FAQ for International Students

In order to start studying at TU Graz, you have to meet a number of requirements. The specific requirements depend on the degree programme. The requirements for bachelor’s degree programmes and master’s degree or a doctoral degree programmes are different. All information on the requirements for admission to TU Graz can be found on the page "Admission Requirements".

Each degree programme offered at TU Graz has its own page on the website. You can find an overview on the page “Overview: Degree and Certificate Programmes”. It includes comprehensive information on the respective programmes, including all admission requirements.

The admission requirements for each master’s degree programme are listed on its respective webpage. Some English language master’s degree programmes at TU Graz have a specific admission procedure for which interested prospective students can apply one year in advance between October 15 and December 15.

For some countries, there is a minimum GPA requirement, as not all countries have the same degrees or educational levels.

Country-specific information can be found here: Required documents for international applicants

This is clarified on a case-by-case basis during the application process, when a decision is made on whether you need to catch up on specific supplementary exams or courses, and if so which ones.

For bachelor's degree programmes, this can include additional and supplementary exams. Which additional and supplementary exams are available for which degree programmes at TU Graz along with any relevant further information can be found on the page “Additional and Supplementary Examinations”.

In some cases, you might have to catch up on individual courses (requirements) in order to study in a specific master’s degree programme depending on the curriculum of the respective undergraduate degree programme.

The programme prepares international students who have been admitted to TU Graz for any additional or supplementary exams. By this means, we aim to ensure that all students in the degree programmes are adequately prepared for studying at TU Graz.

If the higher education entrance qualification obtained abroad is not equivalent to an Austrian Matura, the necessary supplementary examinations must be completed before the start of studies.

If you do not yet have adequate language skills in German (level C1 acc. to CEFR), you can be admitted to TU Graz as an extraordinary student with knowledge of German at level A2 until you can provide proof that you have reached the language level C1.

You can find more information and details on the fees for the website "University Preparation Programmes".

All information on language certificates can be found under “Language”.

The academic year begins with the winter semester, followed by the summer semester. The winter semester usually starts on the first weekday in October, and the summer semester starts on the first weekday in March. The exact semester division can be found on the page “Academic Calendar”.

Admission is possible at any time within the respective general admission period. Details can be found on the page “Admission Periods”.

PLEASE NOTE: Some degree programmes require a special admission procedure before you can be officially admitted. This applies, among other things, to the Bachelor's Degree Programme Architecture and Molecular Biology as well as the English language master’s degree programmes. Information on the schedule and the admission procedure can be found on the page “Overview: Admission of International Degree Programme Applicants”.

Detailed information is available on the page “Overview: Admission of International Degree Programme Applicants”.

First and foremost, choose your degree programme. Then, find out what documents are required and whether there is an admission procedure. After completing the admission procedure, submit your application for enrolment within the deadlines. Once your application is processed, you will be notified via e-mail by TU Graz. If you are accepted, you will receive a notice of admission containing all the information about the next steps you have to take. Please pay close attention to these steps. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us (preferably the person named on your letter of admission).

The following steps are necessary for international applicants for degree programmes without an admission procedure:

• Fill out the "Application for Admission" form in its entirety.
• Gather all necessary documents for admission (in German and English, if necessary certified and translated).
• Send the form and the documents by post or submit them in person to the TU Graz Registrar's Office within the respective deadline.
• Your application will then be processed by TU Graz. You will be notified if you have been admitted without conditions, admitted with conditions or rejected by post.
• If you are admitted to TU Graz, you will receive further information on the enrolment procedure at the TU Graz Registrar's Office.

Some degree programmes are subject to an admission procedure. These include a number of the English language master’s degree programmes, the Bachelor’s Degree Programmes Architecture, Molecular Biology and Electrical Engineering and Audio Engineering, as well as the Teacher Education Degree Programme for Secondary Schools (General Education) – Subjects “Computer Science” and “Discriptive Geometry”.

