STUDY

Special Admission Procedure for the Master Game Studies and Engineering

The special admission procedure for the Master’s degree programme in Game Studies and Engineering is scheduled to take place once per year, before the start of the winter semester. Once the special admission procedure has been successfully concluded, new entrants can take up their studies at the start of the following winter semester or, respectively, at the start of the following summer semester.

Each academic year, a total of 35 university places will be awarded at the University of Klagenfurt on the basis of a special admission procedure.

Steps of the special admission procedure:

Registration
Upload all required documents
Entry and Residence
Enrolment in person
Payment of student union fees / university fees

Contact & Information

Game Studies and Engineering
E-Mail: gse [at] aau [dot] at
Web: www.aau.at/en/master-gse
Regulation on the Special Admission Procedure (English version, PDF)

Links

Legalisation/authentication requirements

Entry & Residence

The steps of the special admission procedure in table view:

WHAT	WHO	WHEN	WHERE/HOW
Registration for the admission procedure	All applicants for the Master’s degree in Game Studies and Engineering	11 January to 31 July 2021 (11:59 pm CEST)	Online registration Complete the registration for the admission procedure in the registration portal For detailed information, please refer to Step 1!
Upload of the required documents	All applicants who have successfully completed the registration for the admission procedure	11 January to 31 July 2021 (11:59 pm CEST)	Upload all required documents to the registration portal of the University of Klagenfurt For detailed information, please refer to Step 2!
Later submission of graduation documents	All applicants who submit a complete application by 31 July 2021 (11:59 pm CEST), the documents of which (with the exception of the graduation documents) meet the criteria in the opinion of the Admission Committee and the Admissions and Examinations Office	by 30 November 2021 at the latest	Upload the Bachelor’s degree certificate and the transcript of records to the registration portal of the University of Klagenfurt For detailed information, please refer to Step 2!
Acceptance of the study place	Applicants who receive an invitation letter by email	Within 7 days from the day on which the invitation letter is sent	Accept the study place via the registration portal of the University of Klagenfurt For detailed information, please refer to Step 2!
Entry and residence	Applicants who are not from Austria	as soon as possible	Entry and residence For detailed information, please refer to Step 3!
Enrolment	All applicants who successfully complete the admission procedure and who meet the admission requirements _____________________ Applicants who successfully complete the special admission procedure and meet the admission requirements, but cannot be in Klagenfurt by 30 November 2021 due to issues related to entry and residence	by 30 November 2021 at the latest ________________ by 30 April 2022 at the latest	In person at the Admissions and Examinations Office of the University of Klagenfurt For detailed information, please refer to Step 4!
Fee payment	All enrolled students	by 30 November (for the winter semester) or by 30 April (for the summer semester)	Bank/online-banking For detailed information, please refer to Step 5!

The separate steps of the special admission procedure in detail

STEP 1: Registration

All applicants must register for the special admission procedure using only the online registration, which is accessible on the website of the University of Klagenfurt during the period from the 11^th of January to the 31^st of July. Other forms of registration for the admission procedure cannot be considered.

Online Registration Guide

Once you have registered and applied for admission to the Master’s degree programme in Game Studies and Engineering, you will receive confirmation by e-mail.
This does not conclude the special admission procedure!

Registration period

11^th of January to 31^st of July 2021

STEP 2: Upload all required documents

Start the special admission procedure on the application page and upload all required documents by the 31^st of July 2021 at the latest.

Incomplete applications cannot be considered and will be invalidated after the deadline for uploading the documents!

Permissible file formats for uploads: PDF, Word, RTF

For each required document type one file can be uploaded. If you have multiple pages of a scanned document stored in separate files, please merge them into one file before the upload.

Upload period

11^th of January to 31^st of July 2021

Required documents

Valid passport or ID
Bachelor’s degree certificate
Transcript of records
Proof of proficiency in English
CV
Letter of motivation

Documents required where applicable

Documents concerning name change/variations
Confirmation of accreditation
Official translations

Upload all required documents:

