Online Registration & OSA for WU BBE: Your Step-by-Step Guide
March 7, 2025 - Nicolas
Are you planning to study at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, specifically the Bachelor of Business and Economics (WU BBE)?
This blog post covers the two crucial initial steps of the WU BBE selection procedure: online registration and the Online Self-Assessment (OSA). Since these steps are partially graded (in the case of the OSA’s subject-specific part), it’s essential to get them right to have an advantage in the selection procedure. My name is Nicolas, a current WU student who’s been through it all by myself and by helping dozens of prospective BBE students. This text covers some things I wish someone had told me when I was applying.
To follow along, open this blog on one side of your screen and the registration tool on the other, and let’s walk through this process together!
1. Before You Begin: Check Requirements
Important Documents
Before diving into the registration process, make sure you know which documents you will need in general, you won't need to provide everything just yet, you might already start the online registration before you got everything. Visit WU’s website at Admission & Application Requirements. Once there, choose:
- Bachelor’s Program
- Business and Economics (BBE)
- Your Educational Background
The website will then guide you through the requirements. In Step 1: Requirements, you’ll see an overview of eligibility criteria for studying WU BBE. These requirements must be met by the time you start your actual admission (which occurs after the entrance exam), but it’s recommended to have them in order as soon as possible.
2. WU Online Registration Step-by-Step
From March 3, 2025, to May 21, 2025, you can register for the WU BBE selection procedure. Even if you’re currently in your last year of school and don’t have your secondary school leaving certificate yet, you can still complete the registration. You’ll just need to provide the certificate by the time of admission (starting in July).
Here’s a concise outline of the registration process:
2.1. Start the Registration
Go to the WU BBE online registration tool by clicking the button provided on WU’s website or directly via this link.
Click “Set up a new account.”
Enter your email address and choose a secure password.
Check your email inbox for a message titled “WUniverse account activation.” Click on the link in the email.
On the page that opens, tick the checkbox to finalize your account creation.
Click either “return to application” or use the same link again to log in with your new credentials.
2.2. Provide Personal Details
Enter your personal information and click “Continue.”
Austrian Applicants: You will be asked for your social security number. If you don’t provide it, you cannot complete the registration. Non-Austrian Applicants: You will not be asked for this number.
Mailing Address Tip: WU rarely sends hard-copy documents by mail, so don’t stress too much about your exact mailing address—just ensure it’s valid if needed.
2.3. Upload a Profile Picture (Optional)
- If you already have a good photo ready, upload it to save yourself from using WU’s photo booth later—where lighting may be less than flattering! (I look like a monster on my student ID-card picture; my head was so read, one can tell I went to WU at 40°C...)
- If you do upload, don’t forget to press “Upload selected image” before clicking “Continue.”
- This step is not required to finalize the online registration; you can skip it for now and come back later.
2.4. Select the Program and Provide Education Details
Choose “Business and Economics (BBE)” as your program of study.
Fill in details about your current or previous education. You do not need to upload your final high school diploma at this time if you haven’t received it yet.
Approximating graduation dates is fine. If you already have your certificate, feel free to upload it.
Click “Continue.”
2.5. Finalizing the Application and Paying the Fee
- You may see a short survey. Don’t worry—participating in it does not affect your admission chances or OSA score.
- Austrian Applicants Only: You might need to complete a short Statistics Austria survey. After that, look for “Selection procedure BBE 2025/26.”
- Confirm that “Program BBE selected” shows a green checkmark.
- Next, pay the €50 registration fee. Payment can be done via telebanking, EPS online bank transfer, or credit card. If you’re paying close to the May 21 deadline, credit card or EPS are best to ensure faster confirmation.
- Once payment is processed, you’ll see a green checkmark confirming the fee is received. You can sign out and return to the tool anytime.
3. WU BBE Online Self-Assessment (OSA)
This OSA is partially graded, preparing for it, like with the Free Sample Paper is suggested: the subject-specific section is timed and scored, and it can matter if you end up near the final cutoff for admission. Therefore, you want to take your time and focus on performing well in the OSA. It might decide if you get accepted to WU BBE or not.