The admission procedure for English language master’s degree programmes is held in advance for the next academic year. Interested parties have to register between October 15 and December 15. You can find more details on the page for the respective degree programme (see English-language master’s courses). In March you will be informed via e-mail as to whether you have been admitted to the university and, if necessary, you will be asked to send us the originals of all documents. With a positive notice, the earliest possible start of studies would be in the winter semester of the following year or the following summer semester. Details on the admission procedures for the degree programmes concerned can be found on the page “Overview: Admission Procedure”.

Yes, students may be admitted to TU Graz starting both in the winter and summer semester within the respective admission periods.

On the page "Required Documents for International Applicants", you will find a list of the documents required for admission depending on your intended study type (bachelor’s/master’s/doctoral).

The curriculum of a degree programme defines all the modules, learning objectives, learning processes and learning content students must master within a specified time period. This is dependent to a great extent on the subject matter and its complexity. In addition, the framework conditions for studying and other organisational matters are defined in a curriculum. International applicants need this document in order to provide evidence that the requirements for a subsequent master's or doctoral degree programme at TU Graz have been met. You can obtain this document from the university at which you completed your bachelor's or master's degree programme.

The “transcript of records” shows the ECTS credit points and semester course hours completed within a degree programme. It is a performance overview for the respective degree programme. In the English-speaking world, such a document is also sometimes called Academic Records.

International applicants need this document in order to provide evidence that the requirements for a subsequent master's or doctoral degree programme at TU Graz have been met. You can obtain this document from the university at which you completed your bachelor's or master's degree programme.

The “proof of completion of studies” is the degree certificate or the diploma you receive upon completing a degree programme.

No, a letter of recommendation is not required for admission.

Depending on the country in which your documents are issued, you may need to have them translated and/or certified for the TU Graz admissions process. On the page “Overview: Certification and Translation of Documents”, you can check a list of countries to find out about the requirements and procedures for translation and/or certification of your documents.

The question of who is allowed to translate documents differs depending on the country of issue, so please thoroughly research any legal requirements yourself as we cannot provide this information.

The translation must be inseparably linked to the translated document by the translator (e.g. using stamps, staples, etc.). It must be clear that the document is the unquestionable source text of the corresponding translation.

Depending on the country in which documents are issued, you may need to have documents translated and/or certified for the TU Graz admissions process. On the page “Overview: Translation and Certification of Documents”, you can check a list of countries to find out about the requirements and procedures for translation and/or certification of your documents.

Award certificate(s) other official documents and certificates as well as the transcript of records must be certified.

The question of who or which institution is authorised to certify documents differs depending on the country of issue, so please thoroughly research any legal requirements yourself as we cannot provide this information. The list of countries also provides information for the individual countries.

Yes, certification is not a prerequisite for this step of the admission procedure. It is sufficient that the documents are uploaded in PDF format without additional certification. Only once the admission committee decides to admit you to the university do you have to send the original documents including certification by post or hand them in personally.

You can send in the required documents by post or bring them in person to the porter at Rechbauerstraße 12, addressed to the Registrar's Office of TU Graz. The address is:

Graz University of Technology
Registrar's Office (Studienservice)
Rechbauerstraße 12, 1st floor
8010 Graz
AUSTRIA

The Registrar's Office of TU Graz will contact you if your submitted documents are not complete and ask you to submit any missing documents. It is therefore important to ensure that the documents are submitted in good time and, ideally, with a generous time buffer to the end of the deadline. This is especially important because, once you are admitted to the university, you still have to complete the enrolment process for your degree programme within the admission period.

Please send the documents to:

Graz University of Technology
Registrar's Office (Studienservice)
Rechbauerstraße 12
8010 Graz
AUSTRIA

No, you must clarify this with the respective delivery service with which you are sending the documents. We recommend you send the documents by registered post. This is the only way for the delivery service to receive confirmation that your documents have reached their destination.

