University of Vienna (Universität Wien)

Founded in 1365, the University of Vienna is Austria's oldest and highest-ranked university and the widest choice of subjects in the country, from law and psychology to physics, Japanology and data science. It is public, so non-EU students pay a fee fixed by Austrian law instead of private-school tuition.

The catch is German. Almost every bachelor's programme needs C1 before you are admitted, and the university will not pre-assess your school certificate: each file is judged only once it is submitted.

• Open window now: third-country nationals can apply for the summer semester 2027 from 16 November 2026 to 7 January 2027.
• Entrance-exam subjects (psychology, business, law, computer science and others) take applications once a year, in the spring.
• English-taught bachelor's: only International Legal Studies and Mathematical Foundations of Data Science.

The University of Vienna placed 140th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, the best result of any Austrian university, and 95th in the THE World University Rankings 2026, the first Austrian entry into THE's top 100.

• QS World University Rankings 2027 — #140
• THE World University Rankings 2026 — #95
• Founded in 1365

Its degrees are Austrian public university degrees, recognised across the EU through the Bologna system. Rankings help for a master's or doctorate abroad later; for a bachelor's choice, the subject's entrance rules matter far more.

The historic main building stands on the Ringstraße at Universitätsring 1, but faculties, institutes and libraries sit in dozens of buildings across Vienna. Lectures can be large, and students organise their own semester through the u:space portal, where the prescribed fee also appears.

Many German-taught bachelor's programmes are open once you meet the entry rules; a large group has an entrance exam with a fixed number of places, and some require a compulsory online self-assessment.

At master's level the English offer is wider, but many master's programmes with a selection procedure also accept applications only once a year, from early March to early April.

Applications are filed online with scanned documents, and the deadline depends on citizenship. Third-country nationals have an earlier cut-off than EU citizens.

After admission, the enrolment period for the summer semester 2027 runs from 11 January to 31 March 2027; you complete it by paying the semester fee.

Mistakes that cost a semester

• Missing the entrance-exam window: it has no extension, and a late applicant waits a full year.
• Uploading only the diploma without the legalised list of subjects and all pages of the certificate.
• Applicants from China forgetting the Gaokao proof with APS certification, or Indonesians the UTBK-SNBT result of at least 500.
• Expecting a preliminary opinion on eligibility: the university reviews files only after a formal application.

For German-taught programmes you need A2 when applying and C1 for admission. Students without C1 are admitted to the German course of the Vienna universities' preparation programme (VWU) first; that route is not available for English master's programmes or the data-science bachelor's, which require no German at all.

• Passport or ID scan (both sides)
• Every page of the secondary-school certificate, legalised as your issuing country requires, with a sworn translation
• The official list of subjects, legalised and translated
• Transcripts and diplomas from any previous study
• German A2 or higher, or English B2 for International Legal Studies and data science
• Master's: a relevant bachelor's degree and any subject-specific requirements of the curriculum

Non-EU students pay $825 (€726.72) tuition and the $30 (€26.20) Students' Union fee each semester: $855 (€752.92) in total, regardless of how long the degree takes. Some non-EU students qualify for EU-level fees or pay only the Union fee through an exemption.

The residence authority expects twelve months of funds up front, so a 22-year-old plans for about $9,846 (€8,671) plus the two semester fees before rent above the $439 (€386.43) threshold is added.

The university does not allocate rooms. Students rent through Vienna's non-profit student residences or privately, and a rental or hall contract of at least three months belongs in the residence permit file.

The permit application is made in person at the Austrian embassy or consulate; OeAD suggests starting about six months before arrival because the decision can take 90 days or longer. More detail is in our guide to Austrian student residence permits and the cost of studying in Austria.

This university suits students who want a classical research university in the humanities, social sciences, law, life sciences or mathematics, can reach C1 German, and are comfortable organising their own studies in large cohorts. It is also a natural step for bachelor's graduates looking for a low-fee European master's.

It is the wrong choice for anyone who needs an English bachelor's in business or engineering, expects small classes, or cannot sit a July entrance exam in Vienna. Engineering and computing applicants usually compare it with TU Wien.

Programme choice, certificate legalisation planning, the online application and residence-permit preparation are provided under an agreement with StudyU; the University of Vienna decides admission and the Austrian authority decides the permit.