Eva Blimlinger will present the details at a press conference on Tuesday.