Course registration for first-semester students within the University Preparation Programme in summer semester 2026

To pre-register online and to register for a course at the University Preparation Programme, you need a valid admission letter from the university stating that you need to take one or more supplementary exam(s) ("Ergänzungsprüfung/en") and your passport / residence card.

First of all, you have to apply for admission at the university at which you would like to study!

You may apply for admission at one of these six Viennese scientific universities:

University of Vienna (Uni Wien)
Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU)
Vienna University of Technology (TU)
Medical University of Vienna (MedUni)
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU)
University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (VETMED).

When you receive the admission letter from the university and you have to pass one or more supplementary examinations, you may register for courses at the University Preparation Programme of the Vienna Universities.

Registration without an admission letter is not possible. First-semester students have to be in Vienna to take the German placement test.

Please note: Complete the online pre-registration if you already are in Austria or if you are about to enter Austria within the next day. You can also complete the online pre-registration if you can be present in Vienna for the entire specified period of test appointments.

If you do not appear for your assigned placement test, you will lose your entitlement to a place in the course.

Test dates are approximately assigned in the order of online pre-registrations. The earlier you complete the online pre-registration, the sooner the placement test will take place.

Please note that for capacity reasons the date of your correctly completed pre-registration (only valid with all the required documents) may be crucial.

All students can register for four semesters within the preparation program. If an additional semester is necessary, a request for an additional semester must be submitted by the deadline.

You have never attended a course within the University Preparation Programme (at VWU, die Berater®, Österreichische Orient-Gesellschaft or Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien)? The following registration procedures apply depending on your nationality (or residency status in Austria) and the supplementary examinations (“Ergänzungsprüfungen”) you need to pass according to your admission letter(s).

Please note: You will find further information for the late online pre-registration for groups a-e after the group descriptions.

You must pre-register online at https://anmeldung.vwu.at/vorregistrierung
• Dec 10 to Dec 14, 2025, 12:00 pm (CET), OR Jan 8 to Jan 19, 2026, 12:00 pm (CET)

Special note for group a):
• You may only register in person for your course at VWU between Jan 22 and Feb 04, 2026 once you have successfully pre-registered online.

The course fee at VWU for summer semester 2026 is 612 €.

Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia (1)

You must pre-register online at https://anmeldung.vwu.at/vorregistrierung
For entries into Austria until Dec 15, 2025:

Online pre-registration: Dec 10 to Dec 14, 2025, 12:00 pm (CET)
German placement test (after successful online pre-registration): Dec 16 to Dec 19, 2025
- Appointments are assigned by VWU, students CANNOT choose the date of the test!

For entries into Austria until Jan 14, 2026:

Online pre-registration: Jan 8 to Jan 19, 2026, 12:00 pm (CET)
German placement test (after successful online pre-registration): Jan 15 to Jan 26, 2026
Appointments are assigned by VWU, students CANNOT choose the date of the test!

Information about the course place and the further procedure for registration:
• Jan 30, 2026 in the evening via e-mail (some students may receive their course place assignments earlier). Enquiries from students who have not yet been assigned their course place will be answered as of Feb 02, 2026.

The course fee at VWU for summer semester 2026 is 612 €.

¹ this list contains the countries of the DAC-lists I and II, check https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/ for further information

Attention: Please also upload your proof of asylum in the field “Reisepass oder Personalausweis oder Aufenthaltstitel”!

You must pre-register online at https://anmeldung.vwu.at/vorregistrierung
For entries into Austria until Dec 15, 2025:

Online pre-registration: Dec 10 to Dec 14, 2025, 12:00 pm (CET)
German placement test (after successful online pre-registration): Dec 16 to Dec 19, 2025
- Appointments are assigned by VWU, students CANNOT choose the date of the test!

For entries into Austria until Jan 14, 2026:

Online pre-registration: Jan 8 to Jan 19, 2026, 12:00 pm (CET)
German placement test (after successful online pre-registration): Jan 15 to Jan 26, 2026
Appointments are assigned by VWU, students CANNOT choose the date of the test!

The course fee at VWU for summer semester 2026 is 612 €.

Special information for group c):
• If you have the status of a displaced person, you do not belong to group c. In this case select the option ‘none/displaced person’ (‘keiner/Aufenthaltsrecht f. Vertriebene’) in the ‘Asylum status’ field when pre-registering.
• If not all students can be accepted at VWU due to capacity reasons the places will be allocated based on the results of the placement tests. Students who cannot be accepted at VWU may register with one of VWU’s cooperation partners, die Berater®, Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien or ZIB Training. The course fee at the cooperation partners in summer semester 2026 is 1,800 € (plus € 40,00 fee for course materials). VWU may award scholarships to this group of students (= compensation payment in the amount of the difference between the course fee at VWU and the course fee at the cooperation partners). These scholarships will be awarded on the basis of the number of points achieved in the placement tests. The exact number of these scholarships will be determined by VWU commission.

You must pre-register online at https://anmeldung.vwu.at/vorregistrierung
For entries into Austria until Dec 15, 2025:

Online pre-registration: Dec 10 to Dec 14, 2025, 12:00 pm (CET)
German placement test (after successful online pre-registration): Dec 16 to Dec 19, 2025
- Appointments are assigned by VWU, students CANNOT choose the date of the test!

For entries into Austria until Jan 14, 2026:

Online pre-registration: Jan 8 to Jan 19, 2026, 12:00 pm (CET)
German placement test (after successful online pre-registration): Jan 15 to Jan 26, 2026
Appointments are assigned by VWU, students CANNOT choose the date of the test!

