Making the Semester Abroad a Breeze: The International Relations Office (IRO) at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol Paves the Way for Exchange Students.
The University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol enables its students to gain international experience by spending a semester abroad at one of its more than 215 prestigious partner universities. Outgoing students benefit greatly from the professional support and the smooth processes that have been established in collaboration with the university’s long-term partners. Similarly, incoming students from all over the world who want to spend a semester in Kufstein can enjoy a well-organized stay. In the full-time bachelor’s degree programs, students are required to spend an entire semester or year at one of the partner universities, while international study trips are integrated into the curricula of the part-time bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. A significant proportion of courses are taught in English, preparing outgoing students for their time abroad by equipping them with knowledge of field-specific terminology.
A welcoming atmosphere for incomings
Incoming students, joining the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein from partner universities across the globe, benefit from a tailor-made International Program (IP). The IP consists of English-taught courses that have been developed specifically for incoming students as well as the English-taught courses of all the university’s bachelor’s degree programs. At the Orientation Days in October, the team of the International Relations Office informed this year’s 97 incoming students from 23 countries about the details of the academic program and provided them with essential initial information, while the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) presented the buddy program and the student-run extracurricular athletic program.
Information event for outgoing students
At this event, the International Relations Office regularly informs full-time bachelor’s students about studying abroad at partner universities, including details on scholarships and other funding opportunities. In addition, students get an insight into how study abroad places are allocated and learn more about the next steps in the process. A dedicated course on the Moodle e-learning platform augments the event, providing students with all relevant information they need to be aware of before, during, and after their semester abroad.
Exchange Fair
The in-house Exchange Fair takes place annually in November in the central hall of the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol. Incoming students from all over the world who are spending their semester or year abroad at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein present their home university and country in the exhibition space in the central hall. This gives prospective outgoing students the opportunity to network and to gather information for their stay abroad.
Erasmus Days
The Europe-wide #ErasmusDays took place for the seventh time in the week from October 9-14, 2023. The University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol took part in this event with an exhibition that provided information about the opportunities offered by Erasmus+ in higher education. The exhibition focused on the experiences of outgoing and incoming students as well as faculty and staff participating in Erasmus+. Visitors could gain insights into mobility activities through short personal statements by participants. In Austria, more than 150 organizations took part in #ErasmusDays and raised awareness for the program through a variety of events and activities.
Links:
- International Relations Office at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol
- Press release: University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol Welcomes 97 Incoming Students From 23 Countries
