Preparation of your stay in Austria
The OeAD will be happy to help you with the preparations for your stay in Austria.
Please contact the following offices directly:
- Housing/accommodation: OeAD Housing Office (OeAD-WohnraumverwaltungsGmbH)
- Procurement of a health insurance, questions about the scholarship, disbursement of the scholarship: OeAD Regional Office
- Questions about your studies and entry to Austria: ICM
Here you can find further information about:
- Study issues
- Admission at a university or university of applied sciences
- Entrance examination at universities of the arts
- Tuition fees
- Proof of successful progress of your studies or research
- Legalisations & translations
- Language skills & German language courses
- Health and accident insurance
Study issues
The Admission Offices (Studienabteilungen) of the Austrian universities are in charge of all study issues (admission, exemption from tuition fees for foreign students, recognition of exams, language exams for foreign students with non-German mother tongue). They will be happy to help you with any questions. You can find an overview of all Austrian higher education institutions at www.wegweiser.ac.at and www.studyguide.at.
The scholarship only serves to carry out the study or research project described in the scholarship award at the institution named in the contract. It is not allowed to change the project or the institution. In specific well-justified cases a change is possible but only if the ICM and your academic supervisor agree.
Admission at a university or university of applied sciences
The ICM will support you only with a few scholarship programmes which include the completion of a degree in Austria (e.g. a doctoral or master degree) in the admission process at an Austrian university or university of applied sciences.
If you wish to attend courses at a university in Austria for a limited period of time (one or two semesters), you can enrol at the university or university of applied sciences for the duration of your scholarship (if you want to attend courses and participate in exams). You have to enrol or apply for admission yourself. You have to bring the necessary legalised documents to Austria. Exception: If you have already sent your study documents to the ICM and you have been admitted by the university.
Almost all universities require pre-registration for admission via the internet: see www.wegweiser.ac.at or www.studyguide.at.
For admission as a regular degree programme student (ordentliche/r Studierende/r) or non-degree programme student (außerordentliche/r Studierende/r) at an Austrian university you need the following documents:
- Scholarship award (scholarship details sheet)
- valid travel document (passport)
- Proof of general university entrance qualification (secondary school leaving certificate) – legalised if necessary!
- If required: special qualifications (e.g. proof of knowledge of Latin for studies of Medicine)
- Certificates of courses or study programmes already completed – legalised if necessary!
- Insurance number (can be handed in later)
- If required: curriculum vitae and other documents
Further information is available from the Admission Offices of the universities.
You have to submit all your documents in the original form or in legalised copy. If your documents are in languages other than German you have to submit them together with legalised German translations.
We recommend you to contact your host university before travelling to Austria to make sure that you have all the necessary documents for admission with you.
Entrance examination at universities of the arts
Students at universities of the arts have to pass a compulsory entrance examination. The scholarship only becomes valid after you have successfully passed this examination.
Therefore you must contact the secretary's office of the university of the arts at which you want to enrol and make an appointment for this examination. Students must prove that they have passed the entrance examination before they receive their scholarships. This is also written down in your scholarship award.
Tuition fees
Most OeAD scholars do not have to pay tuition fees as long as they receive the scholarship. At some universities, however, you have to fill in an application for this exemption when applying for admission.
You only have to pay tuition fees if this is specified in your scholarship award (scholarship details).
Even if you do not have to pay tuition fees, all students, including yourself, have to pay the membership fee of the Austrian Student Union (Österreichische HochschülerInnenschaft - ÖH), the representative body of all students, at the beginning of each semester. This fee amounts to EUR 16.86 (as of 2011) and includes an accident insurance (no health insurance!) For further details enquire at the Admission Office of your host institution.
If you do not have to pay tuition fees, the same closing dates for admission as for Austrian students apply to you (end of November for the winter semester, end of April for the summer semester). The limitation of access to degree programmes for foreign students do not apply to scholars. The Admission Offices, however, decide independently about the admission of applicants.
Proof of successful progress of your studies or research
The monthly scholarship/grant instalments will only be paid if you pursue your studies or research successfully. If your scholarship is granted for longer than six months, you must document the progress you have made in your studies or research within one month after the end of each semester. To do this you have to submit a report (1-2 pages), which must be signed and stamped by your academic supervisor, to the OeAD Regional Office.
If you are enrolled in a bachelor, master or diploma programme, you only have to submit the certificates of the exams taken.
