For students who want to read great texts. You want to sit with the sources of the classical, Judeo-Christian, and Catholic traditions and read them directly, slowly, and in company — not to gather information, but to think well.
Studium Generale
A one-year Catholic liberal arts formation in small great-books seminars — a year to read deeply, discern, and, if you wish, continue into the Bachelor.
A year to read, and to discern.
The Studium Generale is a single year of Catholic liberal arts formation in the classical, Judeo-Christian, and especially Catholic traditions. In small seminars you read great texts directly and speak with them, joining study to a life of prayer within a living Catholic community. It is a year set apart to read deeply, to deepen your faith, and to discern the vocation God has placed in your heart before committing to a full degree.
Quick Facts
- Degree Studium Generale (SG) · a one-year, credit-bearing program
- Duration 1 year
- Credits Credit-bearing courses; ECTS earned can transfer to other universities and colleges
- Language English
- Location Schlossgasse 21, 2521 Trumau, Austria · Open in Maps
- Format Full-time residential formation in small great-books seminars (max. 15 students)
- Start Autumn trimester · application deadline July 31
- Admission University entrance qualification. English test only if your previous schooling was not primarily in English.
Program Essence
What this year is made of.
The Studium Generale is a foundational year in the liberal arts: great texts of the classical, Judeo-Christian, and especially Catholic traditions, read directly in seminar and drawn together with philosophy, theology, literature, and history.
It is not an early technical specialization. It is a year to read deeply, to deepen your faith, and to discern a vocation before committing to a full degree, learning to see reality more truthfully and to reason more carefully.
The year is Catholic in its intellectual center. Liberal disciplines are studied in relation to theological wisdom, with the life of prayer and community shaping the same search for truth.
Who This Is For
A year to read, deepen your faith, and discern.
For students who want to deepen their faith. You want a year in which study, prayer, liturgy, and friendship belong together, lived within a Catholic community that takes both your questions and your faith seriously.
For students who want to discern a vocation. You are not yet ready to commit to a full degree. You want time and space to discern where God is leading, before choosing whether to continue into the Bachelor in Liberal Arts.
Curriculum
One year of the great conversation.
The Studium Generale follows a single core curriculum, taken together in small classes. All students read the same texts and share the same seminars, prayer, and pilgrimage through the year.
The Sources
- Great texts of the classical tradition
- Scripture and the Judeo-Christian sources
- The Catholic tradition, read directly
- Close reading in small seminars
Reason & Faith
- Philosophy
- Theology
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Literature and history read alongside
Community & Pilgrimage
- Shared prayer and liturgy
- Cooperation with Heiligenkreuz Abbey
- Retreats and a tour of the Abbey
- The Monastery's Holy Mass
- A pilgrimage to Mariazell
How You Learn
Small seminars, close reading, shared life.
The year is shaped by close reading and guided discussion. In seminars of no more than fifteen students, you prepare texts, ask questions, argue carefully, and read the great books directly.
- Great texts of the classical, Judeo-Christian, and Catholic traditions are read directly, not only summarized.
- Small seminars, capped at fifteen students, make preparation, speech, and listening matter.
- Discussion and reflection train judgment, not only recall.
- Study is joined to a life of prayer, liturgy, and community life in Trumau.
- Attendance, preparation, and real presence are expected.
Catholic Formation
The whole person is the subject of education.
For many students, the SG year is the first time that studying and believing happen in the same place. One year is short — but a year of daily Mass, close reading, and real conversation is long enough to change what you want from the rest of your education, and often from the rest of your life.
The habits formed here — reading slowly, praying regularly, speaking honestly, living with others — are the point of the year. Whether students continue into the Bachelor or return home, they leave with a foundation that does not expire.
Practical Details
What applicants need to know.
- Prerequisite Matura, Abitur, A Levels, or equivalent school-leaving certificate giving access to university studies.
- English English is the principal language of instruction. Applicants who have not completed at least two years in an English-speaking environment or at a school with English as the main language of instruction must submit a standardized test score, such as TOEFL iBT 75 or equivalent.
- Languages No ancient languages are required.
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Progression
Students may apply to the Bachelor in Liberal Arts and, if accepted, enter directly into the second year of the program.
