Details

• Australia
• BBE-18
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 9 months

1. Preparation

Selection of candidates for the double degree program with QUT was based on CV, motivation statement, grades and an in-person interview. The interview was conducted by Mr. Polzer and we were interviewed in groups of three. We were asked about our general motivation for participating, which courses we would like to take at QUT, and how we would represent WU in Brisbane. We also received a few broad questions testing our knowledge about the Australian economy. In order to prepare for the interview, I would recommend to do lots of research about courses and student life at QUT as well as life in Australia, but also think about your personal motivation for applying, eg. how would the program help you to achieve your next academic/career goals. Preparation for the exchange itself was quite straightforward. The official application at QUT takes a bit of time, especially because you will need to get all courses approved that the double degree requires you to take (even though you could technically still do this in the first week if you have some issues). To apply for the visa you will need to sort out your travel insurance (there is one suggested by QUT) and wait for your Confirmation of Enrolment certificate from QUT. Filling out the visa application took a lot of time, however, once submitted the visa was granted almost instantly. The biggest thing to think about would probably be accommodation. If you would like to stay in student accommodation, I would recommend organising this early to make sure it is not booked out (I think I applied in October to move in in February). I can also recommend arriving in Australia a week before the welcome week to allow you to get over the jetlag and settle in before all the welcome events start.

2. Accommodation

I stayed in Student One Wharf Street which was 299 AUD per week (roughly 720€ per month at the time). There, I shared an apartment (kitchen and two bathrooms) with four other girls. I personally really enjoyed staying there and felt at home from the very beginning. The accommodation had very nice common areas, a small gym and a pool, making it super easy to meet up with friends. It took about 20 minutes to walk to QUT's Gardens Point campus and I would say the location is perfect since you are in the middle of the CBD, right at the river front and in walking distance of all the bars. For me, staying at Student One Wharf Street was definitely the right choice, especially because so many exchange students and most of my friends lived either there or at Student One's other location in Elizabeth Street. I also became very close friends with some of my flatmates, an exchange student from England and an Australian girl. I initially tried to look for a room in a shared flat on flatmates (similar to WG Gesucht) and through people I knew in Brisbane, however, I found that it was very hard to find something in advance because most rooms are only published right when someone should already move in. For me, staying in student accommodation was definitely worth it for the social part but you can definitely also be part of everything if you do not stay there. Out of all the student accommodations in Brisbane I would definitely recommend Student One as it seemed like most of QUT's exchange students stayed there (I think because it had the best prices). If you are deciding between Student One's locations I would definitely recommend Wharf Street because the apartment layouts were much nicer and it seemed more modern in general. Unfortunately, Student One has recently increased their prices significantly which is why it is probably worth it to look for private housing instead, especially if you are staying the full year. If you are trying to find private housing it might be necessary to come to Brisbane without accommodation and look for something once you are there since finding something in advance can be difficult. Some of my friends did this and found rooms for 200-350 AUD that they were quite happy with as well.

3. Academic life at host university

QUT has two campuses, but if you do a business/economics degree you will spend most your time at Gardens Point campus, which is right in the center of Brisbane and next to the botanical garden. The campus is very nice and offers lots of different facilities. The library at Gardens Point has silent and communicative floors and we often went there to study. There is also a food court with lots of different options including bagels, sushi rolls, kebap or noodles. However, I would usually bring my own meal prep and microwave it on campus to save some money. There is also a gym and athletic pool on campus that you can get a membership for. QUT also has all kinds of clubs that you can sign up for during welcome week. My friends and I joined the rockclimbing club, which has climbing events every week, and the surf club, which offers two weekend trips during the semester. For all my courses at QUT I had a two-hour lecture and a one-hour tutorial every week. The lectures teach you the main contents and were always recorded so attendance is generally quite low. The tutorials are used for exercises and questions, so it makes sense to attend them even though there is no attendance requirement. Most of my courses had one or two assignments (usually a policy brief or essay of about 2000 words), and a final exam during the examination period at the end of the semester. Generally, I found that workload was less than at WU considering my courses were worth 7.5 ECTs each. However, grading was usually very strict, especially for assignments. If you are doing the double degree program with a major in economics, you will be able to choose most of your courses. In the first semester I took Macroeconomic Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Market Structure and Regulation, and Text Analysis and Web Search. In the second semester I took Fundamentals of Finance, International Economics, Real World Ready (Business Capstone), and Contemporary Applications of Economic Theory (Economics Capstone). If you have any questions regarding these courses, feel free to contact me!

5. Every day life in the host country

Brisbane is very walkable, has many green spaces and I always felt very safe. There are many different events throughout the year, and we never got bored on things to do. Brisbane has many nice cafes, public barbeque areas, really nice markets on the weekends, and a "city beach" which is a giant pool in the middle of the city. It is also very easy to stay active in Brisbane, there are very nice boardwalks along the river (perfect for running!) and even cliffs where you can go rockclimbing in the middle of the city. Public transport in Brisbane (buses, trains and ferries) is not as fast as in Vienna but it is very cheap since all fares have been reduced to 50c. This applies to all of Queensland, even if you catch the train to Gold Cost or up to Noosa which was amazing. In my opinion, Brisbane is the perfect city for an exchange semester/year. It is big enough to offer lots to do but not overwhelmingly big. Brisbane also has much better weather and is cheaper than Sydney/Melbourne where it can get really cold in winter and public transport can cost 3 to 20AUD per trip. Brisbane is located between the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast with lots of islands nearby, making it the perfect location for weekend trips and to explore more of Australia. The only thing Brisbane is lacking is beaches but since you can easily go to Gold Cost for the day it is not a big problem.

6. Testimonial

For me, coming to Brisbane as part of WU's double degree program was the best decision I could have taken. Staying there for a full year allowed me to really get comfortable with studying and living in Brisbane and explore a lot of Australia. Participating in the double degree program, I was able to take further courses in my major economics, therefore allowing me to find out where I want to specialise in the future. While I believe that Brisbane is the perfect choice for an exchange student, it was the people I met there that really made it such an unforgettable experience. I was lucky to be able to travel lots around Australia with the friends that I made in Brisbane and can now say that I have really special friendships with people from all around the globe. Living abroad for a year also gives room for a lot of personal growth and allows you to get to know yourself even better. I can definitely recommend coming to Queensland University for an exchange year/semester!