Details

• Great Britain & N.Ireland
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months
• Contact: Login to see contact information

1. Preparation

When it comes to accommodation, I would recommend looking for student housing close to the City Campus, which is where Nottingham Business School is located. I stayed at Waterways, but for future exchange students I would recommend York House. Many local students live there, so it is a great place to connect with British students and there is always something going on. York House also offers a lot of shared facilities, such as a communal kitchen, a cinema room and a pool table, which you can easily book and use with others. I also recommend arriving at least one week before the semester starts. This gives you time to explore the city, make your first friends, and meet other exchange students to share tips before classes begin. For my journey, I flew with Austrian Airlines from Vienna to London and spent my first two nights in a hotel within walking distance of St Pancras station. After that I continued to Nottingham by train. There is a direct connection from London St Pancras to Nottingham, which makes the trip very easy, even with luggage. You can book train tickets easily with the Trainline app. If you are under 25, I highly recommend getting the 16–25 Railcard right at the start. It saves you a third on most train fares, which quickly pays off if you plan to travel around the UK during your semester. Finally, check early which courses at NTU can be credited towards your degree at WU. Planning this in advance saves you a lot of stress once you are there.

2. Accommodation

I booked my accommodation at Waterways through Airbnb about four months before my arrival. I lived in a studio, which I really liked because it made everyday life very easy and gave me my own private space. The downside was the price: as a studio, it cost around €1,200 per month. Waterways is about a 10-minute walk from Nottingham Business School. Still, I would recommend York House to future students. It is also a private student residence that is even closer to the university, and there is a large Tesco right next to it, which makes grocery shopping very convenient. Whether you live at Waterways or York House, everything you need is within walking distance. One thing I was very happy about was not living in Sandby, one of the university's own halls. It is not very nice, and you share a kitchen with around 20 other students, so I would not recommend it.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus is very pleasant and easy to find your way around. Similar to the University of Vienna, NTU has several buildings spread across the city, but most of them are concentrated in one area, so you get used to it quickly. A small tip, the Boots Library has a rooftop terrace, which is a great spot for a break between study sessions. I took three modules. Management Accounting for Decision Making, Marketing Management, and People, Organisation and Society. Overall, I found all of them relatively manageable. The teaching style is quite different from WU. Seminars are very small, often with only around ten students in the room, and the classes are highly interactive with a lot of discussion with the tutors. At first this was unusual for me, coming from large lectures at WU, but it helped me a lot to improve my English and to keep up with the course content. One thing you really need to pay attention to is attendance: seminars require 100% attendance, and attendance counts for 15% of the final grade. The assessments were also quite manageable, as regular homework assignments keep you on track throughout the semester. In total, I had one presentation, two major essays and one exam during my time in Nottingham. The professors were very friendly, and in general the university felt relaxed, approachable and well organised.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport: Nottingham is very walkable. I think I took the bus no more than five times during the whole semester and walked everywhere else. For longer trips, the train is the best option. As mentioned, the Trainline app and the 16–25 Railcard make travelling around the UK easy and affordable. I visited several cities in England, went to London quite often, and also flew to Dublin and Spain during my stay. Safety: I always felt safe in Nottingham, and nothing serious ever happened to me. Sports: There is a society for almost every sport, so there are plenty of opportunities to get active and meet people. I went running a lot, because there is a beautiful route along the River Trent. Running became such a big part of my semester that I decided to run a half marathon in London and a marathon in Norway, where a friend from WU was doing his exchange semester at the same time. I also played padel regularly, although I was not an active member of a society. For the gym, most private student residences have their own, the university has one, and there are two more in the city centre. Social life and events: Nottingham has a great nightlife with lots of clubs. I especially recommend Rock City. Ocean Wednesday is also a lot of fun. It is organised by the university, and every society dresses up in a different theme, which makes it a great way to meet people.

6. Testimonial

My exchange semester in Nottingham was one of the best experiences of my life. I made many international friends, and we even met up again in Italy this summer. I experienced and travelled so much in those few months, and it was an unforgettable time. Most importantly, the exchange made me more open and outgoing, and I have carried that with me back to Vienna.