Admission to bachelor's and diploma programmes with entrance exam procedure
Secondary-school leaving certificate from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland
You completed your previous education in an EU/EEA country or Switzerland and you would like to start a bachelor's or diploma programme that is instructed in German or bilingual? On this page, you will find step-by-step instructions from your application to the admission to the degree programme.
Upload all required documents and pay the administration fee. You will then be registered for the entrance exam procedure.
Four steps to admission
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Step 1
Prepare your documents and complete the OSA
Before the application period begins:
- Find out which documents are required and scan them.
- Complete the Online-Self-Assessment (OSA).
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Step 2
Submit your application for admission
Apply within the application period by submitting your application for admission to a degree programme and paying the administration fee of € 50.
This is also possible if you do not yet have your secondary-school leaving certificate.
Application period for the academic year 2026/27:
2 March to 4 May 2026
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Step 3
Take the written test
The tests will take place on site in Vienna from 6 July 2026. Find out the exact date on the page of your degree programme. To do this, select Before the entrance exam procedure → Degree programmes in the navigation bar at the top of the page.
You will receive your results approximately two weeks after the test.
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Step 4
Complete the admission procedure
Accept your place within the admission period.
Admission period:
- winter semester 2026:
13 July to 31 October 2026 - summer semester 2027:
11 January to 31 March 2027
- winter semester 2026:
Step 1: Prepare your documents and complete the OSA
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You need the following documents:
- Valid passport or identity card (both sides) in the format JPEG or PNG
- All pages of your secondary-school leaving certificate merged into a single PDF file
- Including a translation if it was not issued in German or English
- Please note the special requirements for schools abroad and IB diplomas.
- You can also upload your secondary-school leaving certificate after the application period.
- Proof of German language proficiency
- Proof of English language proficiency at level B2 (only for International Legal Studies)
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This is how you complete the OSA:
Find out whether the degree programme is right for you in the OSA (Online-Self-Assessment). It is anonymous and will not be graded. At the end, you will receive feedback on whether your expectations match reality. You will also receive your OSA code, which you must include in your application. The OSA code is valid for 18 months.
There is no OSA for the bachelor's programme in Psychology.
Ian Ehm
Step 2: Submit your application for admission
Next, set up a u:account in our student portal u:space. We explain exactly how to do this and what you need to bear in mind here:
Set up a u:account
Select “u:account Registration” in u:space and set up your u:account. Make sure you remember your login details, as you will need them for your studies. We will send an activation link to your e-mail address.
Register in u:space
Log in to u:space and complete the registration for prospective students. Here's how:
- After logging in, first select “Studies”.
- Fill in your personal data in the registration form for students.
- Upload your valid passport or identity card (front and back!) as a JPEG or PNG file.
Submit your application within the application period at Studies → Apply for admission. Upload all the necessary documents there. If you have prepared all the documents, it will only take a few minutes to submit your application.
You can decide for yourself if you want to participate in the written test or if you want to attend a German course beforehand.
The choice is yours
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My secondary-school leaving certificate is from a German-speaking country
Your secondary-school leaving certificate is from Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg or South Tyrol? This proves that your German language proficiency is at level C1. Submit your application for admission in u:space.
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My German language skills are good and would like to take the test.
To be admitted to a degree programme, you need proof of German language proficiency at level C1. Do you already have level C1? Or do you understand the test literature well and will reach level C1 by 31 March 2027? Then register for the test when you submit your application for admission.
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My German language skills are limited and I want to enrol in the VWU.
For your application, you need German language proficiency of at least at level A2. For admission to a degree programme, you need level C1. You can attend a German course in the University Preparation Programme of the Vienna Universities (VWU) and achieve level C1 there. Please indicate that you do not wish to participate in the test yet in your application.
Your application in u:space:
Upload ALL pages of your certificate merged into one single PDF file.
You haven't received your secondary-school leaving certificate yet? Select the box “I don't have my secondary-school leaving certificate yet”. Nevertheless, fill in all the information you already know.
You do not need your secondary-school leaving certificate at the time of the written test. However, upload it to your application in u:space before you complete the admission to the degree programme at the latest.
Your secondary-school leaving certificate was issued by a school in Austria, Germany, South Tyrol, Liechtenstein or Luxembourg? Then you do not need to provide proof of German language proficiency.
Did you complete your school in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland? You will need proof of your German language proficiency at least at level A2 to apply for admission. For admission to the degree programme, you will need proof of German language proficiency at level C1.
Your German language proficiency is lower than C1? You can decide for yourself whether you want to participate in the written test or not.
