Predeparture Information: Vienna
Congratulations on your decision to study in Vienna! Your host university is the Wirtschaftsuniversität-Wien (WU).
This website is a supplement to the online orientation and information from both UW’s and WU-Wien’s international offices. Refer to the websites of both offices for further information.
Contact Information in Vienna
The ZAS (International Office) is your primary contact at WU-Wien. If you have detailed questions that the website does not answer, contact the ZAS directly.
Contact:
Ulrike Munch-Hua
International Studies Center
Zentrum fuer Auslandstudien (ZAS)
Wirtschaftsuniversitaet Wien
Augasse 2-6
1090 Wien
Austria
Phone: +43-1-31336-4314
Fax: +43-1-31336-752
Email: ulrike.muench@wu-wien.ac.at
Applying to WU-Wien
Because you have been accepted by UW-Madison for the exchange program, you are accepted at WU-Wien. However, you must still enroll at WU-Wien.
UW will nominate you electronically to WU-Wien. Through the ZAS admissions website, you will fill out a pre-enrollment form. Once that is complete, you will be able to access the online course enrollment system. Please note that the registration period varies from course to course. The course enrollment process will be completed during your orientation session when you arrive in Vienna.
In April (fall participants), mid-October (spring participants) and mid-April (summer participants), WU-Wien will make their information booklet and enrollment forms available online. UW-Madison will notify you once this has occurred. You MUST return forms and supporting documents to WU-Wien by their due date (which will be noted in their materials). Due to the high cost of international express mail, UW's International Programs will mail the forms abroad on your behalf if you submit them to us in a timely manner. Past participants recommend returning your information as soon as possible, especially if you have a particular housing request.
WU-Wien will mail your acceptance packet to UW-Madison, arriving in late July (fall participants), late November (spring participants). This will include a letter of acceptance, required for obtaining a visa (a visa is not required for summer participants).
Calendar
WU-Wien posts dates to their website. WU-Wien offers two pre-semester programs: orientation/culture and German language. The orientation/culture (OK) program is strongly recommended by past participants, as it is a good way to get to know Vienna and other exchange students. Past participants have given mixed reviews of the pre-semester German language class; some recommend taking a semester-long course instead.
Fall classes begin in October. Pre-semester programs begin in mid-September. Exams end early February, but students in the English Program may finish exams mid-December.
Spring classes begin February. Pre-semester programs begin in mid-February. Exams end late June.
Summer: Choose to attend the July program or the August program. 2009 dates are July 6 - July 24 or July 27 - August 14.
Final exams for fall and spring semesters are not announced until after the semester begins. Book your return flight after the last day of WU-Wien’s exam period or book a ticket that carries only a small penalty for changing dates. Past participants recommend purchasing tickets at STA Travel for this purpose.
Visa
Summer program participants who are U.S citizens are not required to obtain a student visa. Citizens of other countries should contact the Consulate of Austria (www.austria.org)
Semester participants are required to have a residence and travel visa D+C. The Austrian consulate has the list of materials and the fee that must be submitted for the visa application.
The list of consulates is online at www.austria.org. Look for your permanent home state.
Residents of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois (and many other Midwestern states) apply to the consulate in Chicago:
Austrian Consulate General
Wrigley Building, Suite 707
400 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
Tel: (312) 222-1515 ext. 4
Fax: (312) 222-4113
E-mail: AustriaCG@aol.com
Applying for the student visa/residence permit can be time-consuming and tedious. You should submit your application within one week of receiving the letter from WU-Wien. Do not put off applying for the visa!
Payments
As this is an exchange program, the Bursar’s office will send you a tuition bill as usual.
UW-Madison’s International Programs will collect your payment for CISI insurance. Summer and fall participants receive an invoice in their acceptance packets; payment is due 15 April. Spring participants receive an invoice in October; payment is due 15 November.
