By the end of the 2014/15 academic year, a total of 936 WU students will have spent an exchange semester at a partner university abroad, up from 793 outgoing exchange students in 2013/14. If summer university program students are factored in, the total number of outgoing exchange students is well above the 1,000 mark this academic year. Students interested in participating in a mobility program can apply for exchange places at over 230 partner universities around the globe. The distribution between European and overseas destinations is fairly balanced: 50.4% of WU’s 2014/15 outgoing exchange students have chosen a partner university in Europe, and 49.6% selected a non-European partner institution.

Outgoing students: Favorite destinations and motivation

The most popular destinations for outgoing exchange students are the US and Canada, followed by France, the UK, Spain, and China. US universities are the clear no. 1 choice for WU’s outgoing exchange students. With 12 partner institutions, China is the strongest destination in Asia. The key motivation for WU students to go on exchange is to experience life in a new environment and to get to know a different culture. Students also see exchange periods abroad as an opportunity to build international networks and to acquire or improve skills in a foreign language.

Incoming students: WU as an attractive exchange destination

WU will have welcomed over 1,000 incoming exchange students by the end of the 2014/15 academic year, three in four of them bachelor’s degree students, and one in four at the master’s level. 54% of all incoming exchange students come to WU from European partner universities, and 46% from institutions outside Europe. At the bachelor’s level, WU has seen particularly strong interest from overseas exchange students. Most of WU’s incoming exchange students come from the US, Canada, and France, followed by Italy, China, the Netherlands, and the Russian Federation. The three most important reasons why international exchange students choose to come to WU is the wide range of English-taught courses offered at WU, WU’s attractive location – Vienna is a city with a very high quality of life located at the heart of Europe –, and WU’s reputation as an internationally renowned institution of higher education in the fields of business and economics.

Based on current application figures, it can be expected that outgoing and incoming student exchange will remain at very high levels at WU. Maintaining good contacts to partner universities around the world and providing excellent services for incoming exchange students are high priorities for WU.

Contact:

Cornelia Moll
Press Relations Officer
Tel: + 43-1-31336 ext. 4977
cornelia.moll@wu.ac.at

 

WU Press Release WU sees all-time high in student mobility as PDF