Admission to studies

Depending on the type of studies (Certified Program, Academic Program or Master Program) and specialized direction of studies, there are specific requirements for admission. For a first overview of the requirements for admission to the desired studies see the descriptions of the individual university courses on the University for Continuing Education Krems website.

• Making contact with the named contact person / course management of the desired studies and informal initial clarification of the general possibility of admission
• Digital transmission of application documents via the portal Application/Online pre-registration for studies as a basis for clarifying the fulfilment of the subject-specific admission requirements
• Invitation by the course management to carry out the admission procedure (i.e. interview), if required for the respective course
• Clarification by the course management to ensure that subject-specific requirements for admission to the desired studies are met
• After successful of completion of the application procedure, the department will send "confirmation that requirements for admission have been met" to the applicant

The assessment procedure to determine admission competencies, i.e. to assess whether applicants fulfill the admission requirements defined by the curriculum (also known as enrolment procedure) is one part of the general admission procedure The General Assessment Procedure for the Entire University (AAV) is, in principle, applicable for all courses of study. This general assessment procedure has two differentiations (AAV-A and AAV-B), namely:

 a) AAV-A to assess the admission competencies/acceptance requirements for Certified Programs (CP), Academic Programs (AE) and Master (first completed tertiary education) and

 b) AAV-B to assess the admission competencies/acceptance requirements for Master (equivalent qualifications) if the applicants have not completed their first tertiary education (minimum Bachelor)

Admission to the course requires the transmission/presentation of documents and the booking of the admission fee.

• The submission of the documents marked "Original" in required documents is either
   - to course management, i.e. in the course of an admission interview or
   - directly at the Service Center for Students 

• In both cases the documents must be presented in person, either
   - in the original version or
   - in the form of a notarially certified copy

• Foreign documents must be notarially certified depending on the issuing country in accordance with the rules on certification
  - Applicants with documents from China must provide an additional certificate from the Academic Evaluation Center (Akademische Prüfstelle (APS))
   
• After presentation/booking of the required documents you will receive a letter from the Service Center for Students by post, containing your personal PIN-code for UWKonline (University for Continuing Education Krems studies management system) and other information.

• The participation fee has to be paid after transmission of the invoice

Only after electronic transmission and submission of the documents marked "Original" under required documents and payment of the participation fee does the admission to the course of study become legally valid.

The following documents must be presented for admission to study at the University for Continuing Education Krems:

• Registration and application for admission
• Annex admission fee
• Letter of intent (motivational letter)
• Europass CV
• The department or vice rectorate will issue a university place after successful checks that the subject-specific requirements for admission have been met and the contact person for the respective university course will transmit it to you.
• A valid passport or personal ID card (original)
• Evidence of tertiary level education (certificate of award and transcript of records, notification). Foreign documents must be submitted together with the required notarial certifications and legalization. (original)
• Evidence of general qualification for university entrance (baccalaureate, matriculation certificate, proof of suitability to study,…). Foreign documents must be submitted together with the required notarial certifications and legalization. (original)
• Notifications, provided they do not have a digital official signature (original)
• Evidence that specific criteria for admission required in the respective curriculum are met (language skills, professional experience, training …)
• Documents concerning name changes (marriage certificate,…), if applicable

Documents which are required in the original can also be presented in notarially certified copies.

Foreign documents must be notarially certified depending on the issuing country in accordance with the rules on certification.

Foreign documents must be submitted in notarially certified translations into German or English. Documents in English are accepted.

Foreign documents only have the probative value of national public documents when the original documents carry the required legalization. The documents to be submitted for admission (see „Required Documents“)  must therefore be legalized as follows according to the rules on legalization depending on the country of origin.

Academic Evaluation Center CHINA: Applicants with documents from China must provide an additional certificate from the Academic Evaluation Center (Akademische Prüfstelle (APS)).

