German Courses – VAAU

Preparatory Study Course (VAAU)

for Supplementary Examinations

General Information

The preparatory course program for supplementary examinations (VAAU) at the University of Klagenfurt has the purpose of preparing international university applicants for the supplementary examination of German language competence (Art. 63 par. 10 – 10b of the 2002 University Law) as well as supplementary exams in other disciplines (Art. 64 par. 2) and to administer these tests.

The course program preparing for the supplementary German exam provides the language skills required to make successful progress in university studies, as set out in Art. 63 par. 10 – 10b. The courses preparing candidates for exams in other subject matters focus on the essential contents and standards of the Austrian school leaving exams, so as to guarantee that candidates have achieved a level equivalent to that of the national school leaving certificate, as foreseen by Art. 64 par. 2 of the University Law.

At the University of Klagenfurt, German language skills at level B2/b according to CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) or – for certain study programs – at level C1 are required for regular studies. Your admission letter indicates how much time you have to reach the required level:

  • 3 semesters if level B2/b is required;
    4 semesters if you also have to take other supplementary exams.
  • 4 semesters if the required level is C1;
    5 semesters if you also have to take other supplementary exams.
  • 3 semesters if you have to take other supplementary exams only.

You can read the full text of the VAAU curriculum here.

Admission to the Preparatory Study Course

Students who have been notified by the Rectorate of the University of Klagenfurt before admission to a regular course of study of the need for a supplementary examination in the German language and / or for one or more supplementary examinations in other subjects are eligible for admission to the preparatory course program.

Course Objectives

The preparatory course program offers prospective students whose mother tongue is not German courses geared to international language competence levels following the guidelines of the European Council and the learning objectives of the European language portfolio. The supplementary examinations attest the fulfilment of the requirements of a national school leaving certificate.

Placement Test + Determination of Level

If you are taking the preparatory study course for the first time, we will determine your current language level using a placement test. Allocation to follow-up courses is usually based on the result achieved in the previous course. Based on the placement test at the beginning of the semester, the course participants are assigned to the appropriate course level based on their language skills. The test consists of an oral part (interview with our language trainers) and a written part. A maximum of one module can be attended per semester.

Important!

Since the courses are intrinsic to the exam, overall attendance must reach 80% of the scheduled lessons.
If you acquire the German language skills required by the letter of admission before the end of the semester, you are not legally entitled to attend further German courses as part of the preparatory course program.

Course Brochure with all important information

Supplementary Subject German

Each module comprises 15 – 20 ECTS and consists of three or four parts, each with 72 teaching units at 45 min. per unit. Classes are held daily. See schedule below.

Language acquisition takes place through communicative language teaching with practice in the four skills (speaking, writing, listening, and reading) with special training in pronunciation (phonology).

Depending on the level, course contents include topics of everyday life, the world of study and work, current issues in politics and business as well as regional and cultural elements and are aimed to foster the development of learning strategies, the formation of cooperative skills and personal responsibility and the promotion of intercultural competence.

Course Schedule

Monday

08:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. (5 TU)

Tuesday

08:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. (5 TU)

Wednesday

08:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. (5 TU)

Thursday

08:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. (5 TU)

Friday

08:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. (4 TU)

Fees + Structure

Course + Examination Fees

  • Attendance of courses in modules I and II (supplementary exam included): € 840.00 / semester.
  • Attending the courses in Module III (supplementary exam included): € 630.00 / semester.
  • Only exam, that is without course attendance: € 110.00 per subject and attempt.

The contribution to the Austrian Student Union (ÖH) must be paid in full by the established deadline. If you have any questions about the ÖH contribution, please contact the Admissions and Examinations Office in the main building (“Z”). How can I pay the fee?

