Admission requirements
Requirements for admission to FHV
To study at FHV, certain admission requirements must be met. On this page, you can find out what requirements are important for your application to FHV – from formal qualifications to language or subject-specific requirements.
Academic admission requirements
Academic entry requirements for a bachelor's degree programme at FHV:
- the general university entrance qualification or
- a relevant professional qualification with additional examinations.
General university entrance qualification:
- Austrian school leaving certificate including a certificate of vocational maturity or
- University entrance qualification certificate for the field of study defined in the degree programme or
Degree programmes in technology: Engineering studies
Degree programmes in economics: Social and economic studies
Degree programmes in social sciences: Social and economic studies
Health programmes: Social and economic studies or medical and veterinary studies
Design programmes: Social and economic studies
- Equivalent foreign certificate or
A foreign certificate is considered equivalent if it is recognised as equivalent to one of the above-mentioned Austrian qualifications on the basis of an international agreement, nostrification or a decision by the programme director. For example, the Liechtenstein vocational baccalaureate or the German subject-specific higher education entrance qualification are recognised, provided that their subject relevance corresponds to the chosen degree programme.
If equivalence with regard to the content and requirements of an Austrian school-leaving examination is not given, the degree programme director may prescribe supplementary examinations in accordance with Section 4 (6) FHG. These must be taken before admission and are based on the subjects of the intended university entrance examination. A partial examination already successfully completed at an Austrian university can replace the prescribed supplementary examinations.
- Completion of at least three years of study and 180 ECTS at a recognised domestic or foreign post-secondary educational institution
Relevant professional qualification with additional examinations:
- Qualifications from all technical apprenticeships and vocational secondary schools with a training period of at least three years each, or vocational training comparable in scope and requirements, or
- German technical college entrance qualification or
- Swiss vocational baccalaureate
The relevance of the vocational qualifications is described in the respective degree programme. The respective degree programme director decides on the relevance of the subject. Depending on the chosen degree programme, different additional examinations must be taken.
Information for international applicants:
- From Germany:
- Free admission: general university entrance qualification (Abitur) or subject-specific university entrance qualification
- Relevant professional qualification with additional examination: subject-specific technical college entrance qualification
- From Liechtenstein:
- Free admission: general university entrance qualification or Liechtenstein vocational baccalaureate
- From Switzerland:
- Free admission: general university entrance qualification
- Relevant professional qualification with additional examinations: Swiss vocational baccalaureate
Applicants with international background:
Foreign certificates are examined on a case-by-case basis. If (according to § 4 (6) FHG) foreign certificates are not equivalent to an Austrian school leaving certificate in terms of content and requirements, the programme director must prescribe the supplementary examinations that are necessary to establish equivalence with a domestic school leaving certificate and which must be taken before admission.
All documents and certificates issued outside Austria must be translated into German or English and, if necessary, certified before submission.
Academic admission requirements for a master's degree programme at the FHV are:
- a completed subject-relevant bachelor's degree programme at a university of applied sciences or
- the completion of an equivalent degree
to the extent of at least six semesters and 180 ECTS at a recognised domestic or foreign post-secondary educational institution for which admission requires the general university entrance qualification.
If the equivalence is basically given and only individual supplements to the full equivalence are missing, the programme director is entitled to combine the determination of equivalence with the requirement of examinations that can be taken during the respective master's degree.
If the scientific and didactic concept of a degree programme at a university of applied sciences is based on professional experience, access to this degree programme at a university of applied sciences may be restricted to an appropriate target group.
Which educational qualifications apply as subject-related admission requirements for a specific FHV master's degree programme can be found under the heading "Admission requirements" of the respective degree programme or please contact the relevant degree programme administration. There you will also find out whether a minimum ECTS level is required in certain areas.
Applicants with international background:
All documents and certificates issued outside Austria must be translated into German or English and, if necessary, certified. Detailed information about the requirements can be found here.
Language admission requirements
All FHV degree programmes (with the exception of the Master's programme in International Marketing and Leadership) require confirmation of German language proficiency at level B2 based on the CEFR in the four areas of speaking, reading, listening and writing.
The FHV accepts the language certificates and attestations listed below, based on the CEFR, as confirmation of the required language skills. Language certificates are valid indefinitely. Attestations must not be more than five years old at the time of application and must confirm a proficiency level of B2 overall and in each of the four areas of speaking, reading, listening and writing. Any of the certificates listed below at a level higher than B2 may also be recognised as confirmation of language proficiency at level B2.
The definition of the language certificates and attestations listed below is exhaustive; language certificates and attestations other than those listed here will be rejected by the FHV.
