The Admissions Application Process
Parents should ideally submit an ONLINE APPLICATION; those with no access to a scanner may request for paper forms from the Admissions Office and submit the requirements by e-mail, fax (+43 1 401325) or post. For a list of the application requirements, please click here.
The Admissions Office will confirm receipt of the application by e-mail and inform parents about pending or missing requirements.
IMPORTANT: Submitting an application does not guarantee admission. A student may be admitted only if his/her application has been reviewed positively and a place is still available.
The school will NEVER ask parents for donations or extra payments either directly or through third parties in order to secure a place for their children.
Each application is forwarded to the Admissions Committee of the appropriate division (Elementary, Middle, or High School). The committees review and send applications back to the Admissions Office with their recommendations ("Accept" / "Pending" / "Deny") within two-three weeks.
In cases where the application information, reports, and recommendations raise questions about an applicant’s learning capabilities, the school may request a psycho-educational evaluation through school-recommended specialists to determine if the school can provide support.
The Admissions Office will contact parents as soon as possible to inform them of the admissions decision even if admission has been denied or their child has been waitlisted.
Whenever the application information, reports, and recommendations are not sufficient to confirm that a student meets the admissions criteria, a pre-admissions test may be required. For High School students who have never attended an English-instruction school but have otherwise performed well academically, students must first pass an English test before they may be admitted.
Placement testing is required to determine individual levels in English and Math, and in the case of Middle and High School, proficiency levels in German, French, or Spanish.
Beginning of School Year / Semester 1 Applications:
For Elementary School applicants (including Pre-K and Kindergarten) living in Austria, screening is arranged generally in the spring (completed and positively-reviewed applications only). The decision will not be made and communicated until after screening. Students with applications received and reviewed after March will be tested either in May (depending on teachers' schedules) or in mid-August.
All Middle and High School applicants with positively-reviewed applications take placement tests in mid-August unless screening is absolutely required before an admissions decision could be made (i.e., status is "Pending").
Applications After the Start of the School Year or for Semester 2:
Parents of all students whose admissions applications are reviewed positively will be emailed acceptance documents. Students (and their parents in the case of Elementary School) must also attend screening; schedules will be arranged by the Admissions Office with division's screening committees (teachers and counselors).
New Middle and High School students may not attend school until placement tests have been administered and the results evaluated.
Individual appointments for new High School students must be arranged with High School Counselors after testing in order to finalize course selection and the student's schedule before the first day of school. Parents may participate in this meeting.
-
ACCEPTANCE AND CONFIRMATION OF ENROLLMENT
Acceptance documents (welcome letters and important information from the nurse, the PTF, the lunch program and school bus service providers, etc.) are emailed to parents whose children are admitted. Parents must read, sign, and return the Enrollment Agreement and Risk Assumption Form to the Admissions Office and pay a Reservation Fee before the given deadline.
-
NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION (NSO) - August Only
All new students and their families are invited to attend the New Student Orientation (NSO) scheduled a week before the first day of the school year. Tours will be arranged by student/parent volunteers and school personnel. Placement testing for Middle and High School students immediately follow. Elementary School screening takes place before the start of the school year.
Individual High School Counseling appointments to finalize course selection and new student schedules are also held that week and are arranged after placement testing.
-
FINAL ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS
Final reports and official transcripts (with official certified English translations for non-English reports) of all new students from the previous schools - except in the case of Pre-K/Kindergarten, or unless the previous schools issued no report at all - must be submitted to the Admissions Office. Copies will be provided to the division administrative offices.
The required medical forms must also be submitted to the school nurse before the student begins. Students may not be allowed to start school without these medical forms.
A new student will be assigned a Homeroom Teacher / Adviser. In addition, the division counselor will also assign a "buddy" to help the new student find his/her way around the school more easily and adjust to the new environment within the first few weeks.
Timelines
The school year at AIS Vienna generally begins in the third week of August and ends in the middle of June. Check our calendar for details.
Semester One (August to January)
The admissions application period for a new school year begins only in late January or early February of the same year. We do not process applications one or two years in advance. Based on the new admissions policy, admissions decisions for applications completed in February will be communicated on April 1st.
Students with applications received after February will receive decisions in April or May. Processing of later applications takes three to four weeks.
Semester Two (January to June)
The application period for the Semester 2 begins in November. Only families with children not yet enrolled in a local school or who are just moving to Vienna may apply. Admissions decisions may be communicated no earlier than December.
Places may not be reserved unless the student's application has been received and reviewed positively and the school fees are paid in full.
Applications for Elementary School (Pre-K, Kindergarten, Grades 1 to 5) and Middle School (Grades 6 to 8) may still be received and processed throughout the entire school year provided that the requirements, standards, and criteria are met. Places may be offered based on the admissions guidelines and criteria as well as availability.
Deadline for High School (Grades 9 to 12) applications are in mid-August (first semester) and mid-December (second semester).