Module 1 (Part 1 – 4)

Pre-Intermediate (B1)

Price: € 840.00

German for Pre-Intermediate Learners

Target level: B1/b (level B1 finished)

Course period: March 4 – June 28, 2024
ECTS credits: 20
Intensity: 288 TU (teaching units)

Part 1 + 2: Level B1/a (Introduction Stage)
Students with moderately advanced knowledge (a): The students are able to understand main points when clear “standard speech” is used. They can express themselves and understand current events or topics dealing with their occupation or areas of interest. They can produce simple, connected sentences to describe experiences and events and provide brief reasons or explanations.

Part 3 + 4: Level B1/b (Consolidation Stage)
Students with moderately advanced knowledge (b): The students can manage most communication situations and participate without preparation in conversations which deal with common topics or current events. They understand texts written in everyday or job-related language and can express their opinions and plans with short explanations and reasons. They can reproduce stories and their meaning and add their own opinion in simply-worded summaries.

Module 2 (Part 1 – 4)

Intermediate (B2)

Price: € 840.00

German for Intermediate Learners

Target Level: B2/b (level B2 finished)

Course period: March 4 – June 28, 2024
ECTS credits: 20
Intensity: 288 TU (teaching units)

Part 1 +2: Level B2/a (Introduction Stage)
Students with independent knowledge (a): Students are able to understand and interpret text types in the field of general education. They can grasp the essentials of television and radio broadcasts, provided that the standard language is used. They can participate actively in discussions on familiar topics in informal situations, produce clear and relatively detailed texts on familiar issues and present the advantages and disadvantages of different solutions to problems.

Part 3 + 4: Level B2/b (Consolidation Stage)
Students with independent knowledge (b): Students can understand more lengthy monologues and lectures and follow more complex argumentation. They can compose clear and detailed texts on a range of topics within their area of interest, report information accurately and express their own point of view. They can make themselves understood spontaneously and fluently, participate actively in discussions and support and defend their own position.

Module 3 (Part 1 – 3)

Proficient (C1)

Price: € 630.00

German for Proficient Learners

Target level: C1

Course period: March 4 – June 7, 2024
ECTS Credits: 15
Intensity: 216 TU (teaching units)

Students with complex knowledge: Students command the spectrum of the language in its complexity and can grasp implicit meaning and connections and recognize stylistic differences. They can express themselves easily and spontaneously and can contribute fluently and effortlessly longer, complex discussion points even on challenging topics. They master a wide range of vocabulary and paraphrase appropriately so as to produce clear, detailed, and structured texts about complex subjects. In doing so, they are able to draw on complex grammatical constructions in order to advance their argumentative position adeptly.

Other Supplementary Subjects

In addition to the supplementary discipline “German”, the pre-study-program includes five additional subjects:

  • English
  • Geography
  • History
  • Mathematics
  • Physics

Please note that ALL supplementary EXAMS here listed are given ONLINE and in English language. Physical presence is not required. After successfull registration you will be added to so-called “container” seminars. Once added, you will have access to study materials, the name and contact of the examiners, exam dates, videos (if available) and other useful information.

Fee: € 110.00 per subject and semester.

SubjectSelf-Study-Support
EnglishOxford Test of English B2. Personal support (consultation hours)
Geography Study materials + personal support (consultation hours)
History Video + study materials + personal support (consultation hours)
Mathematics Study materials + personal support (consultation hours)
Physics Video (experiments) + study materials + personal support (consultation hours)

Dates + Deadlines: Summer Semester 2024

Registration (subject to availability of course places if you need to take German):
January 15 – March 31, 2024

German Placement test (for registered participants only!):
Monday, March 4, 2024 at 9 a.m.

Duration:
March 4 – June 28, 2024 (varies by module)

Deadline Summer Semester: March 31, 2024.
If you pass the supplementary exam(s) before this date you can start your degree studies right away. If not, you will have to wait until October 2024.

For information on the precise deadlines and admission requirements, please refer to the website of the Admissions and Examinations Office at the University of Klagenfurt. Here you will find the dates of holidays, days when there are no lessons or exams, and information about registration periods and extensions for the respective academic year.

