Rose (Rozalia) Rand was born in Lemberg in the Austrian crown land of Galicia (today, Lviv, Ukraine).

[1] In 1924 she enrolled in Vienna University, her teachers included Heinrich Gomperz, Moritz Schlick, and Rudolf Carnap.

[5] She also earned money by tutoring students, giving adult education classes, and translating Polish articles on logic.

[4] Rand, unemployed and of Jewish descent, suffered great difficulties in pre-World War II Vienna.

[2] After a period of time in England in which she worked as a nurse she was admitted as "distinguished foreigner" at the faculty of Moral Science at Cambridge University.

[3] When not supported by grants Rand operated on private loans and other financial assistance, freelance translation work, or sporadic temporary employment.