WU-Wien requires that you wire money for a housing deposit and the pre-semester orientation program and optional German language course in advance of the semester. Adhere to their deadlines. Since most banks charge a fee for wiring money, past participants have pooled their payments to WU-Wien and wired the money at one time, splitting the bank fee. Keep all receipts for bank transfers and bring them to Vienna, as some students have had to verify that they did indeed wire the funds.
Academics
WU-Wien’s semester timetable is not available until you arrive in Vienna for orientation. Hard copies of past semesters’ English Program course lists are available at UW’s International Programs office. Business courses in German are also available. You will enroll in courses after arriving in Vienna. Past participants consistently report that course registration is the most frustrating and laborious part of the Vienna program. We were told the system is improving with most courses in English handled through ZAS, and special codes for foreign students.
Summer participants will choose a number of modules; you will receive a total of 4 credits of International Business 365 (undergraduate) or 765 (graduate): Contemporary Topics regardless of the modules you choose.
WU-Wien is exclusively a business school; non-business courses are not taught.
WU-Wien offers a semester course designed especially for exchange students, called Wirtschafsumfeld Osterreich. This course is taught in German and provides a survey of the Austrian economic environment, including the historical, political and social topics.
Some courses at WU-Wien are taught in modules over a short period. Courses lasting less than three weeks will not receive 3 UW credits. Credit will be determined on a semester by semester basis depending on the course schedule. Please avoid these courses. Like many European universities, academics in Vienna are quite different than at UW. Often your entire grade rests on a final project or final essay exam, with very little required reading or homework. As a result, you may feel as though classes are easy. Do not be deceived.
Austrian professors expect students to be much more independent in their learning than you are probably used to. You are expected to keep up with the reading; lectures are given with the assumption that you have read the proper materials. Discipline yourself to study on a regular basis so you are not left with a huge amount of work at the end of the semester. Past participants who have followed that plan have done very poorly in their classes—some have even failed!
UW’s International Programs provides a grade and credit equivalency scale between WU-Wien and UW.
Language and Language course
International Programs and past participants strongly recommend that you learn some German before living in Vienna. However, you will be able to get around with limited German, as many Austrians speak at least some English.
WU-Wien offers German language courses for a fee before the semester begins (and as part of the summer program). Semester-long German courses are also offered. Past participants have given mixed reviews of the pre-semester German language class; some recommend taking a semester-long course instead.
Laptop
Many past participants recommend bringing a laptop computer if you already own one.
Campus
WU-Wien does not have a large campus. Rather, classes are held in one large building in the city center. Computer labs and a library are also available.
Housing
WU-Wien will arrange housing in one of five residence halls or provide information about renting a private residence. You will receive a housing registration form after you are accepted. A security deposit is required. Detailed information about housing options is available on WU-Wien’s website. Since the regular fall semester runs into January fall students will be charged the extra month's rent unless they can find a subletter.
Health Insurance
The UW System requires you to purchase the CISI insurance for the duration of your stay. WU-Wien offers additional insurance, about which you can read on the website. Bring enough prescription medication to last the duration of your stay in Austria, as prescriptions from other countries are not accepted.
Safety
Past participants (both male and female) report feeling safe in Vienna. For information from the U.S. State Department, refer to http://travel.state.gov . Students staying in Austria for longer than three months are encouraged to register with the U.S. embassy after arriving in Vienna. For information and a registration form, visit the website.
Banking
Past participants recommend using credit cards and an ATM card from home for daily life in Vienna, and having traveler’s checks for vacation travel. They do not recommend opening an Austrian bank account, as it is easy to access money from home. Be sure to alert your bank and card services that you will be overseas.
Meeting Students from WU-Wien
As WU-Wien and UW have a new exchange agreement, there will eventually be students at WU-Wien who have studied or will study in Madison. Ask WU-Wien’s International Office for help locating students with UW connections. Participate in the extra-curricular activities of WU to meet students.
Life in Vienna
Refer to reports from past participants (found on the UW International Programs website) for tips about everyday life in Vienna, including public transit, shopping and what to do in your free time.