University Preparation Programs in Austria: Courses & Costs

Studying in Austria is a golden opportunity for the international students, as it offers them many study programs. In order to get accepted, students who do not master the German language have to pass supplementary exams. In this article, we will discuss everything related to the university preparation programs in Austria.

Check our article about how to enroll in an Austrian university.

The preparation programs are for the students who were admitted to study at an Austrian university but do not fulfill the German language requirement.

At first, students take intensive classes in the teaching language of the discipline they’ve chosen, either German or English language.

These classes aim to improve the language level until the student becomes fluent in speaking it to adapt to the university’s study program.

The program is also for the students who have to take supplementary examinations in subjects, such as English, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, history, and geography.

The cost of the preparation program lessons differs from one school or university to another.

There are many institutions and schools that offer these university preparatory programs in Austria, including the following:

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Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research

The Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research (OeAD) offers a university preparation program, together with six universities in Vienna. Each year, around 900 students who are admitted to one of the six universities attend a university preparation program.

They join as nondegree program students.

The program offers lessons in German as a foreign language, English, physics, and chemistry.
As for the German language courses, there are five levels. Students have to take a test to determine their level and put them in a suitable course.
Similar to the universities, each course lasts for a semester, ranging between 320 and 350 lessons and 24 hours per week.
To join this program, you have to receive first the acceptance letter from the universities of Vienna. Without the acceptance letter, you can not register in the program.
Each course costs around 1,160 EUR.
Students have to pass written examinations three times per semester. Passing these exams qualifies the student to take oral exams. If the students fail to pass the written exams and get score 5, they can re-register up to 4 times.
The cost of examinations of German, English, and mathematics is 50 EUR each, while the cost of the examinations of history, geography, biology, and chemistry is 35 EUR each.
Completing and passing the program depends on the student’s level in the course subjects. Those who achieve an advanced level in the German language are able to complete the program in one semester.

Learn more at the OeAD.

SALLS Academy

There are other preparation programs as those offered by the SALLS Academy. It offers a number of courses in subjects in which students have to take supplementary examinations during several semesters. Their level in the German language and in other subjects determine if the students can attend the study courses or not.

Costs differ according to the subjects, for example studying mathematics, physics, and chemistry costs 252 EUR per month. The costs of geography and history subjects reach 199 EUR per month.
Students study 24 lessons each month. They have to reach B1 level in the German language. If they fail to do so, the academy offers language courses according to the student’s level.

Read more at the SALLS Academy website.

Foundation Courses in Austria by Modul University

Modul University in Vienna, Austria has 2 foundation programs preparing students to meet the university’s bachelor admission regulation. The first one is in tech and is intended for students who want to apply in data science, IT and programming studies.

The second one is in business and targets students who want to specialize in international management, marketing and business communication. Both preparatory programs last one semester and require a full-time study to complete. Moreover, both programs are taught in English.

Learn more on the website of the Modul University

Foundation Program by the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria

The University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria is the largest university of this kind in the country. In this capacity, FH Upper Austria offers preparation programs in order, for its applicants with missing prerequisites, to meet the university’s admission requirements.

These foundation programs are available for engineering and business studies. The preparatory courses are in English and targets students who:

have not yet the number of sufficient credits in Mathematics, Physics and English to enter a study program
want to improve their Mathematics, Physics and English skills before starting to study
wish to upgrade their language skills and technical terminology
have not met the entry requirements to study in Austria
want to learn or improve their German language proficiency.

Learn more on the subject on the website of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria

Further Preparation Programs in Austria

Other universities offer university entry preparatory programs, including:

The University of Applied Sciences Burgenland with their preparation course and bridging programs for international students
The Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt
The University of Innsbruck
The University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien Academy
The Paris-Lodron University Salzburg

The university preparation programs in Austria are a precious opportunity, as they allow the students to prepare well for their higher education life phase. They also work on raising the cognitive and linguistic levels of the student.