Location
  • Austria
    • Vienna
Term
Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer
Subject Areas
Anthropology Art History Biology Business Chemistry Communications Cultural Studies Earth Sciences Economics Education European Studies Finance History International Business International Relations Journalism Law Life Sciences Literature Marketing Mathematics Music Performing Arts Philosophy Political Science Psychology Religious Studies Social Sciences Sociology Sports Science Theater Theology Women's Studies +23
Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships, BIPOC funding
Health & Safety

Program Details

Program Type
Provider
Degree Level
Bachelors
Housing
Apartment Dormitory Host Family
Language
English

Pricing

Price Details
Contact IES Abroad or see website for details.
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Classes Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Wifi
Nov 27, 2023
Oct 01, 2024
23 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

A stunningly beautiful city, Vienna occupies a unique position at the crossroads between east and west, north and south, long making the city a central meeting place for trade and international politics, as well as arts and culture. Can you imagine learning about Freud’s theories of psychoanalysis and then touring his home and the office where he practiced? Or studying politics and international organizations and visiting the UN, the OSCE, or OPEC? How about exploring art history in Vienna’s world-famous galleries and museums? Wherever possible our courses take advantage of the city’s historical, artistic, and cultural sites and include a hands-on, practical component.

When you’re not in the classroom, you will have the opportunity to explore everything Vienna has to offer—whether you’re touring Hofburg Palace, searching for the city’s best apfelstrudel, or taking all stroll down one of the city’s many cobblestoned streets, there is an adventure around every corner in Vienna!

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion

LGBTQIA+ Support

Today, and every day, we celebrate who you are and who you will become. We take pride in simply getting to know you, and look forward to adventuring through this incredible world with you.

Studying abroad as part of the LGBTQIA+ community can present unique opportunities and challenges in exploring a new culture, so we have compiled resources on sexual orientation, gender identity, and allyship to help prepare you and support you along the way.

Neurodivergent Support

Going abroad, whether this is your first time or your umpteenth, can be a trip both literally and figuratively. Seeing something new or being someplace unfamiliar has its own challenges, especially when it comes to mental health and physical accessibility. With IES Abroad, you won't handle these concerns on your own.

We have not only compiled resources on mental health, physical health, and self-care to help prepare you and support you along the way, but we also have a dedicated Student Affairs staff that are available for you to contact from the United States and once in your host country.

Accessibility Support

Going abroad, whether this is your first time or your umpteenth, can be a trip both literally and figuratively. Seeing something new or being someplace unfamiliar has its own challenges, especially when it comes to mental health and physical accessibility. With IES Abroad, you won't handle these concerns on your own.

We have not only compiled resources on mental health, physical health, and self-care to help prepare you and support you along the way, but we also have a dedicated Student Affairs staff that are available for you to contact from the United States and once in your host country.

Impact

Sustainability

As part of IES Abroad's Global Good Commitment, IES Abroad employs sustainability measures in the following ways:
-Moving toward more sustainable Headquarters and Centers abroad
-Producing printed materials mindfully
-Hosting events and conferences in LEED-certified buildings
-Purchasing carbon offsets for staff air travel
-The formation of the IES Abroad Sustainability Team - a dedicated group of volunteers responsible for implementing sustainable practices across our organization. The team comprises of members across our Centers, departments, teams. It is truly a global effort, and we are better for it.

Program Highlights

  • Choose from a diverse selection of courses in German or English
  • Explore great cities in Austria and beyond with IES Abroad field trips. Past destinations include Berlin, Budapest, Prague, the Austrian Alps, and Syria
  • You'll have an individual IES Abroad Program Advisor to guide you before your study abroad adventure. From visa requirements to travel details, they are your #1 resource for preparing to study abroad.
  • To help you feel at home and safe in Vienna, we offer well-located, comfortable housing for all students because we know securing housing independently can be challenging.
  • Some programs have the option to add a no-cost, part-time internship placement for academic credit. Multiple placement types are available!

Popular Programs

student laying on a ledge, posing for picture, in front of the Vienna skyline

Open to students at all language levels, our program brings more than 60 years of experience to a variety of unique courses taught by faculty from top European institutions. Courses are clustered into the following topics: German Language, European Business, Economics, and Politics, Society and Self, The Arts. With sufficient background in German, you can also enroll in courses at Universität Wien, where you can experience the Austrian education system and participate in student activities.

student playing the trombone in a cozy practice room

Imagine visiting one of the city’s world-famous concert halls to attend the rehearsal of a major ensemble, or visiting the homes of important figures in musical history such as Mozart and Beethoven. Organized in conjunction with the Vienna European Society & Culture Program, the IES Abroad Vienna Music Program is ideal for students majoring or minoring in Music, and offers you the opportunity to participate in a wide selection of courses focusing on Music and European Culture and Society.

