Admission

Entrance examination

To study at a university of the arts you usually have to sit an entrance examination. Some degree courses, such as secondary school teacher accreditation programmes, also require a secondary school leaving certificate.

Each university of the arts has certain admission requirements. Please contact the university of your choice in time to find out when the entrance examination will take place! There you will also get detailed information about the requirements.

Application

As a first step you have to apply in writing for the entrance examination at the university. The application forms can be downloaded from the homepages of the universities of the arts. The dates of the examinations can be enquired about at the Admission Offices of the university of your choice.

You will then receive an invitation from the university, which contains the exact date of the examination and information about which documents you have to bring along. Please note the relevant entry and residence regulations for Austria when travelling to Austria.

If you pass the entrance examination successfully, you can as a second step take care of the other admission formalities.

For admission as a degree programme student (ordentliche/r Studierende/r) the following proofs are necessary:

1. Proof of nationality (photocopy of your passport)

2. Minimum age of 17 years (in exceptional cases the admission senate may agree to an admission of students of 15 years of age)

3. Successful passing of the entrance examination

4. Depending on the field of study: additionally the general university entrance qualification
To prove this you have to submit one of the following documents:
- a secondary school leaving certificate that entitles you to study at a university in your home country
- a document proving the completion of a study programme which lasted at least three years at a recognised post-secondary educational institution
- for admission to a master’s programme you need a certificate of a completed bachelor programme or equivalent programme in the same or similar field of studies,
- for admission to a doctoral programme you need a certificate of a completed master’s or diploma programme in the same or similar field of studies.

To study in Austria your school leaving certificate has to be equivalent to an Austrian certificate. With some countries Austria has concluded agreements of equivalence of secondary school leaving certificates. If not, you usually have to pass supplementary examinations.

For some degree courses you have to pass supplementary examinations according to the University Entrance Qualification Decree (Universitätsberechtigungsverordnung), these depend on your secondary school leaving certificate.

5. Depending on the field of study the specific university entrance qualification (besondere Universitätsreife)
To be admitted to study in Austria you have to prove that you are allowed to study or to continue your studies with your (secondary school leaving) certificate in the country in which your certificate was issued. This means that you must have passed the entrance examinations that are prescribed in the country in which the certificate was issued and that you must fulfil any other requirements for admission in that country. For continuing your studies in Austria you have to prove that you are entitled to continue these studies in the country which issued your certificate.

Attention: This proof is not necessary for EU/EEA nationals and “foreigners who enjoy the same status as Austrians” (“gleichgestellte Ausländer/innen”).

6. German language proficiency
To be admitted to study at an Austrian university you usually have to prove sufficient proficiency in the German language.
Accepted documents:
- secondary school leaving certificate confirming German lessons of at least 4 years
- a German language diploma or similar documents.

In some degree courses in art you have got time until the end of the second or third semester to prove your German language proficiency. If you wish to pursue doctoral studies in Austria and if your academic supervisor agrees, the university may dispense with this requirement.

Legalisations
Attention: You have to submit all documents in languages other than German (exception: documents in English) together with an authorised German translation. Foreign documents have to be legalised (Legalisation).

If you have already studied at a university abroad, please enclose the appropriate certificates with your application for admission. In some cases examinations taken may be credited by the Austrian university.

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