You want to take the written test? Select “Yes, my German language proficiency is sufficient. I would like to take part in the entrance exam procedure/aptitude assessment for the coming academic year.”
For the bachelor's programme in International Legal Studies, you must also upload proof of English language proficiency at level B2.
Complete the statistical data and select “Continue to application”. Make sure that all the details you have entered are correct.
Select “Pay and submit application”. Pay the administration fee of 50 euros by eps transfer or credit card. Your application has now been submitted. This means that we have received your application and you are registered for the entrance exam/aptitude test procedure. You will find your registration confirmation with the official electronic signature in u:space Personal matters → My Documents. Now there are two options:
- You have uploaded your secondary-school leaving certificate. The status of your application is “submitted”. This status will not change.
- You have not yet uploaded your secondary-school leaving certificate. The status of your application is “amend”. In this status, you can submit the document later (until the end of the admission period). The status will then change to “submitted”.
Step 3: Prepare for and take the test
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Prepare
Download the free test literature and check your knowledge with the sample questions. Practise logic tasks and text comprehension with our learning tips. This will ensure you are well prepared for the test.
Universität Wien -
Take the test
After the end of the application period, you will find out whether the test will take place. You will receive your permission to attend no later than 14 days before the test. Print out the permission to attend and bring it with you on the day of the test.
Universität Wien
FAQ application procedure
To be admitted to a bachelor's or diploma programme, you need the following:
- Secondary-school leaving certificate: e.g. Matura, Abitur or general higher education entrance examination ("Berufsreifeprüfung"), or
- University entrance qualification examination ("Studienberechtigungsprüfung"): for a specific group ("Studienrichtungsgruppe"), or
- Completed higher education programme: a bachelor's programme lasting at least 3 years with a minimum of 180 ECTS credits
No, only your result in the written test counts. There is no numerus clausus in Austria. If you meet the requirements and receive a study place, you can be admitted.
Your OSA code is valid if it is less than 18 months old and if you have not yet used it to submit an application for admission. If this is the case, use your old code. In all other cases, you will need a new code. To obtain one, complete the OSA again.
Yes, that is possible. Please note the following:
- Entrance exam /aptitude test procedure at the University of Vienna
The dates for the written tests do not overlap. In theory, you can take several tests. However, we recommend that you limit your choice of degree programmes to three. It is unrealistic to successfully study more than three degree programmes at the same time. - Programmes at other universities
Have you registered for an entrance exam procedure at another Austrian university and the tests are taking place on the same day? Decide where you would like to study. You will take the test there. The written test for the bachelor's programme in Computer Science/Business Informatics of the University of Vienna and the Technical University of Vienna always take place at the same time. You can only take one of the two.
We have summarised all exemptions from the entrance exam procedure on a separate page.
Yes, you must take part in the entrance exam procedure at the University of Vienna. Exemptions from the entrance exam/aptitude test procedure only exist in the diploma programme in Law and the bachelor's programme in Teacher Education.
You cannot enter directly into a higher semester. Submit your application for admission and take part in the entrance exam procedure. Once you have been admitted to a degree programme, contact the StudiesServiceCenter or the StudiesServiceUnit for your degree programme. There you can submit an application for recognition of your exams.
First, take part in the aptitude assessment at the respective university of arts. If you are successful, you can be admitted to one or more subjects at the University of Vienna. We explain how this works here:
Select the teaching subject in your application for admission to a degree programme in Teacher Education. You will then take part in the aptitude assessment for the bachelor's programme in Teacher Education and the sporting aptitude admission test.
The entrance exam procedure only takes place once per academic year. There is no grace period. You cannot participate in this year's entrance exam/aptitude test procedure.
Please reapply next year, or for a degree programme that does not require an entrance exam procedure. As long as the application period for degree programmes without an entrance exam procedure is still open, you can apply for admission to another degree programme.
If the application period is still open, open the withdrawn application and resubmit it. You will not have to pay the administration fee again (if you have already paid). If the application period has already passed, please contact us as soon as possible via the Servicedesk.
You have further questions?
Admission Office
Any questions about the admission procedure?
Message us via the contact form. You can reach us by phone on Mondays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 13:30.
+43-1-4277-12100To the contact form
SSC/SSS
Do you have questions about registering for courses and examinations? Or about grades and the recognition of exams? The StudiesServiceCenters (SSC) and StudiesServiceUnits (SSS) are the right place to go.
To the SSCs
Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)
Would you like to know more about support services such as STEOP mentoring or writing workshops? The team at the CTL looks forward to answering your questions.
EmailCopy email to clipboardTo the CTL website