Admission to a doctoral programme

In case you are interested in a Doctoral degree programme at the University of Klagenfurt and wish to apply for and enrol in such a programme, please read the information provided below before applying.

Application periods
Admission periods
Admission procedure
Language proficiency
Important instructions
Contact

Application periods

The application for admission to a Doctoral degree programme must be received in its entirety

by 5 September for admission for the winter semester or, respectively,
by 5 February for admission for the summer semester.

On average, the processing time of a complete application for admission to a Doctoral degree programme is 2 months.

Admission periods

Winter semester 2022/23

General admission period for Bachelor’s programmes:
12 July to 5 September 2022

General admission period for other programmes:
12 July to 31 October 2022

Summer semester 2023

General admission period for Bachelor’s programmes:
10 January 2023 – 05 February 2023

General admission period for other programmes:
10 January 2023 – 31 March 2023

Admission (enrolment) to a Doctoral degree programme must occur within the admission periods.

Admission procedure

If you wish to apply for and enrol in a Doctoral degree programme, you need to complete the admission procedure.

This is an overview of the steps of the admission procedure for a doctoral degree programme:

Complete the form for the application for admission to a Doctoral degree programme
Obtain a provisional confirmation of academic supervision
Application for admission to a Doctoral degree programme
Online registration (if applicable)
Enrolment in person

The separate steps of the admission procedure for a doctoral degree programme in detail:

Step 1: Complete the form for the application for admission to a Doctoral degree programme

Complete the first three pages of the form for the Application for admission with provisional letter of support from a supervisor

Step 2: Obtain provisional confirmation of academic supervision

Please contact the supervisor you are considering. Please note that the supervisor must be a scientific staff member with authorisation to teach (venia docendi), who works full-time at the University of Klagenfurt as defined by Section 100 (1) in conjunction with (3) of the Universities Act. Obtain a provisional confirmation of academic supervision (page 3 in the form).

Step 3: Application for admission to a Doctoral degree programme

Submit an application for admission to a Doctoral degree programme before the application deadline.

Applicants with a Bachelor‘s and Master’s degree/Diploma from an Austrian post-secondary educational institution

Enclose the following documents with the application for admission:

Form for application for admission with provisional letter of support from a supervisor
Passport or official ID (simple copy)
Complete graduation documents relating to previous Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes, or documents relating to Diploma degree programmes.
In the case of documents issued by the University of Klagenfurt, simple copies are sufficient. Documents issued by other educational institutions must be submitted as originals or as notarised copies.
The degree completion documents are (in consideration of legalisation requirements):
- Notifications of award: documents with information on your academic titles (if available)
- Degree certificates / diploma degree certificate
- Transcripts of records, or, if available, diploma supplements
Where applicable, document(s) concerning a name change/variations: If your name(s) is/are not the same in all of your documents, a document concerning the name change or, respectively, the variations in the spelling of a name/names is required, e.g. marriage certificate, affidavit etc. (in consideration of legalisation requirements).
Where applicable, official translations
Where applicable, Proof of admission to another university: If you are admitted to a different Austrian university and want to pursue a further course of study at the University of Klagenfurt, please submit your proof of admission to the other university. This proof is necessary, because the matriculation number you receive on the occasion of your first admission is retained for all further study programmes throughout Austria.
Where applicable, Leaving certificate: If you are planning to study at the University of Klagenfurt and have previously been admitted to another Austrian university in the same field of study, please submit the leaving certificate issued by the previous university.

Applicants with a Bachlor‘s and Master’s degree from a recognised post-secondary educational institution abroad

Enclose the following documents with the application for admission:

Form for application for admission with provisional letter of support from a supervisor
Passport or official ID (simple copy)
Complete graduation documents relating to previous Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes (in consideration of legalisation requirements)
- Notifications of award: documents with information on your academic titles (if available)
- Degree certificates
- Transcripts of records, or, if available, diploma supplements
Proof of language proficiency
Where applicable, document(s) concerning a name change/variations: If your name(s) is/are not the same in all of your documents, a document concerning the name change or, respectively, the variations in the spelling of a name/names is required, e.g. marriage certificate, affidavit etc. (in consideration of legalisation requirements).
Where applicable, official translations
Where applicable, Proof of admission to another university: If you are admitted to a different Austrian university and want to pursue a further course of study at the University of Klagenfurt, please submit your proof of admission to the other university. This proof is necessary, because the matriculation number you receive on the occasion of your first admission is retained for all further study programmes throughout Austria.
Where applicable, Leaving certificate: If you are planning to study at the University of Klagenfurt and have previously been admitted to another Austrian university in the same field of study, please submit the leaving certificate issued by the previous university.

Please note:

Original documents
All documents must be submitted as originals or as copies certified by a notary public.

The documents required for the purpose of admission must be submitted and will be returned to the applicant without delay, as soon as the authenticity has been verified.