outside of a Vienna Business School building

Choose from a wide selection of courses in disciplines such as Economics, Finance, International Business, Management, Marketing, and Political Science. You can also enhance your experience by taking courses in Art History, History, Humanities, Psychology, and so much more. Your studies will also take you throughout Vienna and outside the city, with a program-related trip where you’ll visit companies like Red Bull in Salzburg, and BMW in Munich, as well as organizations in and around Vienna.

group of students standing at a lookout point of Vienna

Many prominent thinkers of psychology made Vienna their home—Alfred Adler, Max Wertheimer, Helene Deutsch, Erwin Ringel, Viktor Frankl (who taught at IES Abroad), and, of course, Sigmund Freud. Walk their footsteps and experience life in Vienna as a student of Psychology and Social Sciences. Our courses give you the opportunity to explore youth cultures, childhood development, virtual identity on the web, the immigrant experience, and the social and psychological dimensions of discrimination.

group of students in colorful lederhosen and dirndl dresses

This program is organized into three topics: Psychology & Society in Vienna, Health Psychology & Communication Skills, and Psychology of Prejudice & Discrimination. Depending on your chosen area of study, you'll consider how different methodologies today reflect and challenge Freud's legacy, explore the field of counseling and develop skills in listening and empathy, or examine how people influence and are influenced by their social setting.

Program Reviews

4.85 Rating
based on 93 reviews
  • 5 rating 88.17%
  • 4 rating 9.68%
  • 3 rating 1.08%
  • 2 rating 1.08%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Academics 4.1
  • Support 4.8
  • Fun 4.75
  • Housing 4.75
  • Safety 4.95
Showing 1 - 8 of 93 reviews
Default avatar
Diana
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best Semester of College!

My time in Vienna through IES Abroad was the most influential experience I've had in my college career. I had the opportunity to meet life-long friends, explore new cities, immerse myself in new cultures, and take courses that challenged my worldview and helped me grow into a more compassionate and well-rounded individual. The people I met in Vienna are some of my closest friends. Our time traveling together cemented a bond that I will cherish forever. IES: Vienna also sponsors trips and provides information to aid students in traveling both in Austria and across Europe. IES: Vienna provides a space for its students to take academically rigorous courses that are designed to interact with the city of Vienna itself. My classes took trips to museums, parks, churches, and monuments to explore Vienese history and culture. IES guided us every step of the way through pre-departure, our time abroad, and as we transitioned back home. I would recommend the program to anyone looking to study abroad!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Take advantage of the offerings provided by IES! IES organizes trips around Austria and outings in Vienna, such as coffee shop hops, soccer games, thrifting, and karaoke. I recommend that anyone in this program take full advantage of what IES offers!
Pros
  • Good class offerings and rigorous academics
  • IES planned outings and trips
  • Living arrangments
Cons
  • Disorganized academic office
  • Classes on Fridays are required- limits weekend traveling
Default avatar
Ellie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

An Amazing Program!

I am a classical vocalist, so I already knew that Vienna was THE place for me to study abroad. What I didn't know was how absolutely wonderful the program I would study overseas with would be! The cultural and musical education I received with IES Abroad Vienna was top notch as I expected, but this experience was truly life-changing in a personal context. I absolutely fell in love with life in Vienna, so much so that I hope to at least look into getting a masters degree in Austria, with the intent of pursuing a career in opera there one day. The faculty involved in the IES Abroad Vienna program are all wonderful and reliable individuals. They were devoted to every students’ personal health and mental well-being, but they also fostered an environment where we could venture out on our own in a safe and informed way. In addition to networking and professional connections made through IES Abroad Vienna, I formed many wonderful life-long friendships through program social events. If you are considering this program for study away, you should definitely do it!

Pros
  • Wonderful sights and archetecture!
  • Rich history all around you.
  • A really wonderful and supportive program overall!
Cons
  • The locals seem grumpy at first, but they really just have some resting grumpy faces.
  • There was a slight culture shock with the lack of small-talk Austria has, but it was a quick adjustment.
64 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
vivine
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

GRATEFUL FOR MY STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCE

Studying abroad will always remain one of the best decisions I have ever taken during my college career. It was an opportunity for me to learn about myself more. I am already an international student in the USA, and at first, I did not know I needed to expand my horizons by participating in the Study Abroad Program as well. The IES Abroad Vienna Team is very organized and super interactive. It has been nothing short of a blessing for me. The classes were awesome, and the professors are excellent, they remain part of my connections today! My experience in Vienna has been rewarding, educational, transformative, and most of all, FUN! They really make sure that every participant is well cared for and has all the resources needed to thrive!

