85% of the participants evaluate the courses in extensive evaluation with high satisfaction

In accordance with the Integration Act, the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) provides German courses at more than 200 locations throughout Austria, and over 67,000 courses were provided last year. Professional, extensive evaluation and an anonymous survey among more than 3,000 participants of funded courses show: The German courses funded by the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) are rated by a large majority as effective and well organized: 82% indicated that their knowledge of German has improved through the course, whereby 12% evaluated this neutral. 98% of the respondents stated that the content mediated in the course indicated actively in everyday life.

Interested course participants evaluate the course visit with a large majority positively

The results show a very high level of satisfaction with the German courses provided by the ÖIF: Among the participants surveyed from more than 370 courses stated that they were very satisfied or satisfied with the organization of the courses, another 10% were neutral, 5% were not satisfied with the courses. Among the respondents, the course visit is positively rated by the vast majority: 87% of the participants stated that they were looking forward to every course, 77% said that the content mediated met with their expectations, each of the 10% or 14% of the participants rated this neutral. The framework conditions of the German courses were also evaluated positively: 79% of the nationwide surveyed stated that the course location is easily accessible, partly to another 9%. With the offer of child supervision, 87% of the group in question was satisfied.

German courses for refugees and displaced persons with extensive, legally stipulated quality assurance

In accordance with the Integration Act, the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) provides German courses for asylum and subsidiary beneficiaries as well as for Ukrainian displaced persons from the age of 15. German courses funded by the ÖIF and implemented by spa carriers are subject to uniform, legally anchored quality standards nationwide. These are regulated in the Integration Act implementation regulation and oblige all spa winners to comply with transparent framework conditions. These include qualified teaching staff with C1 language skills, extensive teaching experience and completed DAF/DAZ training as well as the mandatory use of the ÖIF frame curricula. In addition, unannounced on-site evaluations and external quality assurance measures take place regularly.

The present results are based on an Austria-wide, representative survey of course participants by the interdisciplinary research and evaluation institute TQS Research & Consulting KG. Around 3,200 participants in courses across Austria were interviewed last year.

ÖIF promotes German courses throughout Austria in accordance with the Integration Act

In recent years, a high number of asylum and subsidiary protectionists in Austria has been given protection. Central challenges are the falling level of education and the high need to literate among refugees: Two out of three asylum and subsidiary protection beneficiaries with award in 2024 were not sufficiently literally, 43% of them were not in their own language of origin. In addition, there is the high number of Ukrainian displaced persons, for which the ÖIF has provided integration offers and German courses across Austria since the beginning of the war.

With ongoing evaluations and quality assurance measures, the ÖIF reacts quickly to these developments and ensures that every person entitled to claim receives a suitable German courtyard. The ÖIF provides German courses at all levels, from the literacy to C1, the offer is flexibly designed in order to be able to agree on a course visit as best as possible with a professional activity or care obligations. With 67,500 German courses, the ÖIF provided more German courses in the previous year than ever before. In addition to the German courses stipulated in the Integration Act, the ÖIF provides all immigrants regardless of the residence permit at the freely accessible ÖIF language portal A comprehensive range of online German courses and learning offers. In this way, German can be learned in parallel to a professional activity or care obligations around the clock regardless of the location.