For some Bachelor's degree programmes and all English Master's degree programmes, you must provide proof of English language proficiency at level C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

You can find more information on how to provide proof of your English skills on the page “Proof of English Language Competence”.

Proof of English language competence is not yet required during the admission process. However, you must submit proof together with the application for admission to the degree programme. This means that after the admission procedure and the subsequent granting of a study place, you still have time to submit a corresponding proof of your English language skills. You must submit this along with the required original documents during the enrolment process.

If you have completed at least two years of study in English in an EU/EEA member state, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the United States, this may be accepted.

More information: Proof of English Language Competence

Yes. English being the administrative language in one’s country is not sufficient. All the certificates and proofs we accept can be found here: Proof of English Language Competence

International applicants must provide proof of German language proficiency if they want to be admitted to a German language bachelor's or master's degree programme at TU Graz as regular students. Knowledge of German at level C1 according to the European Framework of Reference for Languages is required.

If you do not yet have adequate language skills in German (level C1 acc. to CEFR), you will have to be admitted to TU Graz as an extraordinary student with knowledge of German at level A2 until you can provide proof that you have reached the language level C1. You can find more information on this on the page “Proof of German Language Competence”.

You can find more information on how to provide proof of your German skills on the page “Proof of German Language Competence”.

You can find an overview of the scholarships for which you can apply on the page “Overview: Scholarships for Students”.

No, TU Graz does not offer full-time scholarships.

You can find current information on the page “Tuition Fees and Austrian Student Union Fee”.

A semester fee is charged for the University Preparation Programme. You can find more information and details on the fees for the University Preparation Programme at https://vorstudienlehrgang.at/en/.

We have provided a step-by-step explanation of the admission procedure specifically for international applicants on the page “Overview: Admission of International Degree Programme Applicants”.

General information on the admission procedure for first-time students, including for domestic applicants, at TU Graz is available on the page “Initial Registration for a Degree Programme”.

If you have specific questions, please feel free to contact us at any time by e-mail at studynoSpam@tugraz.at.

If you have decided to study in a degree programme that does not require an admission procedure, you can go directly to “Online Pre-Registration Procedure”. Only then can you personally enrol in the degree programme with the Registrar's Office of TU Graz. Please read the instructions for online pre-registration.

If you have specific questions, please feel free to contact us at any time by e-mail at studynoSpam@tugraz.at.

Online pre-registration is possible shortly before the start of the admission period until the end of the admission period. For degree programmes with an admission procedure, registration is only possible within the specific time frames. Information on the process and the start date of online pre-registrations can be found on the page “Initial Registration for a Degree Programme”.

If you do not have an account for TUGRAZonline yet, create a Basic User Account:

• Go to online.tugraz.at and click on Login. Under the item Basic Users, go to Create an Account. After complete registration, you will receive an e-mail with the activation link. If you do not receive an activation e-mail, please contact it-supportnoSpam@tugraz.at.
• Once you click on the activation link in the e-mail, a confirmation page opens in your browser. Please click on Next.
• You can now freely choose a user name and password. PLEASE NOTE: The username cannot be changed later! Please remember your password!

If you have specific questions, please feel free to contact us at any time by e-mail at studynoSpam@tugraz.at.

Please contact us by e-mail at studynoSpam@tugraz.at.

When having completed the admission, the International Office – Welcome Center is glad to support new international students with their preparations, upon their arrival as well as throughout their entire studies at TU Graz.

Check out the website for further information about the services: Welcome Center.

The university preparation programme (VGUH) – in German: Vorstudienlehrgang – is a preparatory course designed to help students acquire the language skills required for their degree programme and to take the supplementary exams.

To register at the university preparation programme (VGUH) you will need a valid letter of acceptance from TU Graz. To obtain this, you must first apply for a degree programme, meet the admission requirements and receive a positive decision letter. Details on page Admission of international degree programme applicants

No. The VGUH may only be attended if it is required for admission to a degree programme. This is determined by the university as part of the review of the application for admission.

