ÖH - Österreichische Hochschüler_innenschaft

What ÖH - Österreichische Hochschüler_innenschaft does

ÖH - Österreichische Hochschüler_innenschaft (Austrian National Union of Students) is the statutory public-law corporation (Körperschaft öffentlichen Rechts) established under the Hochschülerinnen- und Hochschülerschaftsgesetz 2014 (HSG 2014) to represent approximately 400,000 students at Austrian public universities, private universities, universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen), and pedagogical universities (Pädagogische Hochschulen). Headquartered in Vienna (Taubstummengasse 7-9) and led by Chairperson Viktoria Kudrna, ÖH operates a federal-level Bundesvertretung together with a nationwide federation of local student representations, and is funded entirely through mandatory per-semester student membership fees (ÖH-Beitrag). The organization is supervised by the Federal Minister for Education, Science and Research and reconstituted through direct democratic elections held every two years.

The service offering is structured as a unified digital platform ecosystem centered on oeh.ac.at, with modular sub-products including the Studienplattform study search engine, Schwarzes Brett classifieds board, Progress magazine, ÖH Reminder SMS service, ÖH SCHAUT HIN anonymous whistleblower platform, ÖH Helpline, queer-feminist library, Erstsemestrigen tutoring (Etut), and the Wahlportal/EWAS electronic election system. Core services span social counseling, housing rights advice, study-law legal advice, mental health group programs, international student support, accessibility services, and a portfolio of Fördertöpfe (grant pots) covering social hardship (Sozialfonds), dormitory subsidies, climate initiatives, queer-feminist projects, students at risk, and Iranian student support. Group accident and liability insurance is underwritten by Generali at €0.70 per member per semester.

The business model is non-commercial: ÖH generates no equity, has no shareholders, and has no venture or private-equity backing. Revenue consists of mandatory statutory fees, the bulk of which is redistributed to local student representations and the federal body, with services delivered free of charge to members. The technology stack relies on commodity providers — Hetzner for hosting, AWS for newsletter infrastructure, ActiveCampaign for email marketing, websms.at/LINK Mobility for SMS, and Brainformance for the election system — with GDPR and EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework compliance in place. ÖH holds two votes on the European Students' Union Board as a founding member (since 1982) and is part of the Bologna Follow-up Group with OeAD.

Name

ÖH - Österreichische Hochschüler_innenschaft

Legal name

Österreichische Hochschülerinnen- und Hochschülerschaft

Website

https://oeh.ac.at

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ÖH is Austria's statutory student union, established by HSG 2014 as a public-law corporation representing approximately 400,000 students at Austrian universities, UAS, pedagogical universities, and private universities, funded by mandatory per-semester membership fees and providing counseling, advocacy, financial grants, insurance, and digital services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student advocacy and representation services

NAICS

Public Administration (92)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Compliance, Governance & Board Support Services (BPAJAHAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Compliance, Risk & Audit Support Services (EHS, Title IX/Clery Support, Policy Admin) (EDAEALAK)

Keywords

• Student representation services
• Student advocacy services
• Higher education counseling
• Student support funds
• Student insurance coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ÖH is the statutory public-law corporation mandated to represent all students at Austrian public universities, private universities, universities of applied sciences, and pedagogical universities. It provides free counseling (social, legal, housing rights, study law), administers multiple financial hardship and grant funds, offers group accident and liability insurance underwritten by Generali, runs digital services (study search platform, classifieds board, newsletter, SMS reminders, election portal, whistleblower portal), publishes the Progress magazine, and operates the ÖH Shop for informational materials.

Product overview

The ÖH Bundesvertretung operates a broad digital platform ecosystem centered on www.oeh.ac.at, offering student-facing services across counseling (social, housing rights, study law, international students, mental health, accessibility), financial support (multiple funding pots including the Sozialfonds, Fem-Queer Fund, SAFE Fund, Students at Risk), academic orientation (Studienplattform, Studieren Probieren), insurance (Generali-backed accident and liability coverage), publishing (Progress magazine, brochures, flyers), elections (Wahlportal and EWAS electronic voting), communications (newsletter via AWS, SMS Reminder via websms.at), classifieds (Schwarzes Brett via ActiveCampaign), and anonymous reporting (ÖH SCHAUT HIN). Key subsidiary portals include studienplattform.at, progress-online.at, schwarzesbrett.oeh.ac.at, wahl.oeh.ac.at, and oehschauthin.at. The offering is structured as a unified web platform with embedded and linked modular services rather than a single product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Progress: The official magazine/publication of ÖH Bundesvertretung, a student magazine covering higher education policy and student issues.
• Schwarzes Brett
• Studienplattform
• Studieren Probieren
• ÖH Reminder
• ÖH Helpline
• ÖH Studikompass

