FAQ
Making decisions for your child's future can be a challenge. We accompany our families from the decision making process to the enrolment and beyond. We are giving our best to provide as much information as possible, but if there are still some points on which you are not entirely clear, please do not hesitate to contact our Admissions Office.
We hope the answers below will help give a clearer picture of the VIS.
General Questions
The VIS educates ca. 1,400 students, aged 3-19, from around the world. They represent more than 100 nationalities.
Lessons start at 08:30. The academic day in Primary school (ELC, Grade Primary and Grade 1-5) finishes at 14:55 and Secondary school ends at 15:15.
Our students do not wear school uniforms, as we are encouraging them to live out their individual personalities and exercise freedom of expression.
Candidates for admission at VIS will be placed by age and as suggested by our Placement Policy. Once you have completed an online application for your child at our school you have also indicated the anticipated Grade at entry and the anticipated Start Date. When a child’s application is waitlisted the Admissions Coordinator will review all information provided and request more information from the parent/s if need be. When a discrepancy between our Placement Policy and the requested anticipated Grade at entry occurs the Admissions Coordinator will ask the Placement Committee to review the application. Once the Placement Committee has made a decision the Admissions Coordinator will communicate the decision to the parent/s.
Yes, when necessary. As an international school, VIS has a continuous turnover of students. This means that when you apply, our classes may be full and we will open a waiting list acording to the VIS Admissions Policy for the respective grade level concerned.
The schooling contract is entered into on an annual basis and expires at the end of each and every school year. For a student's attendance in the next school year, an online re-admission form will need to be completed by the indicated deadline, usually mid or end of February.
The annual re-admission process will be initiated by email by VIS to all current parents/guardians. After completion of re-admission process of current students, the admission process for candidates on the waiting lists for the next academic year will start in February and/or March and will continue in spring and summer and as long as places are available.
Students starting during the year –
After you have accepted the offer of a place for your child, Primary School and ELC families will be invited for a 30 minute induction meeting with the Primary Deputy Principal/ ELC Coordinator on a Tuesday afternoon at an agreed time. After the induction meeting the new student can start school the next day or as agreed with the Primary Deputy Principal/ ELC Coordinator in the meeting. New Secondary students will start as soon as possible after their arrival in Vienna and as agreed with the Admissions Team and as agreed by the Secondary Administration. Unless a date is agreed, the student may not start school.
Students starting at the beginning of a new academic year -
Primary School and ELC students that do not attend the Orientation Morning at the beginning of the academic year will not be able to start school until they have attended an induction meeting, which will be held on the next available Tuesday following their arrival in Vienna. Secondary Students that do not attend the Orientation Morning will start school on the first Monday after the day of the Orientation Morning or as agreed otherwise with the Admissions Team.
The calculation of annual tuition fees is determined on the basis of full months, regardless of the number of days that a student actually attends school and as outlined in our General Terms and Conditions of Enrolment, page 3 under Tuition Fee.
Our school organizes a 'New Students Orientation' morning for all new students and parents before school begins. More details on the schedule will be shared with families after they have accepted an offer for their child at our school.
Curriculum
VIS is an English speaking school and offers German to students from ELC, Grade Primary, Grade 1 to Grade 12. In Grade 6, which is the first year of our Secondary School, we introduce French or Spanish as the second foreign language. Students in the IB MYP Language Acquisition Phases 2 and 3 take Language Acquisition classes in place of English, Romance Languages, Science and Humanities. Students in the IB MYP Language Acquisition Phase 4 course take Language Acquisition classes in place of English and Romance Languages.
Vienna International School believes learning can be greatly supported and transformed through appropriate and purposeful use of digital technologies. To that effect, the school launched a Learning via Technology Programme to provide widespread access to such technologies and thus, a digitally-rich curriculum experience. The Vienna International School has a successful history of supporting and transforming learning experiences for students through the appropriate and purposeful use of technology across the curriculum.
Students at VIS access and learn how to use digital tools to inquire and research, to collaborate and participate globally, and to extend and present their learning in creative ways not possible without technology. They do so as an integrated and authentic part of their learning in subject areas and in doing so, develop the critical digital literacies, skills and citizenship competencies necessary to achieve their potential in a changing world.
In order to ensure all students have access to digitally-rich learning experiences and develop the digital literacies and competencies necessary to be successful in the 21st century, VIS launched the Learning via Technology in August 2015. It is an educational technology programme that begins with providing access to digital tools to support learning. As such:
- Students in ELC & Grade Primary have access to shared school-owned iPad trolleys.
- Each student in G1-G3 access their own school-owned iPad.
- All students in G4-G12 are expected to bring their own laptop device.
For complete programme details, please read our Learning via Technology Overview.
Students from Grade 4 to Grade 12 will be required to bring their own laptop device as part of the school’s Connected Learning Programme.
The school highly recommends and supports Mac and has worked with a preferred vendor to offer competitive pricing and support for MacBook Airs. Please read our Programme Overview for details.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP) examination is accepted for entrance to all Austrian Universities / Fachhochschulen (64 Abs. 1 Z.7. Universitaetsgesetz, BGBI. Nr. 131/2015)
84% of VIS graduates attend their First or Second Choice University. Our alumni have joined universities all over the world, including Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, McGill, Warwick and many more highly ranked institutions. See the list of university acceptance as well as other relevant information on our School Profile.
Financial Questions
Unfortunately, VIS is not in the position to offer any financial aid.
The Capital Fee is payable after the parent/ guardian has accepted a place at VIS and by the date stipulated on the invoice. The fee applies only to the first two children enrolling at VIS. Students re-entering two or less years after their withdrawal do not pay the Capital Fee again. The fee is assigned to a fund specifically created to finance capital investments. The Capital Fee is non-refundable and will be charged in full regardless of the date of entry or withdrawal.
The Application Fee is a non-refundable payment that enables us to cover the administrative costs of the application process. Re-entering and re-applying students must also pay the Application Fee. The Admissions Fee is also a one-time fee and not refundable in any circumstances. Students who are re-entering our school within two years after withdrawal must pay 50% of the Admissions Fee.
Services
Most students use our school bus services or public transportation, with 'Kagran' (U1) being the closest stop to the school. However, some parents drive their children to school themselves, but please note the limited parking space.
Every visitor must report to the Security Office at the school gate; after showing an ID the visitor will be issued a visitor's ID which the person will have to wear on the school premises and submit to the Security Office again when leaving the premises. All parents and staff are facilitated with an ID card by the Security team when joining VIS. Primary students, G1-G5, will receive a student ID from the Primary Office on request and Secondary students, G6-G12, will be issued an EDU card automatically.
Yes. Meals, drinks and snacks are available using pre-paid smartcards, or cash. Students are welcome to bring their own food and drinks if preferred. If you are further interested in catering, please click here.
Within our private Mother Tongue programme we offer up to 40 mother tongues; these classes are privately taught, and paid for by parents directly. These classes are arranged between parents and MT teachers and are held at VIS.
Vienna International School offers a diverse after school activity programme for our students. The sports and activities department works hard to make sure that our student community has an authentic, unique and interesting extension to their school day to take part in. We are proud to offer a wide assortment of fun academic and sport activities for all abilities and ages. We encourage all students to take part and to challenge themselves by trying something new.
VIS offers an After School Care Programme, the Extended Day Programme (EDP), for children from the Early Learning Centre to G5.
Our School makes every effort to provide a meaningful education for all students. Children with learning support needs will be assessed to determine whether the school has sufficient resources to accommodate them. For more information, please click here.