RFS - Der Ring Freiheitlicher Studenten Österreichs

The Ring Freiheitlicher Studenten (Ring of Freedom Party Students, or RFS) has the legal form of an association and is the FPÖ’s student movement at Austrian universities. The RFS has its headquarters in Vienna and also has its own regional organisations at other university locations, such as Graz, Innsbruck and Salzburg, for example.

The Ring Freiheitlicher Studenten is represented in the Austrian National Union of Students (Österreichische Hochschülerschaft, or ÖH) and, following the most recent ÖH elections, in 2021, has one seat in the ÖH’s 55-member federal representative body, which is considered an Austria-wide student parliament. However, the RFS rejects compulsory membership of all students in the Austrian National Union of Students. Instead, it advocates establishing a representation of interests based on voluntary membership. The RFS calls for more transparency in the use of ÖH funds.

The RFS also strives for an expansion of university infrastructure and for expanding teaching with online offerings. Social security for students is also reflected in the current programme. The Ring Freiheitlicher Studenten demands, among other things, an expansion of student grants, as well as their annual adjustment for inflation.

Wolfgang Gaiswinkler has been federal chairman of the RFS since 2024. Further information can be found at www.rfs.at.