Pros
  • Vienna is the most livable city in the world! It is such an amazing place to be, for students and all!!!
  • I loved the food! Fresh and high quality food.
  • People in Vienna are very welcoming! Such an amazing transportation system.
Cons
  • German is a difficult language, but I did my best and most people in Vienna speak English as well.
  • Winter lasts long, but everyone is so fashionable!
  • It is a bit expensive but it's worth it!
66 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Sarah
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Making Music Abroad

As a voice student, I always knew that I wanted to study abroad in Vienna. If I could spend another semester (or year, or years!) in Vienna, I would do so in a heartbeat. I could attend the opera and classical concerts - for just a few Euros! With a few exceptions, the pre-departure staff were generally helpful with choosing internships, housing, and courses. The on-site staff were phenomenal, organizing frequent community-building activities. In a weekly newsletter, the staff gave us suggestions for additional events, customs, and restaurants to try out in Vienna. There was a wide variety of music courses. All my professors made an effort to teach me about the culture of Vienna. The music professors were fabulous, introducing me to new aspects of music history.

Pros
  • Supportive staff in Vienna
  • Devoted professors
  • Well-organized trips
Cons
  • Lack of Visa support
  • Wanted more culturally immersive experiences
  • Have to pay for music lessons out-of-pocket (partially reimbursed)
67 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Sylas
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Not just Vienna, but Austria as a whole

I spent my fall semester of 2022 in Vienna, and I can safely say it changed my life. I attended the Psychology and Social Sciences program as a psychology major, and I had the chance to take courses that were not offered at my home school, such as Psychology and Society in Vienna and the Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination. These classes met usually once a week. I also had an intensive German class that met 3 times a week; I had taken German before so I was placed in a higher German class, but I heard from friends that they benefitted greatly from intro German classes. Classes were held at the IES Abroad Center, in the 1st district, near Stephansdom.
I lived in the 2nd district, in a studio apartment with a shared kitchen. The shared kitchen let me connect with new friends from IES while still having a space to go back to that was my own. The commute from the 2nd district to the 1st for class was about 15 minutes, and the IES Vienna staff walked us through it the first time. I appreciated this as someone who had never lived in a city before.
IES staff were incredibly welcoming and easy to talk to; they helped with everything from housing issues to personal issues, and were a great resource to better understand the culture of Austria.
IES Vienna gave the opportunity to explore not only Vienna, but Austria as a whole. The program offered trips around Austria, such as to places like Wachau and Graz, as well as the legendary ski trip in the Austrian Alps. I also had the opportunity during the week-long break to tour Salzburg, Vorarlberg, and Innsbruck. Overall, I saw as much of Austria as I could, and I grew as a person in ways I could not have imagined. I had the time of my life and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Pros
  • City-living experience
  • Chances to explore more of Austria
  • Offered internships as a class
Cons
  • Not as much interaction with local community
87 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Reese
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Overall Fun in Austria

I enjoyed my time in Austria for the most part. I tried a lot of different foods, looked at a large variety of art and learned a lot about language. I had some difficulties with class structure and choices and the rigidity of the IES system. The people in the program staff were quite nice and helpful and usually available. There were a lot of difficutkirss getting adjusted to the culture abroad but it's all part of the process I suppose. Given this it still had its fun moments. Vienna has a lot of things to offer and the housing situation I was placed in provided me a lot of opportunities to go out and explore and see places close by. I found myself really enjoying getting immersed in the culture abroad. Food was fantastic. Public transport was easy to figure out and overall it was enjoyable.

What would you improve about this program?
Make the system more flexible to class choice changes
169 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Libby
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The Best Experience of My Life

The IES program in Vienna created the best semester abroad I could've ever asked for. I felt welcomed right away by the staff who were extremely attentive and very experienced in helping in various situations. They really created a home base for their students. One of my favorite parts were the incredible trips they organized, such as the ski trip on a glacier in the Austrian Alps (many people learned to ski for the first time on this trip), a journey through the beautiful mountain villages in the west up to Prague, and a weekend trip to the Wachau Valley for hiking and wine tasting. Pretty much all students lived in apartments. I lived in the 5th district of the city with an easy 20 minute commute to school (Vienna’s public transportation system is so easy to master). Classes take place in an old palace in the city center between the Opera house and St. Stephen’s cathedral. For many classes I got to tour museums during class period and really learn hands-on about art, history, architecture and psychology. The central location of the school enabled me to explore the ins-and-outs of Vienna on a daily basis after or between classes. The IES program helps make things happen for its students. They make known events from the film festival at the Rathaus to how to join a gym or sports club team. They help create incredible experiences, such as providing discounted tickets to attend an infamous Vienna ball and dancing lessons to prepare. I was able to see the dress rehearsal for a world premiere at the State opera house. We were able to have a big Thanksgiving dinner in a traditional countryside tavern. And they helped people get involved with locals through setting up local German language buddies and helping students get internships. The program at IES Vienna creates a community and enables its students to explore and soak up every possible second of the most incredible semester imaginable. I would give anything to be back in Vienna right now.