Products and services

• ÖH Website (www.oeh.ac.at)
• Studienplattform
• Schwarzes Brett
• Progress Magazin
• ÖH Shop
• Wahlportal (Wahlportal & EWAS)
• ÖH Newsletter
• ÖH Reminder
• ÖH SCHAUT HIN
• Studieren Probieren
• Queer_Feministische Bibliothek
• ÖH Sozialfonds
• ÖH Versicherung
• Fördertöpfe (Funding Pots)
• Erstsemestrigen- und Thementutorien (Etut)

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European Students' Union (ESU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1982ÖH is a founding member of ESU (established 1982, originally as Western European Student Information Bureau). ÖH holds two votes on the ESU Board and actively shapes European higher education discourse. ESU represents 44 student unions from 40 countries, advocating for nearly 20 million students in Europe.
• TOPICS NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of progressive national student unions including ÖH (Austria), fef (Belgium), fzs (Germany), UdU (Italy), UNEF (France), UNEL (Luxembourg), and VSS-UNES-USU (Switzerland). Focuses on EU economic policy, resistance to fascist movements, and addressing discrimination based on ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
• OeAD (Agentur für Bildung und Internationalisierung)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Austrian Agency for Education and Internationalisation works with ÖH on international student mobility and education policy. ÖH participates in the national Bologna Follow-up Group together with OeAD representatives.
• Erasmus Student Network (ESN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on student exchange support and international student mobility initiatives. ESN Austria and ÖH work together to provide know-how and support for students planning or participating in exchange programs.
• Generali Versicherungs AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides accident and liability insurance for all ÖH members. Insurance coverage costs 70 cents per semester and includes accident insurance (max. 7,500 euros for accident costs, 50,000 euros for permanent disability, 15,000 euros for accidental death) and liability insurance (max. 1 million euros). Policy holder is ÖH, administered through Generali.
• Institut für Höhere Studien (IHS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitute for Advanced Studies in Vienna (Josefstädter Straße 39, 1080 Vienna). Cooperates with ÖH for statistical analysis and higher education policy research based on student data.
• Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für WienminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber of Labour for Vienna (Prinz-Eugen-Straße 20-22). Cooperates with ÖH for student studies and higher education policy analysis.
• queer@hochschulen InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterface between queer organizations, university student body units (Referate), and groups for exchange and implementation of joint projects. ÖH is part of this network.
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft trans*emanzipatorische Hochschulpolitik (AG Trans*Hopo)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking group aimed at improving study and working conditions for trans people at universities. ÖH Queer Department is represented in this working group.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• UNEF (Union Nationale des Étudiants de France): France's main national student union providing advocacy, services, and representation — directly comparable mandate and political positioning, and fellow TOPICS Network member with ÖH.
• NUS UK (National Union of Students): United Kingdom's national student union providing comparable representation, welfare, and advocacy services to UK higher-education students — analogous scale and remit.
• UdU (Unione degli Universitari): Italian national student union that is a fellow TOPICS Network partner of ÖH; comparable progressive political positioning and representational mandate.
• VSS-UNES-USU (Verband der Schweizer Studierendenschaften): Swiss national student union umbrella; the closest geographic peer to ÖH given shared language region, similar higher-ed structures, and joint TOPICS Network membership.
• freier zusammenschluss von studentInnenschaften (fzs): Federated national student union in Germany performing the same statutory representation, counseling, and political advocacy role for German students as ÖH does for Austrian students. Member of the same TOPICS Network alongside ÖH.
• fef (Fédération des Etudiant·e·s de Francophones): Belgian francophone student federation; comparable advocacy and representation function at national level, and a TOPICS Network partner alongside ÖH.

Broad incumbents

• European Students' Union (ESU): European-level umbrella federation of which ÖH is a founding member and board participant. Not a direct competitor but the highest-order peer organization shaping ÖH's external advocacy reach.

Emerging players

• Erasmus Student Network (ESN): European-wide student volunteer network supporting exchange students; overlaps with ÖH's international-student services and Erasmus-related representation functions.

Others

• OeAD (Agentur für Bildung und Internationalisierung): Austrian federal agency for education and internationalisation; partners with ÖH on mobility and Bologna policy. Comparable in being an Austrian public-law education body but with different remit (government agency vs. membership representation).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/bundesoeh
• Facebookfacebook.com/bundesoeh
• Instagraminstagram.com/bundesoeh/?hl=de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/%C3%B6h---%C3%B6sterreichische-hochsch%C3%BCler_innenschaft

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ÖH - Österreichische Hochschüler_innenschaft