Applying for E&I
Places for the E&I specialization (E&I SBWL) are both limited and in high demand, so unfortunately not every student who applies will be accepted to the program. We select students who show the best fit for the Entrepreneurship and Innovation specialization since this allows us to guarantee them an optimal study environment.
Students need to apply to the Entrepreneurship and Innovation specialization. Once a student is accepted, our entire course catalog is accessible and there are no further hurdles to clear or prerequisites to meet (except for courses that are prerequisites for more advanced courses).
The general admission requirements from your curriculum are the prerequisites for getting into the E&I specialization (E&I SBWL).
As agreed with the Vice-Rector for Academic Programs and Student Affairs, the E&I specialization program (E&I SBWL) accepts 90 bachelor’s students per semester using a selection process designed with input from WU’s Student’s Union (ÖH). Students are selected based on the official WU student ranking or their E&I Skills Fit. Combining these two criteria gives us a well-rounded picture of prospective students, as grades show a commitment to learning and the E&I Skills Fit identifies extra-curricular entrepreneurial interests and skills.
The two criteria are applied as follows:
WU Student Ranking: If your current grade point average puts you in the top 5% of your cohort (ranking: grades only), you will be accepted automatically into the E&I specialization. Just use the online application form to send us your GPA confirmation (during the application period) and you will be accepted. Please make sure that all required grades are listed in time in the ranking you submit to us. Please also remember to register for the “Access to Specialization in Business Administration: Entrepreneurship and Innovation” course on LPIS. Please note that the automatic acceptance is limited to 60 spots. In case that there are more applications from top 5% students than spots available, a ranking based on the GPA is applied. Furthermore, all applicants will be notified and encouraged to also apply via the skills entry mode.
Skills: At least 30 spots are reserved for applicants with exceptional skills who are accepted to the program regardless of their GPA. Since we aim to equip our students with the knowledge and skills needed to be future entrepreneurs, we invest a lot of time in selecting the ones showing the greatest potential to thrive within our specialization. Therefore, we chose a skill assessment as part of our application process to learn more about our applicants and their past endeavors. Since we know entrepreneurship is not only about excellent grades, we encourage you to show us your organizational talent, your go-the-extra-mile attitude or your creative mind.
To paint a clearer picture of the skills we are looking for and how you can proof that you already possess relevant skills, we herewith provide you with one example on how we expect you to fill out the skill assessment form and additional examples for clarification:
Analytical Skills
“During my internship last summer at a financial consultancy firm, I created a comprehensive financial model to perform a sophisticated benchmark analysis of the Austrian Real Estate market. I am looking forward to utilize my newly gained analytical skills during one of the project courses at E&I. Attached you will find a reference letter from my supervisor as proof for the claimed skill.”
Academic Excellence: A good GPA shows a high degree of motivation, which is one kind of skills we are looking for. Even if you are not within the top 5% or have not been included into a student ranking yet, you can mention a good academic performance as one skill. Your high school academic performance (Matura or Abitur grades) in combination with a current WU transcript can be seen as an appropriate skill proof.
Communication: We would love to hear about how you co-authored your local school newspaper or the time you took at a rhetoric class.
Leadership: Ever led your competitive football team to victory as team-captain? Tell us more about it!
Teamwork: Let us know about the time when you were elected as school counselor and what you achieved with your team for your fellow students.
Entrepreneurial mindset: Already did an internship at a startup or even founded a company yourself? Tell us more about how you acquired funding and satisfied customers!
Read through the skills above carefully but treat them as examples only.
There are numerous other skills we are looking for. Just keep in mind: The skills you are telling us about should be relevant for the specialization Entrepreneurship & Innovation and for becoming a successful innovator, entrepreneur or consultant.
Be advised to attach a skill proof for each skill so we can retrace when and where you obtained your entrepreneurial skills. Please note that we are looking for solid proofs such as reference letters of all kind (in German or Englisch), credentials or awards rather than certificates of attendance and equivalents.
Please find below a list of steps for a successful application:
Please make sure that all required grades are listed in time in the ranking you submit to us, otherwise we cannot consider your application.
For further information see our online guide for applying to the E&I specialization (E&I SBWL) that tells you everything you need to know.
Not sure if the E&I specialisation (E&I SBWL) is right for you? With the E&I Self-Assessment you can find out whether the our specialisation fits your interests and needs.
Still have questions?
Here you can find your answers:
FAQs below
Student contacts: E&I ambassadors
Behind the scenes of E&I on Instagram
E&I specialization contact entrep-office@wu.ac.at
Specialization fair ("SBWL Messe")