Admission Requirements at the FHV
The following is information on general admission requirements including language policy and registration procedures.
The admission requirement for a bachelor's degree programme at the FHV is:
- the general university entrance qualification or
- a relevant professional qualification with additional examinations.
The general university entrance qualifications must be proven by the following documents:
- an Austrian secondary school leaving examination certificate
- an Austrian certificate of the Berufsreifeprüfung
- a certificate of eligibility for the respective degree programme at a university of applied sciences
- equivalent foreign certificate (general university entrance qualification)
- Certificate of completion of at least three years of study and 180 ECTS credits at a recognised domestic or foreign post-secondary educational institution
Specialized vocational training with additional examinations is to be proven by:
- Completion of a vocational middle school (at least 3 years) or training in the dual system (subject-relevant apprenticeship). The respective programme director decides on the relevance of the subject. Applicants with relevant professional qualifications have to pass additional examinations in the subjects German, mathematics as well as English or, in the case of the technical degree programmes, German, mathematics 3, English and physics.
- Subject-relevant German Fachhochschulreife with additional examinations. Depending on the degree programme, different additional examinations in the subjects of English, mathematics and physics are to be completed.
Other country-specific information for applicants:
- from Germany: general university entrance qualification (Abitur) or German Fachhochschulreife relevant to the subject with additional examinations; relevant professional qualification with additional examination
- from Liechtenstein: general university entrance qualification or Liechtenstein vocational baccalaureate; relevant professional qualification with taking additional examinations
- from Switzerland: general university entrance qualification; subject-relevant professional qualification with additional examinations
Applicants with international background:
Foreign certificates will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. If (according to § 4 Abs 6 FHG) the equivalence of foreign certificates with regard to the content and requirements of an Austrian maturity examination is not given, the programme director shall prescribe the supplementary examinations that are required for the establishment of equivalence with a domestic maturity examination and must be taken before admission.
All documents and certificates issued outside Austria must be translated into German or English and, if necessary, certified. Detailed information on the requirements can be found here.
Subject-specific 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, and which is recognised as a post-secondary educational institution on the basis of the legal provisions of the state in which it is located.
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 FH master's degree programme at FH Vorarlberg 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 reference - German
The language of instruction in the degree programmes of the FH Vorarlberg is German, individual courses are held in English. Applicants whose native language is not German must provide evidence of their language skills (at least B2).
The following certificates are generally recognised as proof of sufficient knowledge of the German language at level B2 according to the European Framework of Reference (cf. Admission Recommendations for Foreign Matriculation Certificates, Knowledge of German - as of September 2020):
- German as an examination subject of the Reifeprüfung
- A Reifeprüfung certificate based on instruction in German
- Supplementary examination from German at the pre-study course
- Certificate of a university language examination from German (based on the then § 28 of the General University Studies Act - AHStG, BGBl. No. 177/1966, as last amended)
- "Certificate B2" or "Business Language German" of the Austrian Language Diploma German
- "TestDaF" (Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache) with at least level TDN 4 in all sub-tests
- Certificates of level "Advanced 3" or "Perfection" of the Vienna International University Courses
- "Zentrale Mittelstufenprüfung" or "Kleines Deutsches Sprachdiplom" or "Goethe-Zertifikat B2" or higher level of the Goethe-Institut
- "Second level" of the German Language Diploma of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic (Deutsches Sprachdiplom)
- ECL language exam German (at least B2) of the European Consortium for the Certificate of Attainment in Modern Languages (The Foreign Language Centre, University of Pécs), certificates after December 2020
- A complete study in German (at least 3 years) in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein
This applies only to degrees obtained at universities or universities of applied sciences within the countries concerned (no offshore universities or branches in other countries, no distance learning).
. In other cases, e.g. German is included in the canon of subjects, but not as an examination subject of the school-leaving examination, language of instruction is declared as mother tongue or first language (native-language), the programme director may recognise the existence of sufficient language skills in individual cases, at most after obtaining expert opinions or in the course of the admission procedure.
Depending on the respective degree programme, you will find the applicable admission requirements under admission requirements on the degree programme websites.
Under the following links you will find the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages" (CEFR) for self-assessment
German: www.europass.at/fileadmin/dateien_redaktion/sprachenpass/raster_selbstbeurteilung_de.pdf
English www.europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr
Language Reference - English
Individual courses in different semesters are partly held in English, which is why a good knowledge of English is required, i.e. expression, vocabulary, pronunciation and comprehension should correspond to level B2 according to the European Framework of Reference for Languages. Proof of English proficiency is provided, for example, by
- English as an examination subject of the maturity examination (first living foreign language);
- appropriate certificates such as Cambridge certificates, TOEFL, etc.;
- A full course of study in English (min. 3 years) in Australia, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, UK or USA - countries where English is the national language (does not apply to countries where English is the official language.) This applies only to degrees obtained at universities or colleges within the countries concerned (no offshore universities or branches in other countries, no distance learning);
- Discard of the English exam as part of the additional exams.
The knowledge of languages (German, English) must be proven in the course of the admission procedure at the latest at the beginning of the study. The recognition of language certificates in individual cases is incumbent on the programme director (eg English in the canon of subjects, but not as a subject of the maturity examination).
Depending on the respective degree programme, you will find the applicable admission requirements under the item admission requirements on the degree programme websites.
Under the following links you will find the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages" (CEFR) for self-assessment
German: www.europass.at/fileadmin/dateien_redaktion/sprachenpass/raster_selbstbeurteilung_de.pdf
English www.europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr
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.
- Accommodations, study services, use of the learning platform
- Payment of the ÖH fee
- Reasons for termination of studies
- Rights of use and exploitation
- Termination of the education 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
- and many more
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
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.
Another prerequisite for the admission and continuation of studies is the respective timely payment of the ÖH fee by the students.
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
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.