1) Exemption from any legalization

Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

2) Legalization in the form of the Apostille

a. Principle

Documents from countries which are Contracting States to the “Hague Legalization Convention” (Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, BGBl. no. 27/1968) do not need full diplomatic legalization if they are supplied with the Apostille, which means that for documents from these  countries the legalization in the form of the Apostille is sufficient. The Apostille needs to confirm the signature on the original document not the signature of the notary.

b. Countries (with quotation of the respective publication)

Albania, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, China – only Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao, Cape Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea- Republic of, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia,  Malawi, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Russian Federation, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Suriname, Swaziland, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, Vanuatu,  Venezuela, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay.

c. Specialities

Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland, and Turkey, are exempt from any kind of legalization only with regard to judicial and some personal status documents. Therefore, in the lists of countries, which refers primarily to educational documents, these countries have been assigned to para. 2. This kind of exemption from any kind of legalization restricted to certain types of documents is based on special bilateral or multilateral agreements, e.g., the Convention on the Exemption of Certain Documents from Legalization, BGBl. no. 239/1982, in the framework of CIEC (Commission Internationale de l’Etat Civil), to which Austria and Turkey are Contracting States. This difference in the area of validity of various agreements on legalization also explains the fact that, for example, for a Turkish birth certificate no legalization is required, while, on the other hand, for a Turkish higher education diploma legalization in the form of the Apostille is required.

d. Competent authorities

Only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, in some cases, specially empowered authorities in the respective foreign country are authorized to do the legalization in the form of the Apostille. The diplomatic representation of a foreign country in Austria, however, is under no circumstances authorized to do it (therefore it does not make sense to refer persons to the embassy of the respective country in Austria in order to obtain a missing Apostille). – Authorities in countries empowered to do legalization in the form of the Apostille are stated in the instruments of ratification of the Hague Legalization Convention that have been deposited in The Hague (see:
https://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=conventions.authorities&cid=41#I).

We only accept documents in which the national public authority have confirmed the authenticity of the signature of the person who has issued the document. Documents in which the national public authority (or the notary public) confirm with stamp and signature that the copy corresponds to the original cannot be accepted.

3) Full diplomatic legalization

Full diplomatic legalization is required for documents from all countries which are neither bound to Austria by a bilateral agreement on legalization, nor member countries of the Hague Legalization Convention.

The mode of full diplomatic legalization is required for documents from all those countries which are neither Contracting Parties to a bilateral agreement with Austria concerning exemption from legalization nor Contracting Parties to the Hague Legalization Convention. This mode means that documents first have to pass the internal legalization procedure within the country in which they have been issued (this procedure is different in each country but the last authority definitely has to be the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the respective country). Afterwards the documents must additionally be legalized ('overlegalized') diplomatically by the Austrian diplomatic representation (embassy, consulate, honorary consulate) in the respective country. That means that the legalization of a foreign document solely by the diplomatic representation of the respective country in Austria – without prior legalization by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the respective country – cannot be sufficient basis for 'over-legalization'. Furthermore, please note that only original documents are subject to 'over-legalization'.

Legalization cannot be done by the diplomatic representation of the respective country in Austria or by the Legalization Office of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.

1. Legalization by the competent sectorial Ministry (e.g. Ministry of Education) of the country of origin;
2. 'Overlegalization' by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country of origin;
3. Austrian diplomatic representation in the country of origin.

Algeria, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, China* (except Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao), Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Holy See (see lit. c), Irak, Iran, Islamic Republic of Jamaica, Jordan,  Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao, People‘s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Sovereign Order of (see lit. c), Micronesia, Federated States of Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Territories administered by the Palestinian National Authority (see lit. c), Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Salomonen, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Simbabwe, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

*) Academic Evaluation Center CHINA:
Applicants with documents from China must provide an additional certificate from the Academic Evaluation Center (Akademische Prüfstelle (APS)).

If the country of origin is not listed, please contact the Service Center for Students!

Foreign documents must be submitted in notarially certified translations into German or English. Documents in English are accepted.

Translations of foreign documents carried out abroad must

1. be carried out by a court-certified translator, officially registered in the respective country.
2. These translations must also either be certified (foreign document) or confirmed by an Austrian court-certified translator.

The certified translation must be submitted attached to the certified original document or a certified copy.

If the translation was carried out by a court-certified translator officially registered in Austria, certification of the translation is not required. 

Please note: Translations should be done only after legalization if necessary!

For admission to further studies it is necessary to check that the specific requirements for admission to the desired studies are met (i.e. in the case of university courses with a Master’s degree), therefore up-to-date application documents are required.

The application takes place via the portal application/online pre-registration or via your student account under "My applications".