Registration

First-Time Registration

If you register for the first time, the following steps are necessary. Please read the instructions carefully. This will save you and us a lot of queries and unnecessary correspondence.

  • Prerequisite: Valid letter of admission

    The admission letter will be issued to you by the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt after you have registered for a normal university degree course. If you have any questions about admissions, please contact the Admissions and Examinations Office in the main building (“Z”).

  • Step 1: Fill in the online registration

    Please fill in the online application on the AAU website. Immediately after submitting the online application, the University of Klagenfurt will automatically send you a confirmation email*. In addition to the link to the AAU intranet, it contains your username. You set the password yourself when you log in for the first time.
    *Please also check the spam folder of your mailbox if necessary. This email is extremely important!
  • Step 2: Add the VAAU to your list of studies

    Only after you have added the Preparatory Study Course (VAAU) to your studies we can localize you on the intranet and unlock you on the campus site.

  • Step 5: Send additional documents

    • Please email a valid ID with photo (passport, ID card, residence card). The ID must be a document showing your nationality. Your driver’s license is not suitable.
    • Please email your current confirmation of registration with local authorities. This is issued by the competent municipal authorities (“Gemeindeamt” or “Magistrat”) and, if you have a citizen card, can be requested online from the central population register (“Zentrales Melderegister”). If you don’t have this document yet, skip this step.
    • IF you have the Austrian “ecard” (social insurance card), please send it as well. No problem if you do not have one yet!
  • Step 6: Payment of the course or examination fee

    Please arrange for the payment of the seminar and/or examination fee(s)*:

    Beneficiary: University of Klagenfurt
    Bank’s name: Raiffeisen Landesbank Kärnten
    Bank’s address: Raiffeisenplatz 1, 9020 Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria
    IBAN: AT42 3900 0000 0251 5039
    BIC: RZKTAT2K
    Payment reference: AL 2878200024 | Your Name

    Please send us a payment confirmation.

    👉 Make sure that the payment is effected without bank charges occurring for the beneficiary ‼

    *Fees:
    € 840.00 for German B2 (4 x 3-weeks seminars per semester)
    € 630.00 for German C1 (3 x 3-weeks seminars per semester)
    € 110.00 for all other subjects (per subject, attempt, seminar).

  • Step 7: Payment of ÖH-fee

    Within the set deadlines you must also pay the fee of the Austrian Student Union (ÖH).
    Make sure that the payment is effected without bank charges occurring for the beneficiary!

    When we have unlocked you* on the campus site:

    Log in to the campus portal campus.aau.at. Click “Meine Visitenkarte” and then “Studienbeitragsdaten”. There you’ll find your personal reference number which you must (!) indicate when effecting the payment (this is absolutely necessary!). It takes up to 4 bank days until the payment will be visible.

    *To unlock we must have received ALL documents necessary plus a payment confirmation!

Subsequent Registration

For subsequent registration – which must be done in person only if you have interrupted for one or more semesters – you will need:

  • Student ID (AAU.Card)

    The AAU.Card is the electronic student ID card of the AAU. It is equipped with a contactless chip for identification and can be used as an access medium. The validity period of the card is printed in the dedicated field of the ID card. This field is rewritable and can be updated or reprinted via a self-service printer station.

  • Study Data Sheet

    If the last semester you attended was not immediately before the current semester, please provide the study data sheet, completed and signed.

  • Residency Certificate

    If your address has changed since the last registration with local authorities, please present an up-to-date confirmation of registration.

  • Payment of course fee or examination fee

    Please arrange for the payment of the course and/or examination fee(s):

    Beneficiary: University of Klagenfurt
    Bank’s name: Raiffeisen Landesbank Kärnten
    Bank’s address: Raiffeisenplatz 1, 9020 Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria
    IBAN: AT42 3900 0000 0251 5039
    BIC: RZKTAT2K
    Payment reference: AL 2878200024 | Your Name

    👉 Make sure that the payment is effected without bank charges occurring for the beneficiary!