Application - FAQs

A good research proposal typically is around 2 pages where a research question is described and motivated why this is interesting, and which contribution you think you could make to the relevant literature.

No, VGSE is a PhD program. We recommend the master programs of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Statistics of the University of Vienna. 

Yes! Each student will be provided with a fully equipped desk according to their needs. This includes a state of the art computer and access to the Vienna Scientific Cluster (high performance computing).

After reviewing all complete applications, shortlisted candidates will be invited for a selection interview. In this interview three professors will ask you questions in the fields of microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics.

Furthermore, they would like to find out more about your motivation for doing a PhD (at the VGSE) and your intended field of research. The interview can be held face-to-face, via telephone, or via skype. The decision upon acceptance is taken shortly after the interviews.

All documents required for the application process must either be in English or in German. In any other cases you must provide an official translation and in some cases the documents must be legalised: https://slw.univie.ac.at/en/studying/legalisation/.

Recommendation letters are accepted in English and German. Please note that your motivation letter and research proposal have to be written in English.

Yes, but your master studies must be completed prior to entry into the program on October 1st.

At least two academic references. Most applicants have two or three recommendation letters sent to us.

Please note that recommendation letters cannot be uploaded in u:space and should be sent by the recommenders directly to VGSE preferrable by email to application@vgse.at. 

No. There are no tuition fees for VGSE students. The student union fee of 18 Euros per semester however, has to be paid by each student.

No, there is no application fee.

No. There is no entrance test. The VGSE evaluates applicants based on the quality of their application package.

Yes. Submitting a high GRE (DI code 6733) score considerably improves your chances for admission. The GRE score allows us to evaluate your quantitative skills and makes it easier to compare candidates from an objective point of view.

While there is no pre-determined cut-off, experience shows that accepted candidates have a score of at least 164 on the quantitative section of the test. Scores below 164 usually raise questions and we reserve the right to reject candidates with lower scores.

Yes, please provide either TOEFL (Code Number 6757) or IELTS.

You may request a waiver for your English test. A waiver may be granted for reasons such as:

- English is your native language
- Your master program was entirely taught in English and you wrote your Master thesis in English
- You lived in an English speaking country for a long time 

We accept candidates with excellent written and oral English skills.

We admit around four to six students per academic year.

We offer an early and a late application deadline to serve the global market of applicants for graduate programs. Most candidates apply for the early deadline and most of our fellowships are allocated during this round. Therefore we advise applicants to apply for the first deadline. Incomplete applications by the first deadline will be automatically shifted to the second deadline.