WU wants to make sure that its first-semester students get off to a good start and to help them familiarize themselves with this large university. WU provides support and guidance to its first-semester students and offers a number of events to show them that, despite its large size, WU can offer its students both high quality and individual support. Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger and Margarethe Rammerstorfer, the new Vice-Rector for Academic Programs and Student Affairs, personally welcomed this year’s first-semester students and provided them with valuable tips and information. WU’s welcome events are also intended to keep students from feeling isolated or overwhelmed at university and to help reduce dropout rates.

In August and September, ahead of the official start of the semester, WU invited this year’s first-semester students to the WU Campus Days, where they were provided with advice for getting off to a good start at WU, information about the LEARN eLearning portal, and tips for studying efficiently and successfully. The new students were also informed about the possibility of attending courses from the introductory and orientation phase in September as part of WU’s Summer University program, which gives them the opportunity to earn ECTS credits before the official start of the semester. With their welcome events, the rector and vice-rector ring in the new semester and provide opportunities for newcomers to WU to get to know their future fellow students in a relaxed atmosphere.

A wide range of support services

“Many students experience uncertainty due to WU’s large size and the amount of self-management that is necessary at university. This is true especially for young people who are the first in their family to attend a university. To keep them from feeling overwhelmed and, ultimately, dropping out altogether, we offer a wide range of support services at WU, for instance our student counselling and mentoring programs. I’d like to encourage all of our first-year students to take advantage of the available support services, especially the study acceleration programs,” says Rector Hanappi-Egger. The Welcome to WU event also included fun activities like a quiz and a vote to select the design of the WU class t-shirt for the upcoming academic year, giving newcomers a great opportunity to familiarize themselves with WU. “It is very important to me personally to let our students know that they’re welcome here and that we’re glad they’ve decided to study at WU,” says Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger, explaining why it is so important to her to extend a personal welcome to WU’s new first-semester students. “I hope that all the students starting out at WU this year will leave our university as successful graduates.”

WU4You scholarships

Some of this year’s first-semester students receive WU4You scholarships to be able to attend university. The WU4You scholarship program was initiated by Rector Hanappi-Egger and launched in 2016. It is aimed at talented secondary school students from low-income families living in Austria. This winter semester, the program provided financial support to fifteen young people, making it possible for them to study at WU. The scholarship recipients also participate in WU’s mentoring program and receive individual coaching. In total, 36 WU students are currently on a WU4You scholarship. One of the first WU4You scholarship recipients has already completed her studies in the minimum prescribed program duration.