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University of Vienna
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University of Vienna

Universität Wien
Vienna's classical university: 15 faculties and 5 centres, from law, economics and psychology to physics, computer science and the life sciences.
Data from the university's official pages

Facts about the university

Ownership Public, Vienna
City Vienna
Founded 1365
Students ≈ 80,119
Preparatory course University Preparation Programme of the Vienna Universities (VWU)

About the university

The University of Vienna was founded in 1365. In the winter semester 2025/26 it had 80,119 students, about 36% of them foreign nationals. It has 15 faculties and 5 centres and about 190 programmes; the main building is on the Universitätsring, with about 60 sites across the city. It is 95th in the Times Higher Education ranking 2027 — the only Austrian university in the top 100 — and 140th in QS 2027. Anton Zeilinger, a long-time professor here, won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics. Bachelor's programmes are almost all in German (Mathematical Foundations of Data Science is in English); some master's programmes are in English.

Preparatory course

If your school certificate does not give direct admission, the university admits you on condition of supplementary exams (Ergänzungsprüfungen), and the preparatory course below gets you ready for them. The exams count for the university that prescribed them.

How to apply

The general procedure is the same for all programmes of the university; the required grade, language and additional requirements are on the page of each programme.

Applicants from outside the EU apply to a programme without an entrance exam from 22 June to 3 August 2026 for the winter semester 2026/27 and from 16 November 2026 to 7 January 2027 for the summer semester 2027. Programmes with an entrance exam (business and economics, law, biology, computer science, pharmacy, psychology, communication, political science and others) take applications once a year — in 2026 from 2 March to 4 May, with the test from 6 July. German at A2 is enough to apply; admission requires C1.

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If your certificate or your German is not enough, the university admits you on condition of supplementary exams (Ergänzungsprüfungen); the VWU — the preparation programme of the Vienna universities — gets you ready for them.

What it costs to study

Costs of studying

International students pay €726.72 per semester at Austria's public universities, plus the students' union (ÖH) fee of €26.20 (2026/27) — €752.92 per semester in total. Citizens of the countries on the ministry's list and some groups (refugees, for example) are exempt from tuition; everyone pays the ÖH fee.

Some programmes charge their own fee — see the programme page.

If you don't meet the requirements yet

Two typical stops: a school certificate without direct admission and German below the required level. Both can be solved within a year, but plan them before you apply, not after a rejection.

Questions about University of Vienna

Do I need a Studienkolleg?
There are no Studienkollegs in Austria. If your certificate is not enough, University of Vienna admits you on condition of supplementary exams; University Preparation Programme of the Vienna Universities (VWU) prepares you for them.

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