Most recent educational developments in Austria are a direct result of the School Organization Act of 1962. This act, together with its five amendments, contains general provisions concerning school organization and specific regulations for types of schools, conditions of admission, syllabuses, course duration, and student teacher ratios. The Federal Ministry of Education and Arts was entrusted by the Act with administration, school inspection, and coordination of provincial and national activities. School attendance is compulsory until the age of 15 years. Specializations offered at the selective upper secondary level are college preparatory, technical, general, and teacher training. Tuition is not charged for higher education in 12 universities, six arts universities, and numerous technical colleges. Programs are also sponsored by the government in preschool education, remedial training for handicapped students, vocational training for boys, and domestic science for girls. Medical and teacher education were standardized in 1975 in the first stage of a general scholastic reform. The document lists over 330 German language sources of information on topics such as educational theory, history, policy, practice, and environment. (Author/DB)