Legalisations and translations
Legalisations confirm the authenticity of documents and signatures. Foreign documents which are to be submitted to authorities and universities in Austria need to be legalised in most cases. Several countries have concluded agreements regarding legalisation with Austria, which are to simplify the procedure.
There are three types of legalisation:
- No legalisation is required.
- Legalisation by means of an apostille is required.
- Full legalisation is required.
1. No legalisation: Certain documents (e.g. birth certificate, judicial documents) from the following countries require no legalisation or apostille due to inter-governmental agreements:
Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary
2. Legalisation by apostille: An apostille is a legalisation which is added to official documents (e.g. confirmation about your studies). The following countries have joined the Hague Legalisation Convention and thus their documents only need an apostille to be legalised in Austria: www .hcch.at
3. All other countries require full legalisation. This means that at first the internal legalisation procedure of the country of origin has to be completed, then the document must be legalised by the ministry for foreign affairs of that country and finally the Austrian representative authority has to legalise the document again.
Since these rules are country-specific it is recommended to enquire at the Austrian representative authority in your country to find out whether or not legalisation is required and which documents have to be legalised.
Translations
of foreign documents have to be carried out in the respective country by officially registered and legalised translators and interpreters and have to be fully legalised by the diplomatic authorities (see 1.). This also applies to documents from countries of which original documents are exempted from the legalisation requirement (see 2.). Documents from countries which are members of the Hague Legalisation Convention only require an apostille to legalise the translation (see 3.)
Please note: If you have an academic degree from a country other than your home country, you will need the legalisation from the country in which you have earned your degree.
Language skills and German language courses
At Austrian universities most courses are in German. To be admitted to a bachelor, master, or diploma programme students must have adequate command of German. Proficiency in German must be documented before being admitted to study (either by previous course work in German documented in your school certificates or by a German proficiency diploma (Sprachdiplom) or a supplementary examination).
Doctoral studies can also be carried out in English provided this has been approved in writing by the Austrian academic supervisor and by the university. The same applies to independent academic research. If, however, not enough courses taught in English are offered by the university, you may have to attend a German language course.
Here you can find a list of programmes that are completely taught in English: www.oead.at/international-programmes.
German courses
In all university locations in Austria there are many institutions and organisations that offer German courses for foreigners. These courses are – unless expressly stated otherwise in the scholarship award or in the conditions of the scholarship programme – not part of the scholarship and you have to pay them yourself. The OeAD Regional Offices will be happy to advise you in finding an appropriate course.
Health and accident insurance
You must have a valid health and accident insurance for the duration of your studies in Austria.
- Insurance from your home country
(European health insurance card, document replacing this card, health insurance document for healthcare abroad, A3 form)
The following countries have insurance agreements with Austria:
Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary, Cyprus (Greek part) - European health insurance card and document replacing this card:
Nationals of the countries listed above (except countries written in bold) can find the European health insurance card on the back of their “e-card” or else they can request it from their health insurance carrier in their home country. Please present your card / your document replacing this card to the doctor/hospital in Austria. They will make a photocopy of your insurance document. Never hand in the original (card/form)!- Please also fill in the patient declaration.
- Explanations in various languages on how to fill in the declaration
- Health insurance document for healthcare abroad / A3 form:
Nationals of countries written in italic (see above) must bring health insurance documents for healthcare abroad (“Auslandsbetreuungsscheine”) (A3 forms) from their home countries.
Before seeing a doctor in Austria you have to have the form of your insurance company exchanged at the head office of the Viennese health insurance carriers (Wiener Gebietskrankenkasse) for an Austrian document entitling you to treatment by a doctor. You can also do this in writing and send/fax your form with an accompanying letter to the insurance carrier, stating your Viennese address.
Address:
Wiener Gebietskrankenkasse, Gruppe EVS (EU- und Vertragsstaatenservice),
Wienerbergstraße 15-19
1100 Wien
T +43 1 601 22-0
E office@wgkk.at
Opening hours: Monday to Wednesday, Friday: 7:30 – 14:00, Thursday: 7:30 – 16:00.
Public transport: from underground station (U1) “Reumannplatz” take bus 7A, then: bus 15A and 63A, stop: “Gesundheitszentrum Süd”. - Insurance by various insurance companies of your home country:
Please enquire directly at your insurance company which steps you have to take in case you are ill and which costs will be reimbursed.
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