The university can only determine based on the application, whether supplementary exams are necessary to establish the equivalence of the high school diploma.

The university reviews the submitted school transcripts in accordance with the provisions of the Austrian University Act (UG) and determines whether and which supplementary exams must be taken.

No. Proof of at least an A2 level must be submitted with your application. The A2 exam cannot be taken at VGUH or the university.

You can find detailed information about the certificates here.

Citizenship is not sufficient proof of language proficiency. The Austrian University Act explicitly requires proof of language proficiency in the form of German at the Matura level or a generally recognized language certificate that is no more than two years old.

Details on the accepted language certificates

Yes. Here you will find details on the accepted certificates.

Yes, you must provide proof of German and English proficiency for the following bachelor’s programmes: Computer Science, Software Engineering and Management, Information and Computer Engineering, and Chemical and Process Engineering.

If you are unable to submit proof of English proficiency with your application, TU Graz will specify in your admission letter that you are required to take the “supplementary English exam” at the VGUH.

Yes. If your high school diploma is not equivalent to an Austrian school-leaving certificate, you must take supplementary exams.

Studies that have been started but not completed yet cannot be used to substitute for the supplementary exams.

Only if you have already completed a degree programme at the time of application, the supplementary exams can be waived based on your degree.

Degree programs completed after the application deadline cannot be considered.

No. The supplementary exams establish general university entrance qualifications. The supplementary exams depend on your high school diploma.

No. Attendance at the courses is voluntary. They are offered to help you prepare for the supplementary exam(s). The university only requires you to pass the exams you have been assigned. You can therefore take the exams even without having attended a course beforehand.

However, you will only receive a confirmation of enrolment from TU Graz if you are registered with the VGUH as a non-degree student!

Generally speaking, yes.

Please note: Austrian universities are autonomous. This means that they sometimes require different levels for language exams or supplementary exams. TU Graz may need to require different or additional supplementary exams.

For proof of German C1 proficiency, C1 must be explicitly stated on the certificate. Otherwise, the C1 exam must be taken at the VGUH in any case.

The university will specify the maximum number of semesters you can attend VGUH in your admission letter. Extensions are not available.

An extension of the deadline is not possible. Even if you arrive or enroll late, you will not be granted an additional semester.

We therefore recommend that you continue studying the language on your own until your arrival so that you can pass the required exams within the specified time frame.

It takes a few days for payments to be processed by VGUH.

Once that’s done, TU Graz will receive direct notification from the preparatory course regarding your admission, and we can process it. Further information will be sent to students via email.

No. We need the official notification from the preparatory course confirming that all steps have been completed.

Please note: the student fee (ÖH fee) must also be paid for the (re)registration. The (re)registration will only be processed once both payments have been received.

Yes, if you are required to attend the VGUH according to the admission letter, you will be enrolled as a non-degree-seeking student. This can be verified with a certificate of enrollment.

You can print out the certificate of enrollment yourself via TUGRAZonline using a digital signature. In Austria, for example, this certificate is accepted for visa matters and health insurance, among other things.

No. Admission from the university (admission letter) is a prerequisite for registering for the preparatory course.

You do not need to resubmit your documents. You must first complete the preparatory course. Once you have passed all the required courses, you can submit them along with your new desired degree porgramme within the general application deadline.

Please email us the following within the general admission deadline to admission.bachelornoSpam@tugraz.at (admission to a Bachelor's programme) or admission.masternoSpam@tugraz.at (admission to a Master's programme):

• a scan of the admission letter issued by us, as well as
• the certificates confirming that you have successfully passed the VGUH exams,
• including a brief note stating which program you now wish to enroll in.

Please note: For bachelor’s programmes with an admissions procedure, you must register for and participate in this process in a timely manner.