Course registration for first-semester students within the University Preparation Programme in winter semester 2026/27

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 25, 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 admission period for the winter semester 2026/27 begins (dates as of May 29, 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 further below 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. The German placement test will take place at the VWU on July 7, 2026.
• 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).

Please complete all administrative steps as quickly as possible, submitting all required documents. Please note that due to capacity limitations, the date of your correctly completed registration (valid only with all required documents) may be decisive for securing a course place. A place in the preparatory course cannot be guaranteed.

Note: Students must make contact for the first time no later than 7 days after the visa becomes valid or the letter of admission 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 below for more information): Send your admission letter, passport (first page with personal information), and visa D to: vwu@vwu.at
• Group f (see below 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 30th, 2026 at the very latest.

Free course places may be allocated until shortly before October 30th (= end of admission at the universities in winter semester 2026/27).
 

The course fee at VWU directly for winter semester 2026/27 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)

The course fee at VWU directly for winter semester 2026/27 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”!

The course fee at VWU directly for winter semester 2026/27 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 directly due to capacity reasons the places will be allocated based on the results of the placement tests. Students who cannot be accepted at VWU directly 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 winter semester 2026/27 is 1,850 € (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 directly 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.

The course fee at VWU directly for winter semester 2026/27 is 612 €.

Special information for group d):
• If not all students can be accepted at VWU directly due to capacity reasons the places will be allocated based on the results of the placement tests. Students who cannot be accepted at VWU directly 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 winter semester 2026/27 is 1,850 € (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 directly 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.

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

The course fee at VWU directly for winter semester 2026/27 is 612 €, the course fee at the cooperation partners in winter semester 2026/27 is 1,850 € (plus € 40,00 fee for course materials).

Special information for group e):

• If, due to capacity constraints, not all students can be admitted to VWU directly, they will be ranked according to their German placement test results. Similar to an admissions process, the students with the best results will be admitted to VWU directly. The course level and the score achieved on the placement test will be taken into account. Students who cannot be admitted to VWU directly will be informed by email no later than the evening of August 21, 2026. They will then register with one of VWU's cooperation partners (die Berater®, the Language Center of the University of Vienna, or ZIB Training). The course fee for the cooperation partners in the winter semester 2026/27 is 1,850 € (plus € 40,00 fee for course materials).

Please note the limited capacity: Your chosen course provider may no longer have any available places. The course fee for the VWU cooperation partners in the winter semester 2026/27 is €1,850 (plus a €40.00 materials fee).

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.