- Deadline The application deadline is July 31 for the coming academic year.
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Documents
Use these for exact requirements, course descriptions, policies, and current academic regulations.
Costs and Aid
Tuition, living costs, and financial aid.
Yearly cost estimate
Tuition
12 500 €
Tuition for the Studium Generale is 12 500 € for the academic year. No tuition scholarships are available for Studium Generale students.
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Total22 010 € 1 834 € / month
Financial aid
- No tuition scholarships are available for the Studium Generale. Tuition is 12 500 € for the academic year.
- Room stipends: ITI may offer additional help in particular cases, including room stipends tied to service on campus.
- 50% tuition reduction for a spouse: When both spouses are studying at ITI, the second spouse may receive a 50 percent tuition reduction, along with other possible tuition reductions in particular cases.
- Private loans: US private loans are available through Sallie Mae. US federal loans are not available for the 2026 to 2027 academic year.
Community service
All students are expected to contribute two hours of service per week for the upkeep of chapel, living areas, library, and other common spaces. This is part of the shared life of the university, not an optional extra.
Admissions
Everything you need to apply.
For most applicants, the best order is simple: gather your documents, ask for recommendations early, complete the online application, and then follow through quickly on language or visa requirements if they apply to you.
Your application checklist
Use this as a working list while you prepare your application.
- Deadline The regular application deadline is July 31. Do not wait until the last week to request transcripts or recommendations.
- English If you have not completed at least two years in an English-speaking environment or at a school with English as the main language of instruction, prepare a standardized English test. The handbook lists TOEFL iBT 75 or equivalent.
- Visa If you need a visa or residence permit, start early. ITI advises submitting residence permit materials before March 1, since the process can take up to six months.
After the year
Continue into the Bachelor, or carry the year forward.
The Studium Generale is a foundational year, not narrow job training. It forms the habits of reading, judgment, speech, and prayer that remain fruitful wherever you go next, whether you continue at ITI or elsewhere.
Continue into the Bachelor. Students may apply to the Bachelor in Liberal Arts and, if accepted, enter directly into the second year of the program.
A stronger foundation for further study. The year gives you a coherent grounding in the liberal arts and credit-bearing courses whose ECTS can transfer, strengthening any further study you undertake.
Clarity in discerning a vocation. A year of study, prayer, friendship, and pilgrimage gives you time and space to discern where God is leading, and to become free for what he asks.
A formation that stays with you. Whatever you choose next, the reading, judgment, and life of prayer formed in this year remain a foundation you carry into the Church and the world.
Alumni Voice
What this year becomes in a life.
“I came for one year to read and to discern. I left knowing where I wanted to go.”
When I arrived in Trumau, I only meant to give myself a year — to read great texts, to pray, and to see more clearly before committing to a full degree. What I found was a community that took my questions seriously, small seminars where we read line by line, and friends who argued about truth over dinner and then knelt beside me at Mass the next morning. Slowly, study and prayer stopped being two separate things.
The Studium Generale gave me more than a reading list. It taught me how to read slowly, how to speak honestly, and how to judge what matters. The retreats and the pilgrimage to Mariazell gave the year a rhythm I still carry, and the time it gave me for discernment was the very thing I had come for.
I am more grateful for that year than I can easily say. It gave me some of my closest friendships and a foundation I still stand on. When it ended, I knew I wanted to continue, and I am now in the Bachelor in Liberal Arts. If you are discerning this path: come and see. This year will stay with you.
FAQ
Questions applicants usually ask.
What is the Studium Generale?
It is a one-year Catholic liberal arts and discernment program: a year to read great texts in small seminars, deepen your faith, and discern a vocation before committing to a full degree.
Can I continue into a degree?
Yes. Students may apply to the Bachelor in Liberal Arts and, if accepted, enter directly into the second year of the program.
How large are the classes?
Small. Seminars are capped at fifteen students, so preparation, speech, and listening all matter.
When is the deadline?
The application deadline is July 31 for the coming academic year.
Take the next step
Apply now
If you are ready for an education where study, prayer, and community belong together, apply now. If you are still discerning, plan a visit and experience ITI in person.