Application

Application Requirements

Application Requirements

Applicants have to be at least 18 years old and must have completed two years of studies at college or university level in their countries of residence or have an educational background equivalent to one year at a European university before the beginning of the program.

Applicants must be in attendance for the whole period of the univie: summer school, be able to take part in the required number of courses, have an adequate command of the English language and be in good health. Students whose native language is not English must submit evidence of proficiency in English with their application.

Applicants should also note that certain courses may have prerequisites.

Application Procedure

Application Procedure

The Sommerhochschule has a rolling admission policy and considers applications in the order of their arrival. Since the Sommerhochschule is unable to accept more than 100 students per year, early application is encouraged.
The application deadline for the univie: summer school is March 31. The application material must have reached the office of the Sommerhochschule by this date.

To apply for admission applicants have to complete the application form available in the print brochure or as download (application form) and submit it together with all required application material.

Application material must be sent in original to the following address (emailed applications cannot be accepted):
Innovationszentrum Universität Wien GmbH – Sommerhochschule
Campus of the University of Vienna
Alser Strasse 4/Hof 1/Tuer 1.16
1090 Vienna
Austria

A deposit (€ 400 for the Summer School and € 350 for the Arbitration Program) is considered part of the required application material and must be transferred to the following bank account of the Sommerhochschule by March 31:
Innovationszentrum Universität Wien GmbH – Sommerhochschule
Bank: Bank Austria
Bank address: Rothschildplatz 1, 1020 Vienna, Austria
Account number: 00282240100
Bank code: 11000
BIC: BKAUATWW
IBAN: AT57 1100 0002 8224 0100

The applicant's full name (first name and surname) has to be stated as "reason for transfer" or "reason for payment". All charges in connection with the payment must be borne by the participant. In some cases charges can be incurred both in your home country and in Austria.

Approximately three weeks after the application arrived applicants will be informed via email whether they are accepted by the Sommerhochschule. It is advisable to check the email account on a regular basis after applying.

Upon notification of their acceptance, students are required to pay the remaining balance of the program fee and the accommodation fee into the bank account of the Sommerhochschule. (See above).

After the Sommerhochschule receives the total program fee the applicant will be informed via email and receive a payment confirmation and/or an official invitation letter (which might be needed for visa applications) via regular mail.

Application Material

Application Material

Students are advised to read these instructions carefully before completing the application material.

Applicants have to submit the following documents:

1. Application form: Applicants must complete the application form available at the section downloads. The form has to be printed out and filled out.

2. Statement of Purpose: Applicants have to submit a written statement of motivation in English (maximum length one page).

3. Recommendation Letter: Applicants are required to submit a recommendation letter. The letter has to be submitted in original bearing the referees signature. Preferably it should be written on official letter paper (bearing the letter head of the university or institution issuing the letter) and placed in a sealed envelope.

The recommendation letter can be written by a person from your academic field (e.g. professor, lecturer, student advisor) or by a person from the professional field (e.g. employer, internship advisor). If the applicant is a student, the letter should be written by a person from his/her academic area.

A recommendation letter ideally starts by stating the name of the person who writes the letter and his/her title, together with the name of the student for whom the letter is written. The referee should also state since when and in which capacity he/she has known the student.

The next paragraphs should include an assessment of the student’s academic, professional and personal capabilities. The letter should give account of the student’s knowledge, interests, activities, achievements, results, work capacity, etc. and it should assess the student’s personal characteristics, character, social skills, as well as his/her relations with other students and professors. Especially skills relevant for the desired program should be outlined.

The letter has to include a paragraph about the student’s ability to study abroad.

The final paragraph should provide an overall assessment of the student’s potential to fulfill the requirements of the program.

4. Transcript of Grades: The application must include an official, certified transcript showing courses and grades from the university the applicant is currently attending. Applicants who have already completed their studies should submit a copy of their diploma. All transcripts and diplomas must include an explanation of the grading system used.

5. Official proof of proficiency level in English: Applicants whose native language is not English must submit proof of their proficient command of English.

Preferably documents should be issued by one of the following institutions:

• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Test Score Report by ETS (Educational Testing Service)
• IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Test Report
• ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Examinations Certificate by the University of Cambridge

Diplomas or test score reports from other official institutions stating the English level, will be accepted if the results are comparable to the levels of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). For more information concerning the levels please see the PDF download of the CEFR Europass Self Assessment Grid.

For participation in the univie: summer school an English level comparable to C1 (within the CEFR) is recommended. Applicants with a high B2 level (within the CEFR) can also be accepted.

For Students who have studied for at least one year at a university where the language of instruction is English, proof of this fact will be sufficient.

Students who studied to become an English teacher, translator, or interpreter for at least one year, can provide us with proof of their field of study and courses they took, as proof of their English knowledge.

6. Two passport-size photos taken within the past year. (It is advisable to write the applicant's full name on the back of both pictures.)

7. Deposit: A deposit of has to be transferred to the bank account of the Sommerhochschule. (Applicants for the four-week Summer School have to pay a deposit of € 400 and applicants for the two-week Austrian Arbitration Academy a deposit of € 350.) The bank details can be found in fees & payment.

No deposit has to be paid if the student applies for a scholarship. Please see the information about scholarships.

All documents have to be submitted either in original or as a certified copy. All documents that are not issued in English or German have to be translated into English or German. The translations have to be done by a notary or an official translator. (The transcript of grades can be translated by anyone as long as the translation is certified by the university.)

Due to the amount of incoming applications the Sommerhochschule cannot return documents. All sent material will be filed at the Sommerhochschule office. Applicants should not include original documents that are only issued once in their application material. In this case it is recommended to send a transcript or a certified copy of the original.

Please note that applications will not be reviewed until all required materials have been received. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.