The course fee at VWU for summer semester 2026 is 612 €.

Special information for group d):
• If not all students can be accepted at VWU due to capacity reasons the places will be allocated based on the results of the placement tests. Students who cannot be accepted at VWU may register with one of VWU’s cooperation partners, die Berater®, Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien or ZIB Training. The course fee at the cooperation partners in summer semester 2026 is 1,800 € (plus € 40,00 fee for course materials). The VWU may award scholarships to this group of students (= compensation payment in the amount of the difference between the course fee at VWU and the course fee at the cooperation partners). These scholarships will be awarded on the basis of the number of points achieved in the placement tests. The exact number of these scholarships will be determined by the VWU commission.

² this list contains the priority countries and regions of the Austrian Development Cooperation, check https://www.entwicklung.at/en/countries for further information

You must pre-register online at https://anmeldung.vwu.at/vorregistrierung
For entries into Austria until Dec 15, 2025:

Online pre-registration: Dec 10 to Dec 14, 2025, 12:00 pm (CET)
German placement test (after successful online pre-registration): Dec 16 to Dec 19, 2025
- Appointments are assigned by VWU, students CANNOT choose the date of the test!

For entries into Austria until Jan 14, 2026:

Online pre-registration: Jan 8 to Jan 19, 2026, 12:00 pm (CET)
German placement test (after successful online pre-registration): Jan 15 to Jan 26, 2026
Appointments are assigned by VWU, students CANNOT choose the date of the test!

The course fee at VWU for summer semester 2026 is 612 €.

Special information for group e):

• If not all students can be accepted at VWU due to capacity reasons the places will be allocated based on the results of the placement tests. Students who cannot be accepted at VWU will be informed via email by Jan 30, 2026 in the evening (the latest). They may register with one of VWU’s cooperation partners (die Berater®, Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien or ZIB Training). The course level and the number of points achieved in the placement exam counts. The course fee at the cooperation partners in summer semester 2026 is 1,800 € (plus € 40,00 fee for course materials).

You must pre-register online at die Berater®, Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien or ZIB Training. Further information may be found on the website of the respective course provider (see below). Please note that there is limited capacity, which means you might not be able to register at the cooperation partner of your choice. The course fee at the cooperation partners in summer semester 2026 is 1,800 € (plus € 40,00 fee for course materials). After you have successfully pre-registered, you need to register in person with a hard copy of your admission letter and your passport or another proof of identity between January 22 and February 4, 2026 at die Berater®, Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien or ZIB Training. Again, please note that there is limited capacity, it is therefore possible that no more course places are available at the course provider of your choice.

For more information visit the respective course provider's website:

die Berater®
Handelskai 388 (access via Wehlistraße 299)
Staircase 4, 5^th floor
1020 Vienna
Tel: +43 1 532 45 45-2571
Appointments and information:
https://germanforstudents.com/en

Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien
Alser Straße 4
Courtyard 1, entrance 1.16
1090 Vienna
Tel: +43 1 4277-241 01
Appointments and information:
https://sprachenzentrum.univie.ac.at/en/german-courses/german-courses-for-vwu

ZIB Training
Gudrunstraße 11
1100 Vienna
Tel: +43 50 210-3340
Appointments and information:
www.germanforvienna.at/

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

First-time registrations before or after the regular registration period (before August 24 or after September 3, 2026)

Process

First-time registrations at VWU or one of its cooperation partners prior to August 20, 2026 are only possible for students whose visa D expires on or before August 21, 2026.
After registering at VWU (or one of its cooperation partners), you must also register at the referring university. The earliest possible date for this registration is the day the application period for the 2026 winter semester begins (dates as of March 25, 2026):

University of Vienna: July 13, 2026
Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien): July 7, 2026
Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien): July 9, 2026
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU): June 16, 2026
Medical University of Vienna: July 6, 2026
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna: August 1, 2026

After registration, you must complete your university admission within two weeks (visit your university's admission website for more information).

Student Groups

Information on groups a) to f) can be found on this website. There are two options available depending on which group students belong to.

Option 1: Students in groups a) to e) should write to vwu@vwu.at between June 20 and June 30, 2026. Please send your passport, admission letter, and visa with your email inquiry.
Option 2: Students in group f) should write to one of the three cooperation partners at least two weeks before their residence permit expires. Please send your passport, admission letter, and visa with your email inquiry.

First-time registration after September 3, 2026, is only possible for students who received their visa D or admission letter (the date on the admission letter counts) on or after August 30, 2026 (or, in case of the Vienna University of Technology - TU Wien, on or after August 27, 2026).
With late registration after September 3, 2026, there is no guarantee for a course place. Course places may only be allocated late if there are any remaining course places and only at course levels where course places are still available.
Note: Students must make contact for the first time no later than 7 days after the visa becomes valid or the admission letter is issued!
If you received your Visa D or your admission letter on or after August 30, 2026, please proceed as follows:

Groups a-e (see above for more information): Send your admission letter, passport (first page with personal information), and visa D to: vwu@vwu.at.
Group f (see above for more information): Send your admission letter, passport (first page with personal information), and visa to one of our cooperation partners.

You will then receive information on whether there are still course places available and if so, how you may register for them.
With late registration, admission at university needs to be completed immediately, or until October 30, 2026 at the very latest.
Free course places may be allocated until shortly before October 30, 2026 (= end of admission at the universities in winter semester 2026).

Do you have any further questions about the University Preparation Programme? Here you may find answers to frequently asked questions!