Valid passport or ID
Bachelor’s degree certificate
Documentary evidence of the completion of a relevant degree programme or of an equivalent degree programme (undergraduate degree) ¹
Proof that you have completed a relevant degree programme (Bachelor’s degree programme) must not necessarily be submitted at the time of application – within the registration deadline –, but it must be provided by the 30^th of November at the latest for admission in the winter semester or the following summer semester (see step 4: Personal enrolment). Applicants who have not yet completed their undergraduate degree at the time of application – within the registration period – are required to provide evidence of their academic achievements in the form of an official provisional transcript of records and the corresponding curriculum/study plan in German or English.
A transcript of records of all examinations passed within the undergraduate degree programme or – if available – a diploma supplement must not necessarily be submitted at the time of application – within the registration deadline –, but it must be provided by the 30^th of November at the latest for admission in the winter semester or the following summer semester (see step 4: Personal enrolment). Applicants who have not yet completed their undergraduate degree at the time of application – within the registration period – are required to provide evidence of their academic achievements in the form of an official provisional transcript of records and the corresponding curriculum/study plan in German or English.
A certificate or other documentary proof of proficiency in English (Level C1 (CEFR)) ²
An up-to-date CV in English, which MUST include information about the applicant’s education, first language(s), all foreign language skills.
A letter of motivation ³ in English, in which the applicant describes why they seek admission to the Master’s degree programme in Game Studies and Engineering.
Where applicable, documents concerning a name change or variations in the spelling of a name/names (e.g. marriage certificate, affidavit etc.)
Where applicable, a confirmation of accreditation
Where applicable, official translations of the above-mentioned documents, providing that they have been issued in a language other than German or English

If there are doubts about the authenticity of documents or the identity of the applicant, further evidence can be requested or, for instance, an assessment interview can be held.

Documents issued in languages other than English or German have to be translated by a court-sworn interpreter and are also required to be legalised or, respectively, authenticated.

Required documents have to be uploaded in their entirety in consideration of legalisation/authentication requirements.

Legalisation & translation requirements

Depending on the country in which your documents were issued, they may need to be authenticated:

Legalisation/authentication requirements

Your application documents will be verified for completeness and to ensure that all formal and personal criteria have been met. You will be notified of any shortcomings and will be informed whether these can be remedied and which documents must still be submitted. You will receive confirmation by e-mail as soon as all formal and personal criteria have been met.

Depending on the number of applications received, approximately 10 university places will be allocated per tranche. Applicants who are allocated a place at university receive an invitation letter with a conditional offer of study. This document can be used for various bureaucratic affairs such as applying for a visa. It is the only document issued to applicants prior to enrolment. If you would like to accept your conditional offer of study, follow the instructions which will be sent to you along with the invitation letter. Please note that the offer letter is valid only for an entry in the academic year following the special admission procedure and that the deadlines stated in the invitation letter apply.

All suitable applications will remain upright for the entire registration period. Applications that exceed the number appointed during one tranche, will automatically be included for consideration in the next tranche. Applications which do not meet the personal and/or formal criteria will be rejected.

STEP 3: Entry and Residence

International applicants should gather information on entry requirements and procedures early enough.

If you are not originally from Austria, please make sure you find out about entry and residence requirements such as visa requirements and deadlines in a timely manner.

If you need a visa, you will need to apply for it in person, before you enter Austria. The application process for a visa can take several months.

Additional documents might need to be legalised and/or translated for a visa application to be considered complete.

Entry & Residence

Important links

HELP.gv.at

MIGRATION.gv.at

OeAD – Entry and Residence (General Information)

OeAD – Entry and Residence (EU/EEA/Swiss)

OeAD – Entry and Residence (Third Countries)

University of Klagenfurt: International Office

STEP 4: Enrolment in person

The winter semester starts on the 1^st of October, the summer semester starts on the 1^st of March. ⁶ A start of studies after the beginning of the semester may result in difficulties.

Applicants who have successfully concluded the special admission procedure can enrol up to the 30^th of November. Alternatively, if this deadline cannot be met due to issues related to entry and residence in Austria, successful applicants can enrol during the admission period for the summer semester, i.e. no later than the 30th of April. Enrolment takes place in person in the Admissions and Examinations Office.

Required documents (originals or certified copies)

Valid passport or ID
Bachelor’s degree certificate
Transcript of records
Proof of proficiency in English

Documents required where applicable

Documents concerning name change/variations
Confirmation of accreditation
Official translations

During enrolment, applicants must present the following documents (originals or certified copies):

Valid passport or ID (original documents)
Bachelor’s degree certificate as documentary evidence of the completion of a relevant degree programme or of an equivalent degree programme (undergraduate degree) ¹
A transcript of records pertaining to the undergraduate degree programme
A certificate or other documentary proof of proficiency in English (Level C1 (CEFR)) ²
Where applicable, documents concerning a name change or variations in the spelling of a name/names (e.g. marriage certificate, affidavit etc.)
Where applicable, a confirmation of accreditation
Where applicable, official translations of the above-mentioned documents, providing that they have been issued in a language other than German or English

Documents must be presented as original documents and must fully comply with the formal legalisation/authentication requirements. Documents issued in languages other than English or German have to be translated by a court-sworn interpreter, and are also subject to the formal legalisation/authentication requirements. The documents required for the purpose of enrolment must be submitted and will be returned to the applicant without delay, as soon as the authenticity has been verified.

