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Course Registration for continuing students within the University Preparation Programme in winter semester 2026/27

Important Notice – Correction:


The following regulation previously appeared on the website:

“Courses at levels AN, AV, and EV are only allowed to be repeated once at the same level (or a lower level) starting in the summer semester of 2026..”

This regulation, which had been announced by the Preparation Program, stating that students in the basic module (= AN/AV/EV courses) would only be allowed to repeat a course once, will not be implemented. It will continue to be possible to repeat a course in the basic module twice or more often.

Affected students should nevertheless keep in mind that the goal of every successful learner should be to complete each course successfully within the respective semester. The maximum duration for completing all required supplementary examinations in the Preparatory Program generally remains 4 semesters.

Registration Procedure:


Have you previously been enrolled in a course within the University Preparation Programme (at the VWU, die Berater®, Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien, ZIB Training or Österreichische Orient-Gesellschaft)? Depending on where you attended your last course (in summer semester 2026 or previous semesters) and the supplementary examinations ("Ergänzungsprüfungen") that you still need to pass, the following registration procedures apply:

  • If you attended an AN, AV or EV course at the VWU directly in summer semester 2026, you were at least 70 percent present during the entire course, you reach the course level FG or WF after a maximum of two semester courses and have not yet passed all supplementary examinations ("Ergänzungsprüfungen") stated in your admission letter(s), you will receive an e-mail from the VWU office () in the afternoon of Jun 29, 2026 with registration and payment information (the course fee at VWU for winter semester 2026/27 is 612 €). Please also check your spam folder for this e-mail! The course registration runs via e-mail for your course at VWU in winter semester 2026/27 between Jun 30 and Jul 7, 2026. Course registration will likely no longer be possible after Jul 7, 2026!

     

  • If you attended a course at the course level FF1 or FF1+ at the VWU directly in summer semester 2026, were registered within the University Preparation Programme for a maximum of three semesters and have not yet passed all supplementary examinations ("Ergänzungsprüfungen") stated in your admission letter(s), you will receive an e-mail from the VWU office () in the afternoon of Jun 29, 2026 with registration and payment information (the course fee at VWU for winter semester 2026/27 is 612 €). Please also check your spam folder for this e-mail! The course registration runs via e-mail for your course at VWU in winter semester 2026/27 between Jun 30 and Jul 7, 2026. Course registration will likely no longer be possible after Jul 7, 2026!

     

  • If you were enrolled in a final advanced course (FG, WF, or FF2) at the VWU directly in summer semester 2026, have not yet been registered within the University Preparation Programme for a total of four semesters, and would like to register for a course at VWU in winter semester 2026/27, e-mail your request to with a relevant subject, text and a copy of your student record sheet (“Studienblatt”) of summer semester 2026 from Jun 24  to Jun 29, 2026 at the latest. VWU office will then send you detailed instructions, including your personal payment reference. The course registration runs via e-mail for your course at VWU in winter semester 2026/27 between Jun 30 and Jul 7, 2026. Course registration will likely no longer be possible after Jul 7, 2026!

     

  • If you attended your last course directly at VWU but were not registered for any VWU courses in the summer semester 2026, attended courses within the preparatory program for less than four semesters in total, and would like to attend a course at VWU in the winter semester 2026/27, please communicate this by email (with the appropriate subject and text and your current period of study confirmation (“Studienzeitbestätigung”) as an attachment to vwu@vwu.at) from Jun 24 to Jun 29, 2026 at the latest. VWU office will then send you detailed instructions, including your personal payment reference, if you still qualify for the reduced course fee. The course registration runs via e-mail for your course at VWU directly in winter semester 2026/27 between Jun 30 and Jul 7, 2026. Course registration will likely no longer be possible after Jul 7, 2026!

     

After registering for the University Preparation Programme (VWU), you will automatically be enrolled for a continuation of your studies at the university where you completed your admission in the first semester. If you changed your university since then you will be enrolled for a continuation of your studies at the last university where you enrolled as a non-degree programme student (“außerordentliche/r Student/in”). If you have admission letters from different universities and have passed all the supplementary examination(s) needed for one university, you must enroll at the other university as a first-semester student. This does not happen automatically! The same applies if you want to change your university in winter semester 2026/27. The earliest you can pay the student union fee (“ÖH Beitrag”) is a week after completing your registration within the University Preparation Programme (VWU). For more information on the student union fee ("ÖH Beitrag") see the website of your university. You must pay the student union fee by the start of the course. Failure to pay results in incomplete admission, meaning you cannot attend courses within the University Preparation Programme and will likely be fully deregistered. Please also note that attending a course within the University Preparation Programme is limited to four semesters. A fifth semester will only be granted in exceptional cases by the head of VWU (more information on this subject matter is available below).