What would you improve about this program?
This program could be improved by encouraging its students further to get involved with the locals in Vienna and around other parts of Austria. It does a great job helping students immerse into the culture, but not necessarily by interacting with locals. They help set up German language buddy pairs, but I wish I had realized the importance of putting myself out there with the people in Vienna while I was there.
162 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Terrence
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Squeeze the juice!

I should probably begin by explaining the title of this review so you're not left wondering, "What the heck does he mean by 'Squeeze the Juice'?" During the orientation for my program, one of the program directors gave a presentation on getting the most out of your time abroad. He called this "Squeezing the Juice." Ridiculous as the phrase might have been, the phrase really caught on. It's hard to put such a life changing experience as studying abroad into words, and a reasonable amount of words at that, but here's a couple ways in which my program helped me squeeze the juice while I was abroad.

To begin with, my program had incredible faculty connections. I went to study music there, and was able to take private lessons from the retired 3rd horn of the Vienna Philharmonic, take composition classes from one of Austria's leading modern composers, and learn about acoustics from a leading sound engineer (who also happened to be a fantastic composer himself and jazz pianist). I had no idea I would be studying with such renowned faculty with my program, and got so much knowledge passed down from them.

Living wise, my program also made incredible accommodation as the apartment complex I lived in included a state of the art practice facility in the apartment! Only a few apartments in the complex were occupied by the program, and the rest were occupied by local tenants, so to have a private space to practice (horn) without disturbing the neighbors was unbelievable. Furthermore, within my apartment, I became very good friends with my apartment mates, and I am very happy my program provided us with this living opportunity.

Furthermore, the program provided us with excellently planned trips, including trips through class in Vienna and separate excursions with the program outside of Vienna. The excursions allowed for great opportunities to explore Austria without the hassle of having to organize your own trip. The program planned housing, transportation, activities, and several meals in these excursions. For example, one excursion I was able to visit the city of Graz during Austria's free museum night where I was able to visit several museums; my favorite being a key and lock museum I spent several hours in looking at locks and also trying to solve puzzle locks (emphasis on "trying"). Class trips allowed for hands on learning experiences and were funded by the program. I even got to go to my first Viennese ball thanks to my program, that was a blast!

The staff in the program were also extremely helpful. The 3 receptionists were very friendly and very accessible for help. I am also a soccer player, and with a few of the staff, I was able to join their local soccer team. I also had to go to the hospital at one point to get an MRI for a problem I was having with my elbow and a staff member kindly accompanied me to help me navigate the hospital. It was nice to have someone to talk to while waiting and someone who spoke fluent German with me. Also, as a side note, I was able to afford this MRI because my program had great insurance that covered any medical costs after the first 100 euros, so my insurance covered the entire MRI.

Finally, Vienna is an incredible place to study abroad. The public transportation is on point, with a fantastic Subway, bus, tram, and train system (that the program provides you with student discount cards for). Music is very affordable thanks to standing room ticket opportunities, and the music is obviously incredible. A few highlights for me were being able to see a new opera premier, see the Vienna Phil, see a Hans Zimmer concert (AND HANS ZIMMER WAS THERE), and seeing the Czech Philharmonic. I was also abroad in Fall and got to experience the adorable Viennese Christmas market. These pleasant markets were a fun place to be social but keep toasty out in the cold. I enjoyed these with my friends from the program and my language buddy (my program had a great language buddy program to help us be immersed in the culture, improve our German, and make friends). As a Californian it was fun to experience real winter there!

It is hard to put into words the amazing experience I had in Vienna between the Musical experience and the friends I made there, but none of those experience would have been possible without the help of my program in helping me squeeze the juice and teaching me how to.

156 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

IES Abroad had about 180 students during the program time period that I was abroad although it felt as though there were a lot less. There was never a feeling of crowding while attending IES things felt balanced.

I didn’t stay in the residence hall, but one of my friends did and it is apartment-style living on the same street as the building that the IES school/classes are, so it’s in district 1 right in the city center! I think it’s a really good option and you don’t have to commute into the city center for school - just walk!

It should be around $5,500 for courses, $3,000 for the program fee, $2,000 for the flights, and $1,500 for meals.