Exchange semester at the University of Vienna

If you do not have sufficient German language proficiency, we recommend that you inform yourself carefully about the courses offered in other languages.

To find out whether your field of study offers courses in English or in other languages, click on your field of study in the u:find course directory. Courses that are held in a language other than German (e.g., English) are labelled with a blue button, which indicates the respective language of instruction.

Please note that the Department of German Studies does not offer any German language courses and the Department of English and American Studies does not offer any English language courses. The Language Centre of the University of Vienna offers German language courses:

If you would like to prepare for your stay abroad or improve your German language skills during the semester, you can register for a German language course at the Language Centre of the University of Vienna (subject to a fee) and obtain ECTS credits if you pass. The following courses are offered regularly:

• Intensive courses for incoming students in September or February (also possible online)
• Trimester courses
• Semester courses 

The complete range of language courses as well as information about placement on courses and the possibility to register for courses is available on the website of the Language Centre of the University of Vienna. Participation in the language courses is voluntary.

German language courses do not appear on your Transcript of Records, but you will receive a separate certificate from the Language Centre immediately after completing the course. Please clarify with your home university whether a standard version of the certificate from the Language Centre of the University of Vienna in German is sufficient. If this version is not acceptable, you can collect an English-language version directly at the office of the Language Centre by presenting your German certificate.

• Discounts for incoming students 

  Incoming students receive a 20 % discount on the intensive courses in February and September, on summer courses and on trimester courses upon presentation of the ‘Certificate of Arrival’ issued by the International Office. There is no discount on semester courses. 

  For the intensive courses for incoming students (in September or February), incoming students receive a refund of EUR 150 (academic year 2026/2027) from the International Office if they attend regularly and pass the final exam. As this is a course to prepare you for your semester abroad, you can only receive this refund if you complete the course before starting your studies at the University of Vienna. Students who study here for a full academic year can therefore only claim a refund for the intensive course in September. 

  Please note that you must pay the full course fee when you register for the course. You will then receive the discount at a later date if you present your Certificate of Arrival to the Language Centre. 
  Please note that the application for a refund must be submitted directly to the Language Centre of the University of Vienna by 15 October (course in September) or by 15 March (course in February) at the latest. Textbooks are not included in the course fee. 

  Incoming students receive a 25 % discount on all courses in languages other than German.

Citizens of EU/EEA countries and Switzerland require a valid passport or identity card to enter Austria.

All citizens of EU/EEA countries and Switzerland who stay in Austria for more than 3 months must apply for a registration certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung) within 4 months of entering Austria with the Municipal Department for Immigration and Citizenship (MA35, Magistratsabteilung Einwanderung und Staatsbürgerschaft).

Further information can be found on the City of Vienna’s website.

You must apply for this registration certificate in addition to registering your place of residence with the municipal district office (Magistratisches Bezirksamt). You must submit the application within four months of entering Austria. 

• The competent authority for districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23 is:
  Municipal Department 35, Immigration division 5.0, EEA office – Make an appointment
• The competent authority for districts 1, 2, 9, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 is:
  Municipal Department 35, Immigration division 5.1, EEA office – Make an appointment 

To apply for the registration certificate, you need the following documents in their original version and as a copy:

• Completed and signed application (see ‘Antragsformular’)
• Valid identity card or passport
  You must pay a processing fee when you present your travel document for the first time. The costs vary depending on the type of travel document. If you have already paid for the processing of your travel document, please bring the confirmation of payment with you when you apply for the registration certificate.
• Proof of adequate health insurance (e.g., European Health Insurance Card)
• Confirmation of admission issued by the University of Vienna (Certificate of Arrival, which you receive at the International Office) and your student ID
• Proof of sufficient financial means (e.g., scholarship, bank statement, confirmation of maintenance payment from parents).
  For students under the age of 24, sufficient means are: approx. EUR 723 per month,
  For students aged 24 and over: approx. EUR 1,309 per month
  (plus the cost of accommodation, which exceeds approx. EUR 387 per month)
• Payment of the issuing fee, which currently amounts to approx. EUR 44

Students from non-EU/EEA countries (third countries) may need a visa for Austria, even if they have a residence permit from another EU country. 

Please note that incoming students and trainees are responsible for applying for the visa themselves. The International Office is not involved in the visa application process. As the processing of visa applications can take several weeks or months, please take care of organising your visa as early as possible. 

Different regulations apply depending on the length of stay:

• Entry, stay of less than 6 months: 
  If you plan to study in Austria for no more than 6 months, you need either a visa C (Schengen visa) or a visa D (for stays of at least 91 days up to a maximum of 6 months) to enter and stay in Austria.
• Stays of more than 6 months:
  Third-country nationals who do not have a residence permit from another EU country require a residence permit – student for stays of more than 6 months.

For your visa application, you may need your letter of admission from the University of Vienna. You will receive your letter of admission by 15 June (start of stay in the winter semester) or 15 December (start of stay in the summer semester) at the latest. If you need your letter of admission before then, please send us an e-mail. 

You can register at any municipal district office or at the Municipal Department 62 – Zentrale Meldeauskunft (central registration service). You can make an appointment here: 

Residence registration service – make an online appointment (Municipal District Office, form in German) 

Residence registration service – book an appointment online – intended period (Municipal Department 62, Zentrales Meldeservice, form in German) 

You need the following documents to register your place of residence:

• Completed registration form (‘Meldezettel’), signed by the accommodation provider (English-language instructions for completing the form)
• Travel document with which you travelled to Vienna (e.g. your passport)
• You must pay a processing fee when you present your travel document for the first time. Costs may vary depending on the type of travel document. Please keep the confirmation of payment safe. 

