Austria is a landlocked country located in the southern part of Central Europe. Its capital city Vienna is also its largest city. Germany is the official language of Austria however Austrians communicate informally in various Bavarian dialects. The country is part of the European Union and has signed the Schengen Agreement in the year 1995. Austria adopted the currency Euro in the year 1999.

The country serves as an important link between western, northern and central Europe and Italy, Eastern Europe and the Balkans with its highly developed infrastructure of highways, passenger and freight trains, waterways and air services. From the extensive expressway (autobahn) system connecting Salzburg with Vienna, the Austrian rail network (Österreichische Bundesbahnen; ÖBB), the Danube river connecting Germany and the black sea to the extensive air services between international destinations like the Middle East, Asia, the USA and North Africa Austria has excellent transportation system.

Austria has a history of contributing to influencing the European cultural environment with its various art forms mostly music. Vienna was an important centre of musical innovation in the early days and was focused around instrument including the lute. Architectural genius like the Belvedere Palace is also examples of Austrian cultural excellence. Austria is also known to be home to noteworthy poets, writers and novelists like Peter Handke, Elfriede Jelinek, etc.

The accommodation facilities in cities in and around Austria range between 200-500 Euros per month. These values change depending on the location, for example Vienna will be a lot more expensive than most cities. Add to this are the food, books, travel and other miscellaneous expenses. To sum it up the approximate cost comes to around 950 Euros per month.

Good German language skills can help you feel more at home in German speaking countries. No prior German language knowledge is necessary if you enrol in an English-language degree programme, but you do need very good English skills.

The best thing is that most of the universities offer the possibility to learn German for the daily use of the language before or during the English taught study program in Germany. We recommend that you acquire theses German skills as it opens up for careers and the German job market, but stress that this is not a mandatory part of the study program / schedule.