  • If you are attending an AN, AV or EV course at die Berater®, at the Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien or at ZIB Training in summer semester 2026, achieved FG- or WF-level in the exam at the end of the semester ("Auftstiegsprüfung"), have been registered within the University Preparation Programme for a maximum of three semesters and have not yet passed all supplementary examinations ("Ergänzungsprüfungen") stated in your admission letter(s), VWU will invite you to an onSET transfer placement test (“Übertritts-Einstufungstest“) between Jul 1-6, 2026 (you cannot chose the date of the test and there is no alternative date!). All students who took the onSET transfer placement test (“Übertritts-Einstufungstest“) between Jul 1-6, 2026 will be informed where (VWU or one of its cooperation partners: die Berater®, Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien or ZIB Training) and how to register for winter semester 2026 via email on Aug 21, 2026:
    • Students who achieve the best results will be offered a combined course consisting of subject-specific courses and a German course at VWU in winter semester 2026/27 (the course fee at VWU for winter semester 2026/27 is 612 €).
    • Students who do not achieve one of the top results stay (or may register) at “die Berater®”, at the “Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien” or at “ZIB Training” in winter semester 2026/27 (the course level achieved in the exam at the end of the semester ("Semestertest") counts).
  • If you are attending/attended an FG or WF course at die Berater® or Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien in summer semester 2026, you will receive an e-mail from VWU office on Jul 6, 2026 with registration and payment information (the course fee at VWU for winter semester 2026/27 is 612 €), please also check your spam folder!
    • Course registration: The course registration runs via e-mail for your course at VWU in winter semester 2026/27 between Jul 6 and Jul 14, 2026. Course registration will likely no longer be possible after Jul 14, 2026!

 

After registering for the University Preparation Programme (VWU), you will automatically be enrolled for a continuation of your studies at the university where you completed your admission in the first semester. If you changed your university since then you will be enrolled for a continuation of your studies at the last university where you enrolled as a non-degree programme student (“außerordentliche/r Student/in”). If you have admission letters from different universities and have passed all the supplementary examination(s) needed for one university, you must enroll at the other university as a first-semester student. This does not happen automatically! The same applies if you want to change your university in winter semester 2026/27. The earliest you can pay the student union fee (“ÖH Beitrag”) is a week after completing your registration within the University Preparation Programme (VWU). For more information on the student union fee ("ÖH Beitrag") see the website of your university. You must pay the student union fee by the start of the course. Failure to pay results in incomplete admission, meaning you cannot attend courses within the University Preparation Programme and will likely be fully deregistered. Please also note that attending a course within the University Preparation Programme is limited to four semesters. A fifth semester will only be granted in exceptional cases by the head of VWU (more information on this subject matter is available below).

 

*Subjects: Biology, Chemistry, English, Geography, History, Mathematis or Physics

If you have been registered within the University Preparation Programme for a maximum of three semesters and have not yet passed the supplementary examination ("Ergänzungsprüfung") in German, you may register for your course in winter semester 2026/27 at one of our three cooperation partners. Registration for continuing students at the cooperations partners is open:

The course fee at the cooperation partners in winter semester 2026/27 is 1,850 € (plus € 40,00 fee for course materials). After September 3, 2026 a course place cannot be guaranteed! You can find further information on registration modalities on the respective course provider's website: https://germanforstudents.com/en (die Berater®),  https://sprachenzentrum.univie.ac.at/en/german-courses/german-courses-for-vwu (Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien) and www.germanforvienna.at/ (ZIB Training).

After registering at die Berater®, Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien or ZIB Training you will automatically be enrolled for a continuation of your studies at the university where you completed your admission in the first semester you were registered within the University Preparation Programme. If you changed your university since then, you will be enrolled for a continuation of your studies at the last university where you enrolled as a non-degree programme student (“außerordentliche/r Student/in”). If you want to change your university in winter semester 2026/27, you have to enrol as a first-semester student at the new university. This does not happen automatically! The earliest you may pay the student union fee (“ÖH Beitrag”) is a week after completing your registration with die Berater®, Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien or ZIB Training. For more information on the student union fee ("ÖH Beitrag") see the website of your university. You must pay the student union fee by the start of the course. Failure to pay results in incomplete admission, meaning you cannot attend courses within the University Preparation Programme and will likely be fully deregistered (in this case, a refund of your course fee is also not possible). Please also note that attending a course within the University Preparation Programme is limited to four semesters. A fifth semester will only be granted in exceptional cases by the head of VWU (more information on this subject matter is available below).

You may find updated information about registration modalities and opening hours on the website of the respective course provider. The course content is the same in all institutions, courses consist of 320 units.

Application for a 5th and 6th Semester

Application period for winter semester 2026/27 (in person): Jun 29 - Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 8 to Jul 9, 2026 at the VWU office during opening hours (no appointment necessary). In case of any questions or uncertainties please contact us via e-mail ( before submitting your application.

You have to apply in person at VWU office. You will require the following documents in hardcopy:

  • Confirmations of all courses attended at the cooperation partner (containing your course level and result)
  • Student ID (and passport, if necessary)
  • Admission letter from your university
  • Student record sheet (“Studienblatt”) for summer semester 2026 (if you did not attend a course in summer semester 2026: A current confirmation of the study period (“Studienzeitbestätigung”))
  • Completed form (available in front of the office)
  • Provide a confirmation of the reasons why you were unable to complete the VWU.
    • Confirmations must be submitted in German or English (original/copy or official translation)!
    • Valid reasons may include circumstances that have prevented students from attending the University Preparation Programme for an extended period of time, such as illness, pregnancy, etc.
    • Invalid reasons include work commitments, having not yet passed all your supplementary examinations, visa issues or changing your field of studies.
  • Only in case of applying for a 6th semester additionally: an additional written request (a letter addressed to the VWU Commission explaining why you need a 6th semester and have not yet completed the University Preparation Programme) is required.
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