“Sub auspiciis” doctoral graduation at WU Vienna

On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business held a doctoral graduation ceremony under the auspices of the Federal President. The ceremony was held to honor recent WU graduate Christian Renelt’s outstanding academic track record. Among other academic achievements, he graduated from his degree programs at WU with honors and has now also completed WU’s Doctoral Program in Social and Economic Sciences with top grades.

Rector Rupert Sausgruber, who accepted the graduate’s academic oath at the ceremony, extended cordial congratulations. He said, “Students who graduate under the auspices of the federal president have demonstrated academic excellence at the highest level, showing extraordinary drive and dedication over many years.  Achievements such as this are a strong testament to the quality of our research and teaching work here at WU.” WU Professor Eva Eberhartinger, who supervised Renelt’s thesis, delivered the laudatory speech. She said, “Working with Christian Renelt has always been a pleasure, not only on an academic level but also personally.”

About the graduate

Christian Renelt (aged 29), a native of Vienna, completed his secondary school education at Vienna’s Albertus Magnus Realgymnasium, graduating with honors. He went on to complete the Bachelor's Program in Business, Economics and Social Sciences and the Master's Program in Taxation and Accounting at WU, finishing his studies within the minimum program duration and with honors. After that, he also achieved the highest possible grades in completing his doctoral degree. In his doctoral dissertation, a thesis by publication, Renelt investigated the tax function in business enterprises. In two of his research papers, he looked at how the tax function is integrated into corporate decision-making processes, based on primary data collected from companies in German-speaking countries. His findings show that temporal and organizational integration can be positively correlated with the profitability of investment decisions. In another research paper, Renelt provided initial empirical evidence emphasizing the importance of digitalization for the quality of tax control systems. In addition to academic positions at WU, Christian Renelt’s professional career has also included positions at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance and the Austrian Financial Reporting Advisory Committee (AFRAC), which works to define Austrian standards in the field of financial accounting and corporate financial reporting. In recognition of his extraordinary social commitment while completing his alternative civilian service at the BBI, a federal educational institution for people with vision impairments, Renelt was named Austria’s civilian service worker of the year by the country’s then minister of the interior. Christian Renelt currently works as a tax consultancy trainee in EY’s International Tax and Transaction Services (ITTS) team.

Promotio sub auspiciis Praesidentis rei publicae

The promotio sub auspiciis Praesidentis rei publicae, or graduation under the auspices of the federal president, is regulated by a specific federal act. This rare distinction is awarded to people with a track record of consistent academic excellence throughout their school and university education. This includes honors grades in all upper-level years of secondary school, a high school diploma passed with honors, and bachelor's and master’s degrees completed with top grades in all final examinations and on the final theses. The final requirement is completion of a doctoral degree with the highest possible grades, including the dissertation and oral defense. As part of a special ceremony held once a year in Vienna’s Hofburg palace, all “sub auspiciis” graduates are awarded a ring of honor by Austria’s Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.

Press contact:
Cornelia Moll
Press Relations Officer
Tel: + 43-1-31336-4977
Email: cornelia.moll@wu.ac.at