Application Process

To be considered for a study place within the bilateral Study Abroad Program, you must first apply through your home university via the responsible coordinator or International Office. Following the selection process, your home university will formally nominate you and submit your application documents, as listed below, to the University of Salzburg.

Nomination Deadlines for Partner Offices apply from the upcoming academic year 2026/2027:

• May 31 for the following winter semester/academic year
• October 31 for the following summer semester

Application Deadlines:

• June 30 for the following winter semester/academic year
• November 30 for the following summer semester

University of Salzburg Academic Calendar

• Winter Semester: 1 October – 31 January
• Semester Break Holidays: 1 – 28 February
• Summer Semester: 1 March – 30 June
• Summer Holidays: 1 July – 30 September
• Check the Admissions Department webpage to find more details on (public) holidays).

Acceptance & first steps

First, please ensure that you have been formally nominated by your home university and that your nomination has been submitted to the International Office of the University of Salzburg. The nomination must be submitted by the responsible coordinator or the International Office of your home university. Students who are nominated within the agreed quota and in accordance with the available Bilateral University Exchange Agreement are guaranteed admission to the University of Salzburg, provided that they fulfil all application requirements. Once the nomination has been received and processed, students will receive a registration link to create an account and proceed with the application process.

If you are participating in a mobility program under a Bilateral University Exchange Agreement, you will be required to upload the following documents to Mobility Online:

• CV
• Statement of Purpose
• Transcript of Records
• Copy of valid ID card (front & back) / passport
• Copy of BA/MA Certificate if necessary (German or English) 

The PLUSonline Course Catalogue

To find courses offered at the University of Salzburg, students refer to the   PLUSonline student management service platform course catalogue.
You and your home coordinators decide which courses you would like to choose based on your study plan at home. We do not prescribe any specific courses or number of ECTS for our incoming students. However, please we advise completing 30 ECTS per semester. In principle, you can choose courses at all faculties and departments as long as you meet the subject and language requirements, independently of which degree you are enrolled in.

Note: At the University of Salzburg, we offer a variety of course types, each having its own eligibility and registration requirements: Lectures (VO) do not have participation limits and close with a final exam. Registration is possible throughout the entire semester. Seminars (SE), Tutorials (UE, VU), Excursions (EX), etc., have a limited number of participants. The registration has to be done very quickly. To pass seminars, etc., regular participation during the semester and final papers are required.

Whether you can attend a course only becomes clear at the beginning of the semester, after the binding course registration.

The University of Salzburg recommends every incoming exchange student to have German or English language competence at the B2 level.
Even though this is not a strict requirement, all potential students should be aware that the primary language used for study programmes’ coursework at the University of Salzburg – especially on BA-level – is German. If you have no prior knowledge of German, you will have to make sure to find enough English taught courses while studying at the University of Salzburg to fulfil the home university’s academic requirements. It is also possible to search for   courses taught in English with PLUSonline using the filter “language of instruction ENGLISH”. 
Navigating through PLUSonline to search for courses is possible without login! Press CONTINUE WITHOUT LOGIN.

Extra-Curricular Courses

There are various courses, i.e.German Language Courses, at the University of Salzburg that are offered independent of study programs.These courses are designed to improve a student’s proficiencies and are offered as an additional and optional service and are not part of degree programmes. Consequently, participation in these courses requires service fees depending on the weekly workload! Students can find these courses in PLUSonline under DEGREE STUDIES > “other study > e.g. inter-faculty teaching (= FAKULTÄTSÜBERGREIFENDE LEHRE”) . Of course, students also receive ECTS for these courses. However, it is the decision of your home university whether such courses are part of the study plan and whether these ECTS can be credited at home. Students find our credit conversion table in FORMS & DOCUMENTS.

The online PRE-REGISTRATION

It’s very important to complete the   online PRE-REGISTRATION before your departure to the University of Salzburg. The link to the online PRE-REGISTRATION is accessible at the beginning of July (for winter) and January (for summer).

• Complete the yellow (=mandatory) fields.
• Remember the student identity number automatically assigned by the system.
• Send us the ID-number (along with the other above mentioned documents).
• Note: You don’t need to sign up for an appointment in the Admissions Department. This is NOT applicable for exchange students!
• We will send you the PIN needed for creating your PLUSonline login.

Redeem PIN and create PLUSonline Login

• Transfer mandatory fee to the Austrian Student Union* to complete registration
• Register for classes (if possible already)
• Note: You can finish these steps as well after arrival in Salzburg!

Other Important Steps to think about

• Check Entry & Resdidence Regulations
• Find  a place to stay
• Health & Insurances issues
• Any networking? Check this site to find a buddy.
• Orientation Weeks for exchange students
• Plan to arrive around two weeks in advance to take part in our

*The Austrian Student Union Fee
There are no tuition fees for participants in exchange mobility programs**. Exchange students only have to pay – like all other students in Austria – the mandatory Austrian Student Union Fee per semester to complete the enrolment. Austrian Student Union members automatically benefit from an accident and liability insurance valid for study purposes (see Insurance & Health).