STEP 5: Payment of student union fees / university fees

Following the successful enrolment, the prescribed student union fees/ university fees ⁴ must be paid in a timely and orderly manner by the end of the extended admission period.

The admission to the degree programme is only valid once the prescribed fees have been paid in full and on time! Students can only register for courses once the fees have been paid.

University fees

Important Information

¹ Successful completion of a relevant undergraduate degree programme (at least 180 ECTS)

The following undergraduate degrees at the University of Klagenfurt are considered appropriate prerequisites for the Master’s degree programme in Game Studies and Engineering in any case, given the successful completion of the special admission procedure:

Applied Informatics
Applied Cultural Studies
English and American Studies
Informatics
Information and Communications Engineering
Information Management
Media and Communications Science

Students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree programme in the humanities, social-, or media sciences, a Bachelor’s degree programme in the field of computer sciences, information technology, information management, English studies, or media communication, or an equivalent degree programme at a domestic or foreign university, university of applied science or other recognised post-secondary educational institution, are admitted to the Master’s degree programme if they provide evidence of at least 8 ECTS credits from one of the supplementary subjects.

Holders of different undergraduate degrees are required to consult the programme director gse [at] aau [dot] at

² Evidence of proficiency in English at the C1 level

Your English competency is required to be certified by one of the following qualifications. The certificates mentioned under points 1 to 4 must not be more than two years old at the time of application for admission:

TOEFL iBT (Minimum Score: 100)
Cambridge English: Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or C1 Advanced (Minimum Scale Score: 180, minimum grade C) or above
IELTS (Minimum Overall Band Score: 7) – Exam dates at the University of Klagenfurt
GMAT or GRE: the point value in the area of “verbal skills” must be above average for the participants in the year in question
Completion of a study programme conducted in English and lasting at least two years at a recognised post-secondary educational institution
School-leaving examination in English with a final grade no less than “good (2 or B)” in accordance with the Austrian school grading system and a minimum of 8 ECTS credits in courses with English as the language of instruction and examination at a recognized Austrian or foreign post-secondary educational institution, with a grade average not below “good (2 or B)“, or a comparable foreign education
English proficiency of university applicants whose native language is English, or university applicants with an extended stay in an English-speaking country (a semester abroad, a school year abroad, employment,
etc.), which can be proven through relevant documents (a certificate of employment/ reference, a residence permit etc.) stating the time period.
If none of the certificates and confirmations mentioned above provide proof of English language proficiency, the admissions committee may conduct an assessment interview with the applicant in order to determine his/her existing language skills. This interview can also be conducted as a video conference.

³ Letter of motivation

The applicants’ personal criteria are assessed amongst others on the basis of the letter of motivation. Applicants should describe in their own words why they want to enrol for the Master’s degree programme in Game Studies and Engineering, outlining their motivation, their objectives and their perspectives in relation to the degree, and should further explain the reasons for the selection of the University of Klagenfurt as a potential education institution.

The letter of motivation is assessed by the members of the admission committee, who also give due regard to additional interpersonal and intercultural skills.

⁴ University fees and student union fee

Austrians, EU citizens, students with the status of “Konventionsflüchtlinge”, and privileged third-country nationals („begünstigte Drittstaatsangehörige“) are EXEMPT from the tuition fee, if they are regular students and the duration of their study is not extended by more than two semesters.

All students have to pay the Students Union fee.

Students who are nationals of the least-developed countries or LDCs within the meaning of the DAC list NEED NOT pay the tuition fee.

OECD: DAC List of ODA Recipients

United Nations: LDCs at a Glance

⁵ Legalisation/authentication requirements

Information from the Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Research concerning the legalization of foreign documents in higher education (see PDF “Legalization list for higher education”)
Information on the authentication of documents
Hague Conference on the authentication of documents
(List of Contracting States to the Hague Legalization Convention with detailed information on the individual countries; among other things a list of authorities which are empowered to attach the Apostille)

⁶ Term dates and deadlines

The academic year commences on the 1^st of October and ends on the 30^th of September of the following year. It consists of the winter semester and the summer semester, each including the recess period. The winter semester begins on the 1^st of October, the summer semester begins on the 1^st of March. Courses in the winter semester begin on the 1^st of October, courses in the summer semester begin on the 1^st of March (see academic calendar).

Disclosure of data

In the course of the preliminary proceedings, personal data may be passed on to third parties.

Regulation on the Special Admission Procedure

Regulation on the special admission procedure prior to admission for Master’s degree programmes in English at the University of Klagenfurt