Application Process

When filing an application for admission at VIS through our online OPEN APPLY system a copy of the following will need to be uploaded to the online application form:

• Student identification (passport) and student passport photo of high quality, ratio 3:4
• Full school reports for the two most recent academic years (originals and if reports are not in English, an English translation is compulsory)

If you have received any of the following documents, you must also upload copies to the application form. If the original report is not in English an official translation must be uploaded as well:

• Psycho-educational reports (no older than 3 years)
• Speech-language or occupational therapy reports 
• Individual Learning Plan (ILP) or Individual Education Plan (IEP)
• Additional Educational Support assessments

1. Submit an enquiry form

To submit an enquiry, you will be asked to create an account and complete an online enquiry form via Open Apply. 

2. Virtual Meet and/ or School Tour

Once an enquiry form has been received, we will reach out to you to arrange a virtual meeting so we can ensure to answer any questions you might have before submitting an application. We would also be delighted to receive you and your family in person for a tour of our school campus. 

3. Submit the Application

Submit the online application via Open Apply.  After completing the application pages, you will be asked to pay the one-time, non-refundable application fee via credit card online. 

Entering data for one child on Open Apply will take you about 35 minutes; however, you can also start the process, save, and continue later if you are short on time.

4. Complete an English Assessment (G9-12 only)'

Referring to our Admissions policy, students applying for admission to the VIS Secondary School in Grades 9 to 12 must demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency to successfully access the IB curriculum. 

Whilst English Language Acquisition (ELA) is available to support students in Grades 9 and 10 (up to a maximum of 4 hours per week), no ELA support is available for Grade 11 and 12 students. Students who do not demonstrate the required English level will not be considered for admission.

The school reserves the right to request a written sample or ask for an interview with our ELA Department in order to determine your child’s placement in an appropriate English course.

5. Internal Review > Waitlisted

Once all sections of the online application form have been completed and uploaded, we can start the internal reviewing process of your child’s application. Additional information may be  requested for making a final admissions decision.

Once the application is approved, we will be able to waitlist your child according to our Admissions Policy. In case our school is unable to offer the candidate an appropriate academic programme, the application will be declined.

6. Receive Admissions Decision

When a place is available, an offer of a place will be extended by email via the online application tool, Open Apply.  

Acceptance of a place is confirmed via Open Apply and includes the payment of the admission fee for the respective year within the given deadline.

Students applying for Grade 11 will be asked to confirm their IBDP course selection before accepting an offer of a place.

VIS has an ongoing admissions process in place; we accept students at the beginning and during the academic year, vacancies permitting.

For the academic year 2025-2026 we still have places available in the lower Primary School grade levels; Early Learning Centre, Grade Primary, Grade 1 and Grade 2. We maintain waitlists for all other grade levels.

Before starting an online application, please get in touch with us via our enquiry form and we will arrange a virtual meeting so we can ensure to answer any questions and give you an update on the waitlist situation of the grade level you are interested in.

For your information and guidance, the admissions process for admitting new students for the academic year 2026-2027 is as follows:

January 2025:
Applications for the academic year 2026-2027 can be started in Open Apply.

September 2025:
The Admissions Office starts reviewing applications for 2026-2027. Parents receive a notification when the necessary information has been received (application COMPLETE) and the application has been approved (application WAITLISTED). 

End of January 2026:
General Terms and Conditions of Enrolment 2026-2027 will be available on the VIS homepage.

February 2026:
First offers will be sent for students in the Early Learning Centre, Grade Primary, and Grades 1, 5, and 9.

From March 2026:
Offers will be sent for all grade levels where places are available. VIS will continue to offer places all spring and summer long, including July and August 2026, until all vacancies are filled. The new academic year, 2026-2027, will commence in the fourth week of August 2026.

Please note that our school has an ongoing admissions process in place, and we accept students at the beginning of a new academic year and during the academic year.

For your information and guidance, the admissions process for admitting new students for future academic years is as follows:

The option to apply for places for the future academic years (2027-2028, 2028-2029 etc.) will be available on Open Apply approximately 1.5 years in advance of the start of the applicable academic year.

As of January 2026, the academic year 2027-2028 will be made available for selection in the drop-down menu on the 'Student Information' page.

Please note that the reviewing process for future academic years will only start in the autumn prior to the start of the applicable academic year.

Vienna International School (VIS) is a non-sectarian, inclusive IB World School meeting the needs of a diverse international community. VIS does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, language, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, disability or any other characteristic protected by law. VIS strives to admit students with a broad range of academic needs, but enrols only students whose education can successfully be supported by the School.

Priority Group Admissions

Before starting the application process at VIS please be aware that candidates who apply for places at VIS are placed in different priority groups, based on the Vienna International School Association (VISA) statutes:

• Category 1: Children of officials of the International Organizations who are based in Austria and as specified by the Austrian Foreign Ministry.
• Category 2: Children of members of a diplomatic or consular service based in Vienna, irrespective of their nationality.
• Category 3: Children without Austrian citizenship whose parents are employed within the international business sector. 
• Category 4: Other children. Within this category, places are offered admission according to the following criteria:

                       a) Children of VIS alumni.

                      b) Children whose parents have lived and worked for at least two years outside Austria recently

                         (no longer than five years ago), and where the children have attended an English language

                          school.

                      c) Children whose parents can demonstrate that they expect to relocate to a non-German

                          speaking country within the next two years.

                      d) Children whose mother-tongue is not German.

                      e) Children who were born outside Austria.

                      f) Children whose parents have different nationalities.

                      g) Children whose parents can demonstrate for any other reason that they have a specific

                          need for an international education in the English language.

                      h) All Other Admissions

The criteria for other children are not arranged in order of precedence, but help the Admissions Coordinator to build a profile of each candidate in this category in order for the Director to determine priority.

In each of the groups, a special priority is accorded to those children who are applying to re-enter the school (within 2 years) and to those children who have siblings already in the school.

Apart from these criteria, the admissions decision is determined by the date on which we receive a complete online application of a student via our application system OpenApply, including the Application Fee, copy of passport (ID), copies of the two most recent school reports and the online assessment from the child’s current school. 

Students applying for admission to VIS from another school need to provide a complete record of their prior education, including academic transcripts, standardized test results, educational support plans and other relevant documents. Students applying for admission to the VIS secondary section may be asked to complete a standardized test to assess English language and numeracy proficiency for placement purposes. Students applying for admission to high school grades 9-11 will need to provide evidence of academic English proficiency, including a standardized English reading assessment. A minimum level of academic English language proficiency is a requisite for admission.

For more information on our tutions and fees, please click here.

According to our school’s Admissions Policy we place new students by age, please click here to read specific details regarding the placement policy.

Candidates for admission to our ELC have to be three years old and toilet trained by 31 August in order to be admitted for the start of an academic year. 

More valuable information about the school can be found under FAQ section, please click here.