Austria

Landlocked giant mountains, green valleys, and lakes in Central Europe make Austria the most forested country in Europe for you to spend a year or semester.

Slightly smaller than Maine, the famous Alps cover much of the west and south of Austria while flatlands dominate the east and northeast. If you love the outdoors, you will enjoy a Spaziergang (a long leisurely walk) - a favorite Austrian pastime. Mountain climbing, hiking, skiing, cycling, and boating are very popular activities with most families.

Enjoy the remarkable natural beauty of Austria and its rich music history which will accompany you with the world-known melodies of Mozart and Strauss. Vienna Imperial Orchestra will invite you to its unique atmosphere of classicism and amazing architecture in Vienna, the world’s music capital.

Travel to Austria and you will experience amazing landscapes, follow the scent of freshly brewed coffee, and listen to the wonderful concerts in Vienna!

Academic Programs

While attending a public secondary school, you will stay with a local host family and participate fully in the academic and cultural life of the school, while settling in as a member of the family. Schools in Vienna include Gymnasiums (AHS), Vocational Schools (HAK), and Technical Schools (VHS). In Austria every student needs to decide about their area of studies. You can pick a school emphasizing economics and study home economics and nutrition class, or an academic school for science where you will take ecology, geometrical drawing, or physics classes. School textbook fees and transportation fees to school are not included in the tuition cost.

All academic program students to Austria will have an arrival orientation covering program issues, cultural introduction to life in Austria, living in a host family, culture shock, and problem solving. Individual and personal attention is assured during your stay in Austria.

You are required to have a knowledge of basic German. For an additional cost, ranging between 200 and 400 Euros, intensive language tutoring can be arranged upon arrival in Austria in the hosting community. This may be required for students with poor knowledge of German. The language spoken in Austria may vary considerably from standard German. While standard high German is spoken during most of the time at school, you should expect the possibility that the community where you stay may speak dialects typical to that region. 

Previous YFU exchange students are not eligible to apply. 

Programs, Departures, and Costs

Online Resources

To learn more about Austria, we recommend:

• E-mail YFU Alumni from the Alumni Referral List with your questions
• Visit your local library to find reference books, travel guides and essays, German language dictionaries, and many more country resources 
• Use an internet search engine to find informative web sites
• Embassy of Austria in Washington, DC web site

All YFU Programs are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice.
Last Updated: Thursday, September 06, 2007 01:02 AM