Prints, scans, or simple copies are not admissible.
Legalisation
Depending on the country in which your documents were issued, they may need to be authenticated. Heed the legalisation requirements.
Official translations
Documents which are issued in a language other than English or German need to be translated into either of these two languages. Heed the translation requirements.
Intactness
Ensure the intactness of seals, staples, threads, stickers, or other kinds of adhesive on your documents. Do not remove existing attachments under any circumstance.
Address
Submit the complete application for admission to a Doctoral degree programme at the Admissions and Examinations Office of the University of Klagenfurt in person or send it to the following address by post:

University of Klagenfurt
Admissions and Examinations Office
Universitätsstraße 65-67
9020 Klagenfurt am Wörthersee
AUSTRIA
Processing time
On average, the processing time in relation to a duly completed application for admission to a Doctoral degree programme is 2 months.
Additional documents
Depending on the country of origin or, respectively, the country of issuance of your documents, additional documents might be required in the process.
Rectification
If admission is possible in principle, but rectification is necessary, you will be informed accordingly by email.
Acceptance
If your application for admission is accepted, you will receive a notification of admission (admission letter) with an ‘official signature’ (“Amtssignatur”) by email.
Rejection
If your application for admission is rejected, you will be informed accordingly by email.

Step 4: Online registration

Carry out the online registration on the webpage of the University of Klagenfurt (if applicable). Be sure to fill in all fields marked with an asterisk (*).

After the online registration and the receipt of the notification of admission, come to the Admissions and Examinations Office of the University of Klagenfurt for your enrolment in person.

Step 5: Enrolment

After you receive your notification of admission, you may enrol at the Admissions and Examinations Office of the University of Klagenfurt within the admission periods.

If you have studied at the University of Klagenfurt before, the programme will be opened for you and therefore a personal enrolment on your part is not necessary.

Book an appointment for your enrolment in person (admission). Further information on how to book an appointment is available on the page of the Admissions and Examinations Office.

For your enrolment in person at the Admissions and Examinations Office, bring along the following original documents:

Notification of admission (admission letter)
Valid passport or ID

Please note:

Supplementary examination in German

If proficiency in German at the B2 level (CEFR) is not sufficiently proven (see language proficiency), the supplementary examination in German will be prescribed, which must be taken before admission to a degree programme. The supplementary examination in German is to be taken in the context of the preparatory course programme for supplementary examinations (VAAU).
Confirmation of accreditation
If it is not possible to confirm the accreditation of the educational institution where you have earned one or more degrees in any other way, you will be asked to submit a confirmation of accreditation (in consideration of the applicable translation requirements).
APS
If your documents were issued in the People’s Republic of China, you must submit a certificate issued by the Academic Evaluation Centre (Akademische Prüfstelle – APS). Alternatively, a CHESICC confirmation may be submitted.

Language proficiency

Proof of proficiency in German at the B2 level (CEFR) at the time of admission to a doctoral degree programme in the case of German-language supervision and/or doctoral thesis.
Applicants who intend to write their thesis and/or receive academic supervision in German and whose first language is not German must provide proof of proficiency in German no lower than level A2 (CEFR) at the time of application. (see supplementary examination German).
Confirmation by the supervisor, recorded on the provisional confirmation of supervision, to the effect that the entire doctoral programme as well as the doctoral thesis will be completed in a language other than German, replaces the requirement to provide proof of German language skills.
Proof of language proficiency: A list of the accepted language qualifications is available in the Regulation issued by the Rectorate concerning proof of required language proficiency for admission to study programmes.

Important instructions

Prerequisites for admission
Admission to the doctoral programme at the University of Klagenfurt is subject, amongst other things, to the completion of a relevant Diploma or Master’s programme at a recognised post-secondary educational institution.

The precise legal regulations on admission requirements can be found in § 19 (2a) Part B of the University of Klagenfurt Statute and in the Universities Act 2002, Austrian Federal Law Gazette I no. 120/2002 (§§ 63, 64 (4) )
Official documents
Only documents which are equipped with a wet ink signature and a wet stamp/embossing seal (i.e. manually signed and stamped) or with the Austrian ‘official signature’ (“Amtssignatur”) are considered official documents. Digitally generated documents without a wet ink signature and wet stamp/embossing seal or, respectively, without the Austrian official signature will not be considered.
Documents with the Austrian ‘official signature’
If you have got documents with the Austrian official signature (“Amtssignatur”), email the respective files to the official in charge (see Contact), after you have submitted your application for admission.
Disclosure of data
In the event of doubt, the university reserves the right to verify the authenticity of any documents submitted.
Booking an appointment
Before you come to the Admissions and Examinations Office, you must book an appointment. Further information on how to book an appointment is available on the page of the Admissions and Examinations Office.

Contact

Christine Moser, BA

Admission to Doctoral degree programmes, surnames A to J
+43 463 2700 9133
Christine [dot] Moser [at] aau [dot] at

Juliane Achleitner, BA MA

Admission to Doctoral degree programmes, surnames K to Z
+43 463 2700 9126
Juliane [dot] Achleitner [at] aau [dot] at