Nearly 7,260 students took advantage of the study acceleration program to complete courses and exams during the semester break, in strict compliance with all safety and hygiene regulations. For WU, it was also an opportunity for a test run of the COVID-19 safety protocols and to gain valuable experience for the winter semester starting in October, most of which will take place in person. 

Welcome Days for new students

WU is focusing particularly on first-semester students again this year. The Welcome Days are held to introduce our new students to WU. “Many students are somewhat overwhelmed by the size of WU and the high degree of self-organization that students need to have. WU has a number of programs in place to prevent students from becoming overwhelmed and dropping out before finishing their degree, including counselling and mentoring  programs and the Welcome Days,” says the rector. In early September,new students had the opportunity to book online workshops on a variety of topics. They were also split up into smaller groups of 30 people to get to know their fellow students better. “Making contacts at the beginning of a degree program is particularly valuable, also for students’ later professional life,” said the rector. As part of a large-scale live closing event, the new students got some practical advice from WU alumnus and WU International Corporate Board member Christopher Schläffer, among others, and were entertained with performances by two WU Talents and the WU Tigers .

Semester Kick-Off for over 3,000 students and vaccination station

Every year in mid-September, WU invites all new students to the Austria Center for the Semester Kick-Off event, where they are welcomed to WU during the largest-scale courses of the introductory and orientation phase. 1,800 people registered for the course Introduction to Business Administration and 1,230 for the course Introduction to Law, where this year Peter Resetarits (ORF) was invited to give the traditional guest lecture. All those students who were not yet vaccinated were offered the opportunity to take advantage of the free, easily accessibly vaccination center at the Austria Center during the kick-off event. As of September 21, a vaccination station of the City of Vienna will be opened at WU, which will be available to WU students and employees, but of course also to all members of the public who want to be vaccinated.

Celebrating a place of personal encounter

To mark the start of the new academic year, WU is showcasing the diversity and energy of Campus WU and welcoming all our students, teachers, researchers, staff members, and guests with a varied program. Among other things, there will be an outdoor art gallery on the campus grounds with artworks by young Austrian artists, curated by WU alumna Ursula Tuczka from the Metropolitan Art Club, and light installations on the Library Center façade.