Details

• France
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

I've chosen to fly to Strasbourg for the sole purpose of having a short travel time. If you do not care about a long bus ride, I can totally recommend that especially because the costs are way lower. Other than that there was no "official" preparation for my exchange, since staying within the EU for my semester abroad spares a lot of bureaucracy.

2. Accommodation

I've stayed at the "Crous" residence, offered by the host university. Initially I wanted to rent out an apartment privately, but this was way too complicated and connected to outrageous costs. In general, there are several Crous residences differing in location and extras (e.g. kitchen within apartment or shared kitchen space) across Strasbourg. The host university offers a few information sessions on how to apply to the residences and is really helpful with providing all necessary information regarding renting out a student residence. I personally chose the student residence called "Agapanthes" with a small private kitchen, bathroom and rather spacious bedroom. The pros of that residence were the space I had compared to a lot smaller apartment options and the private kitchen (however if you are not someone who cooks regularly, you won't need that), also the location was very peaceful and even at late hours I always felt very safe. The cons were the large distance to the city center and university (ca. 20-30mins bus drive). Tips: If you are someone who does go out often, I would recommend to opt for the "near city center" options as the public transport in Strasbourg does operate well during daytime, but at night living far aways from the center means needing to pay taxis in order to get home.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus facilities were ok in my opinion, a bit more outdated equipment compared to WU but in general quite ok. The academic culture is also fine, a lot of student events were offered during my stay. I personally liked the teaching style of the professors and had no troubles following lectures, studying and taking exams. There are plenty of English speaking courses you can choose from and generally speaking I can recommend any course, as I've heard nothing bad about courses offered during the exchange semester.

5. Every day life in the host country

The public transport is well in Strasbourg, however prepare yourself for longer waiting times compared to Vienna. The city is also very bike friendly, so if you enjoy riding a bike, I can absolutely recommend that. The city itself is quite busy especially on sunny weekends, but all in all very safe and student friendly. Some shops, restaurants and bars offer special discounts for students and the atmosphere is very positive towards students. Besides that the city offers plenty of activities (museums, markets, parades, etc) to do during your stay, has a lot of beautiful parks and very good connections to neighbouring cities like Colmar, Heidelberg, Basel, etc.

6. Testimonial

My exchange experience was amazing and very special for me. It was the first time I lived alone and the first time I lived in a completely new city, so I learned a lot and became more independent. I met many amazing, outgoing, and smart people from all around the world and made unforgettable memories with them. I also enjoyed studying abroad and traveling to many beautiful places during my stay because Strasbourg has such good connections to other cities and countries. So, all in all: I absolutely recommend taking an exchange semester.