Summer semester of 2016: Easing into the start of the semester

University – a whole new universe? Tips, important dates and services to help you have a successful start to the summer semester.

Administrative details

The summer semester of 2016 and the lectures start on Tuesday, 1 March 2016 (overview of important dates). The general admission period for the summer semester ends on 5 February 2015 (here you find the online pre-registration; detailed information on the admission procedure is available here). Until 5 February currently enrolled students can register online via U:SPACE for an additional bachelor's programme (if they have a secondary-school leaving certificate from Austria or Germany) or for a consecutive master's programme.

Getting started step by step:
1. Get familiar with the range of degree programmes available at the University of Vienna
2. Select a programme
3. Register online until 5 February 2016
4. Check which documents you need for the admission on the Student Point website
5. Go to the Admission Office in the Main Building (1010 Vienna, Universitätsring 1) until 5 February 2016
6. Activate your u:account
7. Create your timetable and register for courses
8. Ready to study


Do not forget: In order to continue your studies in the summer semester, you will need to pay your tuition fees/Students' Union fee. There are several ways to pay. (If you have already paid your tuition fees/Students' Union fee at another university, you still have to re-enrol on your degree programme via U:SPACE in order to continue your studies at the University of Vienna).

Please also note: If you make a payment via online banking or payment form, it can take between two and ten working days for the payment to show as paid in the account information in U:SPACE under "Financial matters > Tuition fees/Students' Union fee". The semester sticker is sent to you by mail to the delivery address indicated in U:SPACE under "Personal matters > Personal data"). Moreover, the sticker can also be printed out from two of the five self-service terminals (please read the signs on the terminals) in the Main Building (in the corridor between the Audimax and the cafeteria in the basement).

TIP: U:SPACE accompanies you through the semester
The U:SPACE portal offers you all services for organising your university life. You can pay your Students’ Union fee online, register for courses and examinations and download your documents (such as your student record sheet, transcript of records, confirmation of periods of study), etc.


Important information for students starting their studies in the summer semester

Admission at the University of Vienna is also possible in the summer semester except for programmes with application and aptitude procedures. If the number of applicants exceeds the number of available places, an application and aptitude procedure takes place once a year prior to the relevant winter semester, and it applies to the entire academic year.

In addition, the University of Vienna provides an introductory and orientation period (STEOP) in almost all bachelor's, teacher education and diploma programmes (Law, Catholic Theology) in the first semester. The STEOP gives new entrants an insight into their degree programme so that they can make up their minds whether the programme will meet their expectations and whether they can meet the programme requirements. Completing the STEOP is a prerequisite for continuing with their studies. The Studies Service Centers (SSC) and Studies Service Units (SSS) can tell you if you can start your studies in the summer semester. Programmes that are currently exempt from the STEOP are Psychology, Mass Media and Communication Science, Sport Science and the school subject Sports and Physical Education (range of degree programmes from A to Z and basic information on starting your studies and contact details).

Interesting reading: Our blog entry on "10 Things I wish I had known before starting university"
All information, blogs and photos regarding the start of the semester are available on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram under #myunivie.


Be well-prepared for the start of the summer semester of 2016


To be well-prepared for the start of the summer semester, you should visit the welcome event UniLeben that will take place on Tuesday, 1 March 2016, 9:00-18:00 in the ceremonial chambers (first floor) in the Main Building of the University of Vienna. It offers workshops and counselling on issues related to the University and study organisation. Moreover, the University offers its popular guided tours at the beginning of the semester through the University’s Main Building (online registration for workshops and guided tours possible from mid-February onwards).

If I have questions about my degree programme, who can I ask?

Student Point can help you with many issues regarding the degree programme, but there are also numerous other service points in the University of Vienna with responsibility for various things, such as registration for courses and examinations, recognitions, problems with u:account and many other issues.

Student Point primarily provides information on the topics of admission and tuition fees (MailCenter: studentpoint(at)univie.ac.at, CallCenter: +43-1-4277-10600). On the website of Student Point you find information on the opening hours of the CallCenter and the InfoCenter providing individual counselling to students. You can find the InfoCenter in the Main Building of the University of Vienna, basement level, courtyard IV, staircase 6. You can generally talk to someone either in German or English.

If you have questions concerning ongoing studies (e.g. registering for courses and examinations, recognitions or entering grades, etc.), the best places to approach are the Studies Service Centers (SSC) and Studies Service Units (SSS).

PRIZE DRAW: Already Raffled!
In cooperation with the Online Shop of the University of Vienna, uni:view offers you the chance to win 1 of 3 special Uni Wien packages comprising a bag and a T-shirt.*


Any questions left unanswered?

