Admission Requirements

Applicants to MARIHE programme must …

… hold a first university degree

You must hold a first university degree, with a minimum duration of three years of studies (full time), corresponding to 180 ECTS (e.g. a bachelor’s degree).

We do not require this university degree to be in a certain field or subject.

If ECTS is not used in the country where your first degree was awarded, you need the official proof (certificate) of a successfully completed 3-year period of study at higher education level to be considered as equivalent qualification to a bachelor’s degree.

A cumulative recognition (e.g. 2-year Bachelor + 2-year Master) or the recognition of work experience is not possible! For admission purposes, only the first university degree is taken into account.

… prove sufficient knowledge of English for academic purposes*

The following test certificates are accepted:

  • TOEFL iBT with a minimum score of 92
  • IELTS Academic with a minimum overall score of 6.5, with no individual score below 5.5
  • PTE Academic with a minimum score of 62
  • Cambridge C1 Advanced with minimum grade C
  • Cambridge C2 Proficiency with minimum grade C1

All other test certificates (e.g. Duolingo, WAEC), or letters issued by a university stating the proficiency, or similar documents, are not accepted.

Exemption might be possible (see below).

… demonstrate strong Motivation and interest

You shall show a strong motivation and interest to learn and work in the field of development and management of research and innovation in higher education. Important to us are your specific motives for choosing the MARIHE programme, with regard to your previous education, working experience (if applicable) and future career plans.

Please note: Work experience is not an admission requirement. However, work experience can be a strong advantage for an application, especially if it has been acquired while working for (higher) education institutions.

*) Important Notice on how to prove English proficiency:

  1. Please carefully read the additional information provided below and refer to the Guideline for Applicants.
  2. MARIHE consortium can only accept the five English language test certificates listed, and can only grant exemption on basis of the cases explained below (cf. section on Previous Studies).
  3. If you receive your English test certificate after the application deadline, a late submission might be granted (see below).
  4. Because of national and institutional requirements of the MARIHE consortium partners, there are no exceptions!
  5. This means: All applicants have to either provide one of the accepted test certificates or an adequate diploma of previous studies qualifying as exemption, according to our requirements.
  6. Applicants who do not submit an appropriate proof will be rejected due to formal reasons.

How to prove English Proficiency for Admission to MARIHE

You have two options for demonstrating your English language proficiency: a language test certificate or previous studies, meeting the following requirements (updated as of June 2026):

Language Tests

MARIHE programme only accepts the following five English language test certificates:

>> All editions of the above mentioned tests (test center, paper edition, home/online edition) are accepted.

>> You should book a language test well in advance. There might not be many test dates available, or they may get fully booked early. If applicants cannot provide an English test certificate in time, their application will not be considered for student selection. If you receive your English test certificate after the application deadline, you can ask to be granted a late submission. Please follow the instructions provided here.

>> The results of the English test will be verified by MARIHE Secretariat (not the applicant) after the application deadline during the eligibility check.

>> An English language test certificate you have taken in the past may have expired (usually after two years). We kindly advise you to check on your certificate. If an English language test certificate has expired before MARIHE Secretariat receives it, we may not be able to verify it and the application may be rejected due to formal reasons.

Previous Studies

An exemption from submitting a language test certificate is only possible based on studies specified and listed below. If you are applying without a valid language test result, carefully review the exemption criteria below. Only studies that meet the stated criteria will be accepted.

Applicants can only be exempted from providing an English test certificate, if they have successfully completed one (or more) of the following:

  • A bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree or a doctoral degree completed in English in one (or more) of the following countries:
    • Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada,
      Dominica, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, any EU/EEA country, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana,
      Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria,
      Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
      Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda,
      UK, USA, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
  • Upper secondary education completed in English in a school in any EU/EEA country, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, or the United States. (N.B.: A student exchange year is no case for exemption.)

The language of instruction must be exclusively English.

>> Exemption can only be granted, if the higher education institution awarding the degree was located in one of the countries listed above. Studies completed entirely on a satellite campus, that is not located in one of the mentioned countries, are not eligible for the exemption.

>> To be granted the exemption, applicants have to submit an adequate diploma as application document no. 7 (Proof of proficiency in English language). The language of instruction for your degree must be stated on your degree certificate, the official transcript of records, diploma supplement or another official document issued by the awarding institution.

If you are unsure whether your previous qualification and experiences do exempt you from providing an English language test certificate according to our requirements or not, please do not hesitate to contact us in advance: marihe@donau-uni.ac.at