Applying to Universities in Austria: Deadlines, Documents, Supplementary Exams and the Residence Permit

You apply to an Austrian public university directly: there is no central portal, and each institution checks your school certificate and language and sets its own conditions. For German-taught bachelor's programmes, German at A2 is enough to apply, but C1 is required before you can enrol in the degree itself; the gap is closed in a university preparation programme such as the VWU in Vienna. School certificates from 11-year systems (Russia, Kazakhstan and others) often lead to supplementary examinations (Ergänzungsprüfungen) in mathematics, physics or chemistry. The law sets 5 September and 5 February as the final dates, but many universities close earlier for non-EU applicants: the University of Vienna's window for winter semester 2026/27 ran from 22 June to 3 August. Tuition for non-EU citizens is $826 (€726.72) per semester plus a $30 (€26.20) students' union fee.

How admission works

Austria has no equivalent of UCAS or uni-assist. You submit the application, documents and fees to one university, and it issues the admission decision (Zulassungsbescheid) that you later present at the embassy for your residence permit.

According to OeAD, Austria offers more than 2,500 programmes at 77+ institutions; its 21 universities of applied sciences run about 640 programmes, roughly 80 of them fully in English. For an overview of institutions see our guide to universities in Austria; the country page is studying in Austria.

Who this route suits and how long it takes

What the university checks in a foreign school certificate

The university decides whether your certificate is equivalent to the Austrian Reifeprüfung. TU Wien lists three tests: the certificate must give access to all fields of higher education in the issuing country; schooling must last at least 12 years (a shortfall can be compensated by supplementary exams); and upper secondary school must include six general subjects — two languages, mathematics, a science, a humanities subject and one more — with at most one missing subject compensable by an exam.

An 11-year certificate therefore often results in prescribed exams in mathematics, chemistry or physics, plus German if C1 is not proven. In Vienna these are taken at the VWU; see our guide to the Vorstudienlehrgang.

National exams matter at some universities: TU Wien requires proof of the Russian Unified State Exam (EGE) or Kazakhstan's national entrance exam (UNT), among others. The University of Vienna publishes special rules for some countries (for example China, Iran and Türkiye) but assesses each application individually and gives no advance rulings. A year of university study at home can reduce the gap, but it is not a mandatory step.

Some programmes need an extra subject. At the University of Vienna, Latin must be proven before enrolment for, for example, classical philology and Egyptology, while law, history, pharmacy and many language programmes let you take it during your studies. TU Wien requires descriptive geometry for mechanical engineering and management, geodesy and chemical engineering; if you did not have it at school, you take the exam during the bachelor's.

Language: A2 to apply, C1 to start

For German-taught programmes, the University of Vienna accepts applications with A2. C1 is required for all German-taught bachelor's and most master's programmes. Without it, the admission decision prescribes the supplementary exam in German and you enrol as a non-degree student in the preparation programme, which no longer runs beginner courses. Its two English-taught bachelor's programmes — International Legal Studies and Mathematical Foundations of Data Science — require English at B2. See also our overview of German language tests.

Deadlines

The legal limits are 5 September (winter) and 5 February (summer); semesters start on 1 October and 1 March. Plan around the earlier institutional windows:

Dates for winter 2027/28 come later: WU expects to publish the BBE selection details in mid-November 2026, and the MedAT organisers announce their dates around the turn of the year. There is no grace period at the University of Vienna.

What is still realistic if you are reading this in autumn 2026. For summer semester 2027 you can apply to the University of Vienna (non-EU window 16 November 2026 – 7 January 2027) or TU Wien (by 15 January), but only to programmes without an entrance test. Psychology, computer science, business, WU's BBE and medicine admit once a year, so the next chance is spring 2027 registration for an October 2027 start. Remember the residence permit: with an admission decision in January, up to 90 days of processing will almost certainly overlap with the start of the summer semester. TU Wien accepts paper applications by post only, takes 10–12 weeks to process them and allows at most two applications per person.

Documents for a bachelor's application

Apostille first, translation second, so the translator also translates the apostille.

A 12-month plan

Entrance tests and competition

At the University of Vienna, programmes such as psychology, biology, computer science, economics, law, business, communication and political science have an entrance exam held in Vienna from early July, with no alternative dates. You may register without full German proof but must have it at enrolment. Many other programmes require a compulsory online self-assessment before enrolment. TU Wien runs entrance procedures for computer science and architecture and a compulsory orientation phase for most other programmes. Universities of applied sciences select every applicant. Medicine is covered in our guide to studying medicine in Austria.

Master's programmes

You need a relevant bachelor's degree of at least six semesters (180 ECTS). The university may admit you on condition that you make up specific courses. At the University of Vienna, master's programmes with a selection procedure accepted applications once a year, from 2 March to 7 April 2026. English-taught programmes usually need English proof, a CV and a motivation letter.

After admission

With the admission decision you apply in person at the Austrian embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence for the "Residence Permit – Student". External visa centres cannot accept this application. The provincial residence authority decides within 90 days. For one year you must show $9,856 (€8,670.96) if under 24 or $17,847 (€15,700.68) from age 24. Details: student visa and residence permit in Austria. Budget planning: cost of studying in Austria.

Common mistakes

• Planning for 5 September when the non-EU window closed in early August.
• Posting documents to TU Wien in late summer despite a 10–12-week review.
• Translating before the apostille is attached.
• Arriving at the preparation programme without A2.
• Assuming a year at a home university is compulsory.
• Starting the residence permit in August.

FAQ

Sources

• OeAD / Study in Austria: application and admission, universities of applied sciences, find your programme — checked 24 Sep 2026
• University of Vienna: application periods, third-country students, German proficiency, additional exams, entrance exams, fees — checked 24 Sep 2026
• TU Wien: admission with an international certificate — checked 24 Sep 2026
• WU: BBE selection procedure — checked 24 Sep 2026
• VWU: first registration; MedAT basics; FH Technikum Wien deadlines — checked 24 Sep 2026
• OeAD: Residence Permit – Student — checked 24 Sep 2026
• Conversion: ECB rate of 24 Sep 2026, €1 = $1.1367

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