At the counselling centre of the Austrian National Union of Students at the University of Vienna you find the answers and/or the right contact details to help you with unusual queries. And this is where you get your popular cafeteria sticker (Mensen-Pickerl; giving you a EUR 0.80 discount off every menu in the Mensa) as well as the copying sticker (reduced copy card of the Austrian National Union of Students with 220 copies for EUR 10). The Student Point Forum provides answers to your individual queries. Student Point also offers a list with important service points.

The faculty's and students' representatives at the University of Vienna regularly offer advisory sessions for new students at the beginning of the semester on topics such as the selection of courses, curricula or required examinations, etc.

You can also receive support and advice via the Psychological Counselling Services: it is free, confidential, and you can access it anonymously if you wish.

TIP: Current exhibition – "The University. A Battleground"
In cooperation with the Austrian National Union of Students at the University of Vienna and the Jewish Museum Vienna, the University of Vienna provides free admission to the exhibition entitled "The University. A Battleground" that is open until 28 March 2016 at the Jewish Museum Vienna.
The University of Vienna events calendar provides an overview of university events.


How do I plan my semester?

U:FIND serves not only as the online course directory but also as the staff and unit directory of the University of Vienna. The course directory provides an overview of all courses, also including information on the lecturers, registration procedures, e-learning, etc. You will also find useful information on the topic of semester planning on the Student Point website.

Digital learning

The website of the Vienna University Computer Center (ZID) provides information about the University's e-learning services. The range of online courses is continually expanding. There are currently 17 lecture halls that offer the necessary equipment: Lecturers can use these facilities to record courses and make the recordings available to students via the e-learning platform.

Getting to know my university

Every Thursday and Saturday there are tours of the Main Building of the University of Vienna (flyer); tickets are available at the porter’s desk in the Aula in the Main Building (discounts for students: EUR 3.50; information on free tours at the beginning of the semester will be available in mid-February at the UniLeben website). Everyone who would rather find their way around their new place of study by themselves can borrow an audio guide from the porter.

The following tours are also interesting: tour of the University of Vienna's Campus and special tours of the Klimt faculty pictures in the Main Ceremonial Chamber of the University of Vienna as well as tours on the topics of women at the University of Vienna and rainbow tours on the history of homosexuality at the University of Vienna (available by prior arrangement).


TIP: Learning and chilling out
When springtime comes, the University of Vienna offers new meeting places besides the lecture halls and the library. Popular places are the leaf canopy provided by the Arcaded Courtyard, deck chairs and a small café that will open in May (in fine weather), the staircase in front of the Main Building, the Sigmund Freud Park (a.k.a. Votivpark that has Wi-Fi of the University of Vienna), green areas, Enzos and pavement cafés at the courts of the Campus or the inner courtyard of the building on Währingerstrasse 29. A cool place for hot learning phases: the Botanical Garden of the University of Vienna.

Further information on the learning and communication zones at the University of Vienna and room for feedback is available on the website of Student Space.


Researching in the University Library

From the start of the semester, the University Library (UB) is once again providing library tours and training in the use of the various catalogues and databases (the dates and times can be found on the Library website under the Services tab in February in due time). The reading rooms and the reference library in the Main Library in the Main Building are open on weekdays until 22:00 and until 18:00 on Saturdays, including during the semester holidays in February 2016 (see opening hours).

Recreation: Sport and music

Anyone wanting to sign up for one of the many low-cost sport courses and dancing classes offered by the University Sport Institute (USI) should put 17 February 2016 in their diary, as this is the day that registration starts, from 7:00 onwards. You can also register for the courses online. But be quick: the courses are popular and places fill up very fast! The A to Z of courses is available here from the beginning of February, and the actual courses start from 1 March.

PRIZE DRAW: Already Raffled!
In cooperation with the University Sport Institute (USI) in Vienna, uni:view has 3 vouchers for USI courses for the summer semester of 2016 to give away (block courses not included). Photo: USI Wien/M. Frühmann


The Choir and Orchestra of the University of Vienna is also looking for new members. There are eight choirs organised according to levels and two symphony orchestras that make it the largest choral and orchestral community of Austria, if not of Europe. It is giving concerts in Vienna and also further afield on various tours. Vocal auditions and instrumental auditions start in early March. Further details are available on the Choir and Orchestra website under the "Join us" tab. No audition is necessary for the popular Voice Club Beginners. However, men's voices can only start in March, women’s voices only in autumn of 2016.

Up to speed in languages

The Language Centre offers courses for 30 different languages at different levels, ERASMUS outgoing courses and subject-specific language courses. You have until 22 February 2016 to register for standard courses (once a week from 7 March 2016) or intensive courses (twice a week from 7 March or from 9 May 2016). In addition, counselling is provided for self-assessment in some languages. 