3.1. Accessing the OSA
Return to the registration tool.
Click “Completion of Online-Self-Assessment.”
Agree to the sworn statement at the beginning. You’ll find general information about WU, the BBE program, and the structure of the OSA.
Once you see the page "English Language Skills", you are one step before the graded part, by pressing next, you start with the English test and you can't navigate back. Make sure you are properly prepared.
Note: You can log in and out as you wish before starting the graded part, but once you begin the subject-specific (graded) tasks, you’ll have a limited time to complete them. WU recommends doing everything in one go, but it’s technically possible to revisit certain sections.
3.2. Prepare Before You Start
- English Language Skills: This part is often time-intensive and consists of reading comprehension (25 statements), vocabulary, grammar, and English-in-use questions (35 statements). I can highly recommend to keep an eye on the timer in the top right and to not waste too much time with reading the text twice, you might not be able to finish the remaining Enlglish questions. A super useful trick is to use the "control + F" search function to use for keywords in the text.
- Mathematics: Six sets (30 statements total) in 20 minutes. It covers basic to slightly advanced math topics, often presented in graphs and charts. You can expect content from the same twelve topics that are relevant for the BBE entrance exam. Consequently, it is helpful if you already started preparing for the entrance exam.
- Economics and Business Fundamentals: 30 statements to test your understanding of business basics and also interpretation of modern business buzzwords (e.g., ESG, CSR, SDGs). Reading business oriented newspaper articles can be a good tool to improve your understanding.
Though WU says you can pass the OSA with general high-school knowledge, it’s wise to prepare in advance, or can you remember everything you learned in highschool?
- The Free Sample Paper helps you to revise the most important topics for maths, economics, and English. The topics in OSA are similar to the entrance exam ones. You will need to prepare for the entrance exam regardless, why not using that as an advantage for the OSA already? It does not matter when you finish the OSA, as long as it is before the deadline, the only thing that acutally influences your rank in the selection procedure: the score you get.
- Consider that the OSA is partially graded, so doing well can decide if you make it into WU BBE or not.
3.3. Timing and Scoring
- The subject-specific part of the OSA is the only graded component. English (15 min), Math (20 min), and Business/Economics (15 min).
- The deadline to complete the OSA is June 2, 2025 (11:59pm). Don’t leave it until the last minute in case of technical issues!
- After finishing, you can download a PDF with your feedback and scores. You’ll also see a green checkmark in the registration tool confirming completion.
3.4. Technical Issues?
- If you can’t continue the OSA for any reason, try re-clicking the OSA link in the registration tool.
- If problems persist, email bbe.selectionprocedure@wu.ac.at with your OSA ID (found in the footer of your OSA window). Make sure to do this well before the June 2 deadline.
4. What Comes Next?
Once you’ve completed the OSA, you have the rest of the selection procedure ahead:
Keep an eye on your email for any updates from WU regarding the next steps.
If your OSA scores aren’t as high as you hoped, remember you can still ace the WU BBE entrance exam to secure your spot. Doing well on the entrance exam can help balance a subpar OSA performance.
Familiarize yourself with the WISEFLOW platform and take Mock Exams to get comfortable with the testing format.
5. Preparation made easy.
If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for WU BBE entrance exam preparation, you definitely want to have a look at our courses, which are designed to guide you through the preparation process, to ensure you make the most out of your time!
Pro Tip: The better the practice and preparation for the entrance exam, the higher your chances of landing a top score and securing admission to WU BBE.
Final Thoughts
Completing the online registration and the Online Self-Assessment for WU BBE is a necessary milestone to study at WU Vienna. By following these steps carefully, preparing thoroughly for the OSA, and staying on top of deadlines, you’ll build a solid foundation for success. Remember, preparation is key—and you’ve got plenty of resources at your fingertips, from the free sample paper to the comprehensive BBE Insider Mentoring.
Good luck with your application, and I hope to see you soon at the Vienna University of Economics and Business!
