Webster Vienna Private University

Webster Vienna Private University is a private American university in Vienna, housed in Palais Wenkheim close to the city centre. It is a distinct institution within the wider Webster University Network, affiliated with Webster University in St. Louis, USA, but separate from it. The campus sits in a renovated historic building of more than 5,000 square metres.

The institution began in 1981, after Vienna mayor Leopold Gratz invited Webster University to open a campus in the city. It is one of the oldest private institutions of higher learning in Austria. It was the first university in Austria to offer dual US-Austrian degree accreditation, the first to teach exclusively in English, and the first to offer an accredited MBA, in 1985. It became the first and only American university to receive Austrian private university accreditation. Teaching follows a Humboldtian model, with faculty research integrated into courses.

All courses are taught in English. Undergraduates complete the Global Citizenship Program, which covers six knowledge areas and five skill areas through a choice of courses. The register lists 7 English-taught degree programmes: 4 Bachelor's and 3 Master's. Subjects are Communication and Media, International Relations, Business Administration and Psychology. Wikipedia also lists a Bachelor of Laws, a Management BA, a Marketing MSc, an International Organizations and Diplomacy certificate and an MBA.

The student body is small, over 500 students from 70 countries, with about 20 per cent from Austria and 10 per cent from the United States. Students run clubs and a Student Government Association that works within the Austrian student union framework. The WebsterLEADS programme offers leadership training and a certification. Students can study abroad at other Webster campuses, with courses transferring, and the university has Erasmus+ partnerships with universities in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania and Spain. Graduation is a traditional American ceremony in the Hofburg.

For international students, applications go direct to the institution, which sets its own application period and entrance procedure. Students from outside the EU/EEA need a Residence Permit for Students. At public universities, EU/EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters, most others pay a per-semester fee, and every student pays the student union fee.