People who would like to offer lessons in their language in exchange for lessons in another language can sign up for the Language Swap Shop run by the Language Centre.

PRIZE DRAW: Already Raffled!
In cooperation with the Language Centre, the University of Vienna offers the chance to win a language course in the summer semester of 2016 (to the value of EUR 354).


Up to speed in IT

So that you can stay up to date with the latest developments in picture editing, website design and word processing, the Vienna University Computer Center (ZID) offers IT courses every semester.
The ZID Helpdesk on the ground floor of the Neues Institutsgebäude (NIG) provides individual advisory sessions for all IT problems.

Other services offered by the University of Vienna for students include: the purchase of low-cost laptops (u:book sales promotion for the summer semester: 22 February until 20 March 2016), u:account (e-mail address, web space, etc.) or using the computer rooms.

TIP: Low-cost laptops for students
The u:book sales promotion for the summer semester of 2016 runs from 22 February to 20 March 2016.


For those who work particularly hard

Students can apply for a merit scholarship and check previous applications in U:SPACE under "Financial matters". There are also other grants and project sponsorships. A large number of other sponsorship opportunities are listed in the Austrian Database for Scholarships and Research Grants maintained by the Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research (OeAD). 

Gaining work experience

Gaining work experience is a valuable complement to your studies. UNIPORT, the University of Vienna's careers service, provides information about a range of jobs and placements as well as advice on job applications.

Students with children

Students who are also parents can access the services provided by the University of Vienna's Children's Office. These services include advice, child-minding or the Flying Nanny.

Interesting reading: Our blog entry on "How to apply to the University of Vienna: Frequently Asked Questions"
"I would like to study at your University. How can I apply?" This is one of the most frequently asked questions we receive on Facebook.


Students with special needs

Information for students with physical or mental disabilities can be found on the 'Accessible Studying' website. The Accessible Studying team is available to answer any queries about the accessibility of the university buildings or access arrangements for examinations (e-mail: barrierefrei(at)univie.ac.at). The Student Advisory Board 'Accessible Studying' is dedicated to supporting disabled and chronically ill students (please also see information clip for new students). The University of Vienna also offers a grant for the specific support of disabled students.

Studying further afield ...

Anyone who intends to study abroad as part of their programme will find the information they need at the University of Vienna's International Office. On this website you will find information on deadlines for application for ERASMUS, Non-EU Student Exchange and many other mobility schemes.

You can apply for stays abroad with ERASMUS+ in the winter semester of 2016, the summer semester of 2017 or the entire academic year 2016/17 until 15 March 2016 (detailed information on applications). Information about the places available can be found here.

TIP: Come to the "uni international"
On 11 May the University of Vienna hosts the annual Study Abroad Fair: uni international. Numerous exhibitors provide information and advice on studying and researching abroad.


Information for refugees and helpers

The University of Vienna would like to make it possible for refugees to be integrated into degree programmes as quickly as possible and is therefore keen to find non-bureaucratic transitional solutions. The We help refugees website and the folder Studying at the University of Vienna (PDF) compile the most important answers to questions regarding studies for asylum seekers/Convention refugees. The We help refugees website also provides information on the refugee initiatives of the University of Vienna. As part of the project UniClub+ of the Children’s Office of the University of Vienna, we are looking for, e.g. students that are willing to work as "StudyBuddies" and help improve young people’s German language skills.

TIP: "How can we help?" event series
In the summer semester of 2016 the Faculty of Psychology and the Faculty of Philosophy and Education organise a lecture and workshop series on the topic of "Flight, asylum and voluntary commitment".

Photo: Martina Gasser


Evaluating courses

The University of Vienna is very interested in feedback from our students and graduates. The results feed into teaching offers, curriculum development and services for students. Feedback is collected systematically via the Unit for Quality Assurance. Courses are methodically evaluated by students by means of degree programme-specific questionnaires. The analysed feedback is forwarded to our teaching staff, the directorates of studies and the Rectorate (video).

Up-to-date information everywhere

The University of Vienna's events calendar provides an overview of university events. News from around the University of Vienna and information about current developments in academia can be found on the University of Vienna's website, in the online magazine uni:view, on the University of Vienna's Blog, on the University of Vienna's Facebook page as well as on the YouTube channels, Twitter and Instagram.

You already know what is going on? Test your knowledge with the University of Vienna Quiz. It is real fun to test and broaden your knowledge of the University, of university life as a student and of various research projects and activities. Or you can become a Rector yourself in our u:game.

TIP: The University of Vienna is blogging
The University of Vienna Blog gathers the stories of people who make up our university. Have a look and send us your contribution.


* Terms and conditions (in German) for online prize draws by the University of Vienna