If you want to study veterinary medicine in Austria, you currently have no choice but to move to Vienna. There, the Sigmund Freud University (SFU) operates the only faculty in the country. A fact that could soon change.
About a year ago, the SFU, together with the Chamber of Veterinarians, approached the city of Wels to examine the establishment of a private veterinary university. According to Mayor Andreas Rabl (FPÖ), Wels turned out to be the “optimal location”. In May this year, the city finally sent a declaration of intent to the state together with the SFU.
According to Rabl, the central location and the good transport connections would speak in favor of Wels. The trade fair city also has a zoo and is in the immediate vicinity of the horse competence center Stadl-Paura and the Schmiding Zoo. A possible campus near the Tiergarten is said to have already been discussed.
Initial talks went well
Initial talks with the country have been positive. A working group is now to clarify the curriculum, research, capacity and funding. The first veterinarians could be trained in Wels as early as 2026. According to Governor Thomas Stelzer (ÖVP), a university of veterinary medicine is an “important step for the location”, since a wave of retirements is rolling in among veterinarians.
Philip Fellinger