Further information: Information of the City of Vienna on registering your place of residence (in German)

You must register your place of residence as either your main or secondary place of residence. The term ‘main place of residence’ (in the German form: ‘Hauptwohnsitz’) refers to the accommodation that you intend to make the centre of your life. If this applies to several residences, you must specify the one at which you spend most of your time as your main place of residence. The other residences are additional residences (additional residence – Nebenwohnsitz, or secondary residence – Zweitwohnsitz). Criteria such as length of stay and location of the education/training institution are decisive for determining where your ‘centre of life’ is. 

Further information: Information of the City of Vienna on registering your place of residence (in German)

For exchange students, the University of Vienna cooperates with the following student residence providers: 

• Student residences provided by OeAD student housing
  Allocation of places in various categories and residences
  For more details, please refer to Room in a hall of residence via OeAD student housing (PDF)
• WIHAST student dormitories
  Simple, affordable rooms, easy booking
  For more details, please refer to Room in a hall of residence via WIHAST (PDF)
• STUWO student dormitories
  Special offer especially for students who are already in Vienna at the beginning of
  September
  For more details, please refer to Room in a hall of residence via STUWO (PDF)

Alternatively, you can also look for a place in other student residences. The Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH) provides a list of non-profit dormitories in Vienna (incomplete list). You can find information on life in a student residence in the dorm guide of the ÖH.

• The University of Vienna has concluded a cooperation agreement with the international housing platform HousingAnywhere.com, which enables students to rent flats and rooms for short periods of time.

  You can find information about the partnership and the discounts in the HousingAnywhere document (PDF)

Further helpful links for finding accommodation:

• ÖH Wohnungsbörse (flat-finding website by the Austrian National Union of Students, in German)
• wg-gesucht.de (flat-finding website, in German)

In the event of serious problems, e.g., concerning the lease agreement, utility bills, or repayment of the deposit, you can contact the following offices:

• Tenant assistance (website in German)
• Arbitration Board for Legal Housing Matters (Municipal Departments 50) (website in German)

With the EHIC card (European Health Insurance Card), all EU/EEA citizens have the same entitlement with regard to insurance as Austrians. With the EHIC card, you will receive free medical care from doctors who have a contract with a social health insurance fund (‘Kassenarzt’) in Austria for all treatments that are medically necessary during your stay. This insurance coverage does not include check-ups and preventive examinations.

Students from Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Montenegro receive the form TR/A3, SRB/A3, BIH/A3, MK/A3, or MNE/A3 in their home countries. Upon presentation of this form, they can obtain an e-card replacement document (‘e-card Ersatzbeleg’) from the Austrian health insurance fund (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse). Using this document, they can obtain free medical care from doctors who have a contract with a social health insurance fund (‘Kassenarzt’) in Austria for all treatments that are medically necessary during their stay. This insurance coverage does not include check-ups and preventive examinations.

Students who are not insured with a statutory health insurance fund and who reside in Austria can obtain self-insurance with the Austrian health insurance fund (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse). All international students, regardless of their nationality, are eligible to obtain self-insurance. Students from non-EU/EEA countries who are already in Vienna in September or February (e.g., to complete a German language course) can only apply for self-insurance from 1 October or 1 March. 

The costs currently amount to EUR 78.84 per month. With this insurance, they can obtain free medical care from doctors who have a contract with a social health insurance fund (‘Kassenarzt’) in Austria for all treatments that are medically necessary during their stay. This insurance coverage does not include check-ups and preventive examinations.

You need the following application documents to obtain self-insurance:

• the completed application form (in German)
• your current student record sheet and/or confirmation of enrolment (from u:space)
• a photo ID or passport (including any Austrian visa entries)
• a confirmation of registration issued by the municipal district office 

You can bring the application documents either to the head office of the Austrian health insurance fund in Vienna or to one of the district offices. However, the application will not be processed directly by the district offices but will be forwarded to the head office, which, of course, means it will take longer to process. Therefore, if you need the insurance quickly, we recommend that you directly contact the head office.

Further information:

Austrian health insurance fund (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse, website in German)

• Download the Transcript via u:space
  You can download your Transcript of Records at any time (even after returning home) via your u:space account. You can find the function under ‘Personal matters’ > ‘My documents’. The Transcript of Records downloaded via u:space contains an official digital signature and is therefore legally valid. You can download your Transcript of Records at least until the end of your admission: until 31 March if you are staying in the winter semester, or until 31 October if you are staying in the summer semester.
  If you have any questions or problems with downloading your Transcript of Records via u:space, please contact the Vienna University Computer Center (ZID) Servicedesk.
• Receiving your Transcript by e-mail or by post
  If all your grades appear in your u:space account, but the official digital signature is not sufficient for your home university, we can also send your Transcript of Records by e-mail or by post to you or your home university on request.
  We are not automatically notified once your Transcript of Records is complete. Therefore, if you ask us to send your Transcript to you by e-mail or by post, please check yourself in u:space (under ‘Personal matters’ > ‘My documents’) whether your Transcript contains all grades before submitting your request.