Terms and methods of filing applications

  Terms and methods of filing applications

Everything is strict with the formal part in Austrian universities. The application must be submitted on time within the allotted time frame. In some cases, preliminary online registration is still required. General application deadlines for universities usually end on February 5 (for the summer semester) and for the winter semester on September 5.

An important caveat: the deadlines for submitting applications to universities of applied sciences, to private universities, as well as pedagogical and artistic ones, may differ from the general deadlines.

Pay special attention to the letterheads. Application forms can be downloaded directly from university websites or requested by email. In some universities, the application and the entire package of documents can be submitted online. For example, applications to the University of Vienna are submitted through the U: Space system. Many universities of applied sciences use their own systems for uploading documents, which is very convenient!

3. Entrance tests

When more applications are received for a particular program than there are free study places, the university introduces entrance tests. Depending on the university and specialty, they come in one of five types: Online test (Self-Assessment)

Written test

Interview and / or assignment

Aptitude Test

Together

The most competitive specialties

Below I have prepared for you a list of the most popular areas, for which there is always or almost always a competition and entrance tests. At the same time, it is important to understand that year after year does not happen. For example, there was no exam for sociology in 2019 at the University of Vienna. There was also no exam at the economics faculties in Vienna and Graz. The same situation was with jurisprudence in Graz and Vienna, and with architecture at TU Graz.

Medicine (competition of 11 people per seat)

Pharmaceuticals (2 persons per seat)

Veterinary (6 applicants per place)

Biology (one and a half people per place)

Psychology (eight applicants for a place)

Economy (floating rate from year to year)

Journalism and Communication (floating competition)

Teacher training

Sport

Informatics and business informatics

Since 2019, many universities have introduced entrance exams for several more popular programs. We have already talked about them in previous articles and, by the way, this scared off many applicants. In fact, there was no excitement, and for many specialties, due to shortage of admission tests, they were canceled altogether.

Important! In most cases, online pre-registration for the exam is required. Those who have not registered cannot participate in the enrollment procedure.

In most cases, there is a fee for “participating” in the exam, which must be paid in advance.

By the way, even if you are entering preparatory courses, for example, at the University of Vienna, you still have to go through the online registration procedure. Registration deadlines for all specialties are different (see this article).

Those who attend courses, I repeat, do not need to pay for "participation" in the entrance exam, because you do not plan to take it with the A2, B1 and B2 levels. You will be ready for the entrance exam after you have received a German certificate at the C1 level at the courses and have passed additional subjects, if they are assigned to you.

4. Preparation for entrance tests

To make it simpler and clearer, let's look at the preparation process for exams in Austrian universities using two illustrative examples: pharmaceuticals (in public universities) and dietetics (in universities of applied sciences).

a) Pharmaceuticals (in state universities)

Vienna Competition (2019) - 1,050 entries for 560 seats (1.9 persons per seat) Graz Competition (2019) - 386 entries for 315 entries (1.2 persons per seat) Entrance tests:

Online registration from March 1 to July 15, 2019

Online Self-Assessment test

Written test:

- subject knowledge (biology, chemistry, etc.)

- text comprehension

- general cognitive skills

Test duration is 2 hours.

Entrance tests in pharmaceuticals took place on 30.08.2019 at the universities of Vienna, Graz and Innsbruck at the same time.

You can use special courses to prepare for tests. The best, in my opinion, today are the courses from the Unger Bildungsmarketing company.

What is included in the course:

Subject training in chemistry and biology

Medical and pharmaceutical terminology

Answering strategy for Multiple-Choice-Test questions (multiple choice questions).

Mock test (simulate real test)

Time management for passing the test (because the time on the test is limited) Analysis of typical exam questions.

Feedback and practical advice

Synopsis for all parts of the test

The cost of the course is 277 euros.

Training can be done in Vienna, Graz and Innsbruck. There are similar courses in other subjects for which entrance exams have been introduced: Veterinary

Biology

Psychology

Journalism and Communication

Teacher training

Sports

Informatics and business informatics, etc.

2) Dietetics (in FH) Competition for universities of applied sciences is often higher than for state universities. So, in 2019, the competition for dietetics was as follows: in Vienna FH Campus Wien - 320 applications for 15 places (21 people per place) in Sankt Pölten FH St. Pölten - 186 applications for 30 seats (6.2 persons per seat) in Bad Gleichenberg FH Joanneum 117 applications for 17 seats (7 persons per seat) at the FH Gesundheitsberufe Oberösterreich 200 applications for 18 places (11 people per seat) Entrance tests: 1. Online registration 2. Written rating test (general and subject knowledge) 3. Practical examination (aptitude test and aptitude test) 4. Interview For preparation, you can also use commercial courses, an example of which we have considered just above. Outcome We have reviewed the process of admission to Austrian universities in 2020. To make it easier for you, I have put the key points in a small comparison table. Price in Euro (per semester) Prepared. courses Certificate from the university at home Admission after 11th grade. Education in English State Universities 750 Yes (Vienna, Graz, Leoben, Linz) Required Yes, for preparation. Courses Bachelor's - No * Master's - Yes FH (ФХ) 380-750 No Not needed No Yes Private universities 3.5-10 thousand No Not needed Yes Yes * It is important to understand that where it says “No” sometimes, very rarely, there is “Yes”. We perceive this as an exceptional case, and therefore do not take it into account. Of course, each university and program has its own specifics. Therefore, if you are interested in specific questions, ask them in the comments or contact me in any way convenient for you. I will try to answer as fully as possible.