Recognised language certificates German B2 (unlimited validity):
- (Vocational) school leaving certificate (Reifeprüfungszeugnis) from a German-speaking school (with German as the language of instruction and examination), including German Fachhochschulreife and Swiss Berufsmaturität
- School leaving certificate (Reifeprüfungszeugnis) from an Austrian or German school abroad
- Degree certificate and transcript of grades/diploma supplement that meets all of the following conditions:
- University degree with a minimum duration of two years (at least 120 ECTS credits completed) and
- German listed as one of the languages of instruction in the Diploma Supplement and
- completed at a recognised university in an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the USA, Australia, New Zealand or Canada.
- University entrance qualification examination or supplementary examination as part of a preparatory course at Austrian universities
- Successful completion of the supplementary examination or additional examination in German at an Austrian university of applied sciences
Recognised certificates in German B2 (not older than 5 years):
- Austrian Language Diploma – ÖSD Certificate B2
- Goethe Institute – Goethe Certificate B2
- telc German B2
- German Language Examination for University Admission for Foreign Applicants: DSH2
- German Language Diploma of the Conference of Ministers of Education DSD II
- Test of German as a Foreign Language (Test DaF), minimum level TDN 3
- Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) – ÖIF Test (B2)
All FHV degree programmes require confirmation of English language proficiency at level B2 based on the CEFR in the four areas of speaking, reading, listening and writing.
The FHV accepts the language certificates and attestations listed below, based on the CEFR, as confirmation of the required language skills. Language certificates are valid indefinitely. Attestations must not be more than five years old at the time of application and must confirm a proficiency level of B2 overall and in each of the four areas of speaking, reading, listening and writing. Any of the certificates listed below at a level higher than B2 may also be recognised as confirmation of language proficiency at level B2.
The definition of the language certificates and attestations listed below is exhaustive; language certificates and attestations other than those listed here will be rejected by the FHV.
Recognised language certificates English B2 (unlimited validity):
- (Vocational) school leaving certificate (Reifeprüfungszeugnis) with successfully completed school leaving examination in English or with English as the predominant language of instruction. The following conditions apply:
- The school leaving examination was taken at a school in an EU/EEA member state, Switzerland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the USA, Australia, New Zealand or Canada.
- If the level of English is not apparent from the certificate, confirmation may be requested from the school management.
- ‘IB Diploma’ in accordance with the regulations of the ‘International Baccalaureate Organisation’, with English as a school subject.
- University entrance qualification examination or supplementary examination in English B2 as part of a preparatory course at Austrian universities
- Successful completion of the supplementary examination or additional examination in English B2 at an Austrian university of applied sciences
- Degree certificate and transcript of grades/diploma supplement that meets all of the following conditions:
- University studies with a minimum duration of two years (at least 120 ECTS credits completed) and
- English listed as one of the languages of instruction in the Diploma Supplement and
- completed at a recognised university in an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the USA, Australia, New Zealand or Canada.
Recognised certificates in English B2 (not older than 5 years):
- TOEFL: IBT (internet-based): minimum score of 72 points
- IELTS Academic: Overall Band Score: minimum score of 6.5 points
- Cambridge English First Certificate (FCE): Level B2
- Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE): Result Level B2
- Proof of language proficiency from a university language centre at level B2. The language centre must be located at a university in an EU/EEA member state, Switzerland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the USA, Australia, New Zealand or Canada.
Further admission requirements
The prerequisite for beginning studies in a degree programme of the FHV is the conclusion of a private-law education contract between the students and the FHV.
Among other things, this contract regulates the essential rights and obligations of the students, e.g.
- Attendance, academic performance, use of the learning platform
- Timely payment of the ÖH contribution
- Reasons for termination of studies
- Rights of use and exploitation
- Termination of the training contract
- Determinations of the programme structure, the study and examination regulations, the house rules, fire protection regulations, IT policy, campus card usage regulations and FHV library usage regulations, laboratory regulations
In return, the FHV undertakes to ensure the proper operation of the study program and to provide the conditions so that the study program can be successfully completed within the standard period of study.
Examples of the education contracts (subject to change):
- Education contract degree student
- Education contract degree students (Incoming students)
- Education contract non-degree seeking students in individual courses of FH degree programmes
For more detailed information on data protection in accordance with Art. 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), please visit Data Protection and Information for the Management of Student Data.
Supplementary documents to the education contract e.g.
- Study and examination regulations
- House regulations
- Fire safety regulations
- Library regulations of the FHV
- Campus Card usage regulations for students
- IT Security Policy for students
- Security policy/instructions of the FHV
Questions about admission requirements?
If you have any general questions, please feel free to contact the Student Advisory Service.
If you have any questions specific to your degree programme, please contact the relevant programme administration office. Contact details can be found on the relevant degree programme page.