Bachelor’s Program in Business and Economics (BBE)

About the course

WU’s English-taught bachelor’s degree in business and economics, run separately from its German-taught business degrees. Check WU’s structure and content page for the exact course plan.

Entry requirements for Irish students

• Austria has no CAO-style points system. WU decides whether your Leaving Certificate counts as equal to the Austrian school-leaving exam (Reifeprüfung). Austrian universities usually look at how many subjects you took and how many were at Higher Level, and some ask for Maths. We could not confirm any WU rules on the Leaving Cert, so check with WU admissions before you apply. WU confirms that students in their final school year can register for the selection procedure before they have their certificate, and must show it at admission in July.
• Entrance exam: every applicant registers for the BBE selection procedure (€50), completes an ungraded online self-assessment, then sits a 2-hour exam in person in Vienna. Attendance in person is compulsory, with no exceptions. The first 240 applicants on the exam results are invited to admission. See WU’s FAQ for what the exam covers.
• English at B2 level must be proven by admission at the latest. WU accepts a passing grade in English on a secondary school-leaving certificate from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, so a pass in Leaving Cert English should be enough. WU also accepts IELTS Academic 6.0, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge certificates and others, or a sworn declaration that English is your native language.

How to apply

1. Register for the selection procedureRegister online with WU and pay the €50 fee. In 2026 registration ran from 2 March to 19 May; the 2027 dates are not yet published.
2. Complete the online self-assessmentDo the ungraded online self-assessment by the deadline (12 noon CEST on 28 May 2026 in the last cycle). It is part of the procedure and helps you judge whether the course suits you.
3. Sit the exam in ViennaSit the 2-hour exam in person in Vienna (30 June 2026, 3pm to 5pm CEST, at the VIECON Vienna Congress Center in the last cycle). You must attend in person. It falls during the Leaving Cert results wait, so plan travel early.
4. Accept your place and complete admissionWithin 10 days of the exam WU tells you if you are among the first 240. Complete admission from July with your Leaving Certificate and proof of English at B2 (a pass in Leaving Cert English counts), then pay the ÖH student union fee to enrol.

Costs

• Austrian public universities normally charge EU students (including Irish students) no tuition for the standard length of the course plus two extra semesters; after that, about €363 per semester applies. Students also pay the Austrian student union (ÖH) fee of about €25 per semester. There is a one-off, non-refundable €50 registration fee for the BBE selection procedure (2026 cycle, confirmed by WU). The tuition and ÖH figures come from general Austrian rules and were not confirmed on a WU page, so check them with WU.

At a glance