MedAT

Overview

MedAT (Medizinischer Aufnahmetest) is the entrance test used to select students for human medicine and dentistry degree programmes in Austria. It is set and run jointly by the Medical University of Vienna, the Medical University of Innsbruck, the Medical University of Graz, and the Medical Faculty of Johannes Kepler University (JKU) Linz, and is sat once a year, on the same day, at all participating locations. The test is held entirely in German. There are two variants: MedAT-H for human medicine (offered at all four locations) and MedAT-Z for dentistry (offered at Vienna, Innsbruck and Graz only; JKU Linz does not offer a dentistry programme).

Who can apply

Any applicant who holds, or will hold by the start of the academic year, a general university entrance qualification is eligible to register — typically the Austrian Matura, or a recognised foreign equivalent (such as other European school-leaving certificates or the International Baccalaureate). There is no age limit, and a candidate may sit MedAT in more than one year; all applicants are ranked on equal terms regardless of how many times they have previously taken the test.

When registering, an applicant must choose exactly one study location (Vienna, Innsbruck, Graz or Linz) and one programme (human medicine or, where offered, dentistry) for that admissions cycle; a separate MedAT-Z sitting and a separate application are needed to apply for dentistry.

Exam pattern

Both variants are written, multiple-choice tests with five answer options per question, of which exactly one is correct; a correct answer scores one point, and a wrong or unanswered question scores zero, so there is no penalty for guessing. The test day runs across a single day, from early morning to late afternoon, with all participating locations sitting the same paper at the same time.

MedAT-H — human medicine

MedAT-Z — dentistry

Marking and results

Each subtest is scored as a percentage of the maximum points available, then combined into one overall score using the weights above (for example, in MedAT-H: 0.4 x BMS% + 0.4 x KFF% + 0.1 x TV% + 0.1 x SEK%). Candidates are ranked by this overall score, separately within each study location and within each programme (human medicine or dentistry) an applicant applied to — a candidate's rank at Vienna is independent of their rank at Graz, for instance, even with the same raw score. Results for the 2026 cycle were due in calendar week 32 of 2026 (early August), published to each applicant through their online registration account.

Important dates

For the 2026 cycle: online registration opened on 2 March 2026 and closed on 31 March 2026, with the registration fee due within that window. The test itself was held on Friday, 3 July 2026, simultaneously at Vienna, Innsbruck, Graz and JKU Linz, running from around 07:00 to the late afternoon. Results followed in calendar week 32 of 2026. Dates shift slightly each year; check medizinstudieren.at or your target university's admissions page for the current cycle before planning around the dates above.

Fees

For the 2026 cycle, the MedAT registration fee was EUR 110, payable online during the registration window. The fee is non-refundable once paid, and is charged per study-location application — an applicant who wants to be considered at more than one university, or for both human medicine and dentistry, registers and pays separately for each.

How to apply

1. Create an account on the official online registration portal during the registration window (2–31 March for the 2026 cycle).

2. Choose one study location (Vienna, Innsbruck, Graz, or Linz for human medicine only) and one programme for that application.

3. Enter personal details exactly as they appear on the photo ID to be presented at the test, and upload proof of your university entrance qualification (or confirmation that it will be completed in time).

4. Pay the registration fee online before the registration window closes.

5. Sit the test on the published date at the test centre assigned to your chosen study location.

After the exam

Each university ranks its own applicants by overall MedAT score, separately for human medicine and (where offered) dentistry. For human medicine, Austrian law sets a quota on how places are allocated within each location's ranked list: at least 75% of places go to applicants with an Austrian school-leaving certificate, with the remaining places split so that at least 95% of all places overall go to EU/EEA citizens (and those treated as equivalent to them), leaving a maximum of about 5% of places for applicants from outside the EU/EEA. Each quota group is filled by the highest-ranked applicants within that group. Dentistry places are not subject to this quota system; they go to the highest-ranked applicants overall, regardless of citizenship or school-leaving certificate.

For the 2026/27 academic year, a reported 1,950 places were split across the four locations: 784 at MedUni Vienna, 430 at MedUni Innsbruck, 406 at MedUni Graz and 330 at the JKU Linz Medical Faculty, against roughly 16,880 completed registrations for the sitting.

Preparation tips

Work through official and well-regarded unofficial practice materials for each subtest separately, since BMS rewards memorised school science while KFF and SEK reward speed and pattern recognition that improve mainly through repeated timed practice. Revise upper-secondary biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics early, since BMS covers the broadest and most fact-heavy content. Practise the KFF task groups (figure assembly, number sequences, memory, implications) under strict time limits, since pacing is usually the limiting factor rather than difficulty. Applicants to dentistry should additionally practise the wire-bending and mirror-drawing tasks physically, not just by reading about them, since MF is a hands-on skills test.