Details

• Netherlands
• BaWiSo-19
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months
• Contact: Login to see contact information

1. Preparation

Start planning as early as possible. Keep all the deadlines in mind. At first, it might seem like a lot, but if you read through the WU website and the documents you receive at the mandatory lecture, everything should be clear. Prepare well for the interview (read old exchange reports!) and choose realistic spots according to your GPA. If you travel to the Netherlands I can only recommend booking the night train from Vienna to Amsterdam. If you book early enough it is way cheaper than taking a plane and you are eligible for receiving the green travel support.

2. Accommodation

The accommodation search was quite straightforward. As there is a housing crisis in the Netherlands, I would not recommend trying to find an appartment aside from the official housing (SSH). Although it is more expensive than other accommodations, you have the benefit of getting a place for sure. Moreover, if you live in a student house, you will meet many people very easily. In general, Groningen is a very safe city and everything is very close. I lived at the edge of the city, and it took me 10 minutes by bike to get to the city center. Your courses are probably at Zernike Campus, so the Kornoeljestraat 2 building might be a good choice for you.

3. Academic life at host university

The business and economics courses take place at the Zernike campus, which is just at the edge of the city. The campus is huge and it has its own food court and supermarket. The level of the courses is quite high and the workload is comparable to the more intense courses you might know from WU. The grading is really strict, so if you want to polish your GPA, the Netherlands is a though choice - don´t expect to get ones on your courses. The instructors were all really competent and I really learned a lot in the courses I visited. One downside was the study culture from my Dutch peers. Maybe I was just unlucky but they did everything very last minute and did not put too much effort into the courses. I heard similar stories from my friends.

5. Every day life in the host country

Groningen is an amazing city in regards to its social activities. The city center is vibrant and there is always something to do. The public transport is not really relevant as you will only be travelling by bike or foot. The ACLO sports center is also really great. For 120€ per semester you can access a gym and reserve classes and courts of almost every sports there is. Definitely take part in the ESN introduction week, as you will meet lots of people and the parties are really fun!

6. Testimonial

Doing a semester abroad was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. I learned a lot about myself as I was away from what was familiar and challenged assumptions that I made about me and my life. One highlight was to experience Kings night and day in the Netherlands. Everything in the country stops to enjoy those two days and have an amazing time with events all over the city. Lastly, I really enjoyed the countryside which I lived really close to.