Details

• Brazil
• MAMgmt-14
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 6 months

1. Preparation

Keep in mind that the exchange semester starts already in July. There is only a short time between the end of the semester in Vienna and the start abroad.I would recommend dealing with organizational issues, such as course recognition, as early as possible.

2. Accommodation

In general, there are two main options: a student residence or a private apartment. I personally chose a private apartment because the price–performance ratio was better for me. The student residence is located in Botafogo, which is a nice area close to bars and restaurants. It is closer to the university, but farther away from the beach. The area I would most recommend is Arpoador and the surrounding neighborhoods, meaning the area between Ipanema and Copacabana. From there, you can reach everything quite easily, and in my opinion it has the most beautiful beach. Leblon is also a good and safe area, but it is a bit farther away compared to the others. I felt that the areas around Arpoador, Ipanema, and Copacabana were generally safe. By Uber, it takes around 15–30 minutes to get to the university, depending on whether you take a motorbike or a car. By metro, it takes about 30–40 minutes. Before the semester started, some students connected through a WhatsApp group to look for apartments together, and offers were shared regularly. There are also housing groups for short-term and long-term stays in Rio. We found our apartment through Airbnb. A useful tip is not to enter the full length of your stay when searching. Instead, choose the first one or two months and then ask the host about availability for a longer period. Often, only a few months are shown as available, while the rest is blocked. In some cases, you can also negotiate the price, as many hosts prefer long-term rentals, especially if you plan to stay longer, for example over New Year’s.

3. Academic life at host university

The classes are very small and participation is strongly encouraged. Attendance is mandatory, similar to WU Vienna. For course selection, I would recommend splitting your courses evenly across both trimesters. Some exchange students only start in the second trimester, so it is also a nice opportunity to meet new people then. Overall, the workload is manageable because the courses are spread over two trimesters, the work is not all at once and you can organize your time more easily.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport I used Uber most of the time because it is quite cheap in Rio and very convenient. We were advised not to use regular taxis. The metro is also a good option, especially for longer distances or during rush hour. One metro ride costs around €1.20. Safety situation Overall, I felt safe in Rio. Most of the time you stay in the more touristic areas, and I personally never had any problems there. Of course, you sometimes hear about pickpocketing, so it’s important to be careful especially in crowded places. Just don’t be careless and keep an eye on your phone and valuables. At the beginning, the university also gave us a short safety introduction about common situations and what to watch out for. Social/leisure activities, events, and sports options Rio offers a lot of sports and leisure activities. The beach is definitely the main place to go, with options like surfing, stand-up paddle, beach volleyball, footvolley, and more. There is also an app called Mude where you can join free yoga classes, and ClassPass has good offers in Rio as well. Hiking is another great option, so there is something for everyone. Gym prices are similar to Austria. You can also join university sports teams, for example football (soccer), basketball, handball, etc. The only downside was that the universities did not really cooperate much when it came to welcome events. We did have one welcome event, but we mostly only met the bachelor’s and master’s students from our own program, and there were not many opportunities to meet students across different faculties.

6. Testimonial

All in all, I can highly recommend Rio as an exchange destination and I am still very happy with my choice. I never felt unsafe, and the people around me felt the same. The beach plays a big role in daily life, and I really loved the relaxed and positive vibe of the city.