University of St Andrews

At a glance

The University of Vienna celebrated its 650th Anniversary in 2015. It is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and one of the oldest universities in Europe. Studying at the University of Vienna means being part of a large and diverse community. About 93,000 students are currently pursuing a degree at the University of Vienna and about 28,000 of them are foreign students and come from 140 different countries. The University of Vienna is also the largest research and educational institution in Austria with a total of 6,800 academics. Their teaching staff embeds the principle of research-led teaching in their lectures. With its more than 70 locations, the University of Vienna shapes Vienna's cityscape.
Established : 1365
Student Population : 89000

Website and links

Website : University of Vienna Homepage

Study abroad page : Vienna Study Abroad Webpage

Who can go

Students on degree programmes in the following subject areas may apply to study abroad during their Junior Honours year at Universität Wien (University of Vienna):

• German
• Art History

Semesters Available

• Second Semester
• Full Year

Note: Joint Honours students may only apply for a full year abroad if BOTH subjects are listed above. Joint Honours students applying for one semester must seek permission from both Schools.

Study abroad coordinator

Each School has a designated Study Abroad Coordinator.

Semester dates

Semester dates are as follows

2024/5
Semester 1 Oct 2024 to Jan 2025
Semester 2 Mar 2025 to Jun 2025
2025/6
Semester 1 Oct 2025 to Jan 2026
Semester 2 Mar 2026 to Jun 2026

Your studies abroad

St Andrews academic requirements

• Minimum Credit in Academic year : 48
• Minimum Credit in Semester : 24
• Maximum Credit in Academic year : 60
• Maximum Credit in Semester: 30
• Module Weighting : 3,5,8

Partner Course Catalogue : Exchange Course Catalogue The exchange at the University of Vienna is run by the Department of Comparative Literature but students may also take courses within German Studies. Please note that classes will be in German.

See our Credits and Modules Abroad webpage for information on the number of credits we expect students to take at our partner institutions. St Andrews expects students to attend all classes as part of their programme abroad. Assessment methods may vary across partners and could include class participation, continuous assessment in the form of homework and final exams. All courses must be agreed with your Study Abroad Coordinator. See our academic information webpage for further details, as well as information about credit and grade conversion.

Application and selection

This is a School Abroad programme.

Places available

Places available :

Art History: 4 semesters or 2 full year places

German: 4 semesters or 2 full year places

Places available may vary from year to year depending on the exchange balance. Numbers for the following academic year will be confirmed at the information meeting.

Getting there and getting around

The closest airport is Vienna International which is situated about 20 km from Vienna city centre.

The cheapest way to get from the airport to the city centre is to use an S-Bahn train which runs on the S7 line (stations on which include Wien Mitte, Wien Nord and Floridsdorf). The journey takes around 25 minutes.

Airport shuttle

There are regular buses from the airport to the Vienna City Air Terminal at the Hilton Hotel, to Wien Westbahnhof and to Wien Südbahnhof. The bus station is directly outside the exit of the Airport Arrival Hall. Buses leave every twenty minutes. Tickets can be bought either on the bus or from the ticket machine. From Vienna City Air Terminal, take the number three underground (U3), direction Ottakring. At Volkstheater, change to the number two underground (U2), direction Schottenring. This will take you to Schottentor-Universität (the main University building).

By City Airport Train (CAT)

This is a non-stop express train which takes only sixteen minutes to reach the City Air Terminal (Wien-Mitte/Landstraße Underground Stations U4 & U3) in the centre of Vienna. Trains run every half an hour from 6.05am to 11.35pm and from 5.38am to 11.08pm from the City Air Terminal where passengers can also check in.

Vienna has an extensive bus, underground and tram system which facilitates moving around the city. Student discounts are available on public transport.

Accommodation

The University does not run any of its own student halls of residence. Students are responsible for organising their own accommodation.

There are two different housing options available to incoming students: rooms in halls of residence or private accommodation.

Halls of Residence / Dormitories

WIHAST offers simple, affordable rooms with a straightforward booking procedure:

The International Student Residence Staargasse offers fully furnished apartments.

The OeAD Housing Office also offers rooms in a student hall of residence

Provided you submit your application by the stated deadline and pay the deposit sum, you will normally be guaranteed a place. Although you can request a single room, there is no guarantee that you will receive one. Private Accommodation

It is also possible to rent a room or a flat. Databases containing information about the rooms or apartments available to students can be found at WG-Gesucht.de.

Please note that St Andrews is unable to guarantee housing at any of our partner institutions. Guidance on finding accommodation abroad is available on the Global Office webpage.

Student services and orientation

• Social Department (Social Services)
• Academic support.
• The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) cooperates with the International Office to support exchange students during their stay.
• Vienna also coordinates a Buddy Scheme.

Please be aware that student support services will be different across all of our partner universities.