University Preparation Programme and entrance exam
In the University Preparation Programme of the Vienna Universities (VWU), you will prepare for and take supplementary examinations. Your admission letter will tell you whether supplementary examinations are required and, if so, which ones. The examinations depend on the issuing country of your secondary-school leaving certificate and your chosen degree programme.
What are supplementary examinations?
Supplementary examinations are examinations that you must take before being admitted to a regular degree programme. They are required in the following cases:
- You did not upload proof of German language proficiency at level C1 in your application?
→ The supplementary examination in German is required. - Your secondary-school leaving certificate is from a non-EU/EEA country?
→ Supplementary examinations in Mathematics, English and/or History/Geography are required if there are significant differences between your secondary-school leaving certificate and Austrian secondary-school leaving certificates.
I want to attend the VWU
The admission to a non-degree programme (= attending the University Preparation Programme) is only possible if you
- have submitted an application for admission to a German or bilingual bachelor's or diploma programme and
- one or more supplementary examinations are required in your admission letter.
Your steps to attending the VWU
Create a u:account, as described in the admission-info.
- Upload all required documents (with legalisation and translation, if applicable). If you have prepared all the documents, it will only take a few minutes to submit your application.
- Upload your German language certificate at level A2.
- Select “No, my German knowledge is not yet sufficient. I do not want to participate in the entrance exam procedure for the coming academic year and I want to attend a German course in the University Preparation Programme of the Vienna Universities (VWU).”
- Complete the statistical data and select “Continue to application”.
- Review your data and select “Submit application”.
You do not pay any administration fee and are not registered for the entrance exam or aptitude test procedure for this academic year. You do not take the written test. You only attend the University Preparation Programme of the Vienna Universities, if you meet the admission requirements.
To register at the VWU you need your admission letter. You will obtain the admission letter as follows:
- Secondary-school leaving certificate from a non-EU/EEA country:
We can only process your application if the status of your application in u:space → Apply for admission → My applications is “submitted”. The processing takes several weeks. We will send the admission letter to the e-mail address you provided in u:space. You will also find it in u:space → Personal matters → My documents. - Secondary-school leaving certificate from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland:
As soon as the status of your application is “submitted”, message us via the Servicedesk. Please indicate that you need an admission letter for the VWU.
Register at the VWU and pay the course fee there.
Please note: The VWU has its own deadlines! You can find all information on registration and costs directly at the VWU.
Complete your admission to a non-degree programme at the University of Vienna within the admission period.
- Secondary-school leaving certificate from a non-EU/EEA country:
Book an appointment for online first-time admission after registering at the VWU. We will check your documents and preliminarily admit you to the non-degree programme to attend the University Preparation Programme. - Secondary-school leaving certificate from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland:
Message us again via the Servicedesk after you have registered at the VWU. We will check your details and preliminarily admit you to the non-degree programme to attend the University Preparation Programme.
You have been preliminarily admitted to the non-degree programme? The final step is paying the Students' Union fee. Your admission is complete once the fee has been received in u:space → Financial matters→ Tuition fee/Students' Union fee. You can then download your study documents (student record sheet and confirmation of enrolment) in u:space → Personal matters → My documents.
I am attending the VWU and want to participate in the written test
Are you completing all supplementary examinations before or during the upcoming winter semester? Or have you already completed the VWU?
Register for the entrance exam/aptitude test procedure within the application period. You can be admitted to the degree programme within the admission period of the following winter or summer semester if you
- receive a study place in the entrance exam/aptitude test procedure and
- have successfully completed all supplementary examinations.
The aptitude assessment for the bachelor's programme in Teacher Education is valid indefinitely.
This is how you register for the entrance exam/aptitude test procedure
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.
There is no OSA for the bachelor's programme in Psychology.
Log in to u:space with your existing data within the application period. You do not need to set up a new u:account. Select your desired degree programme under Studies → Apply for admission, as you did when you first applied for admission.
You are interested in the bachelor's programme in Transcultural Communication. Be sure to select the correct working language (A, Bx and, if applicable, By) in your application for admission.
You do not have to upload documents with the status “confirmed” again. The system still requires a proof of German language proficiency of at least level A2. Proceed as follows:
- Secondary-school leaving certificate from a non-EU/EEA country:
Upload your admission letter for the selected degree programme as document type “Certificate of proficiency in German at level A2”. - Secondary-school leaving certificate from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland:
Upload your current student record sheet as a document type “Certificate of proficiency in German at level A2”.
For the bachelor's programme in International Legal Studies, you must also upload proof of English language proficiency at level B2.
Select “Yes, my German knowledge is sufficient. I want to participate in the entrance exam procedure for the coming academic year.”
You do not need proof of German language proficiency at level C1 for your application and to take the written test. You will only need this when you are admitted to a degree programme.
- For admission in winter semester: no later than 31 October
- For admission in summer semester: no later than 31 March
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. You will not receive a new admission letter.
Step 6: 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
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.
+43-1-4277-12100
To 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.
To the CTL website