High School in Austria

Guten Tag!

Studying abroad in Austria gives students with an interest in music an up-close look at the birthplace of some of the most talented composers. Even if you aren’t drawn to classical music, Austria is a geographical goldmine if you enjoy exploring the outdoors. Located in Central Europe, Austria is world-famous for its ease of travel and inspiring mountain views. As a Greenheart Travel exchange student living in Austria, you will have the experience to live like a local. This is your chance to strap on your hiking boots and take the study abroad experience of a lifetime.

Program at a Glance:

• Host family accommodation will provide a full immersion experience
• No prior German experience is required — beginners welcome!
• You can choose between trimester, semester or academic year lengths

See what our alumni Sarah says about her study abroad experience!

Spring 2025 Dates

Application Deadline: September 15, 2024

• Trimester: January/February – May 2025
• Semester: January/February – July 2025

Exact dates will be provided after school placement. There are different school start dates in Austria depending on the region. 

Can’t commit to going during the school year but still want to learn German? Check out our 2-4 week German language camp in Berlin.

Arrival and Departure 

All students are required to book flights on their own. An airport transfer upon arrival is included in the cost of the program. We will provide your exact arrival and departure dates after you’re placed in a host family and school, as well as the exact timeframes you should arrive/depart, so that you can start to search for possible flights. We require prior approval of a proposed itinerary before you purchase any flights.

Nervous about flying on your own? We recommend students and parents sitting down together to review the following resources:

• How to navigate an international airport blog
• Flying internationally video
• Webinar with tips on flying internationally

For many Greenheart Travel students their first time flying is across the world to start their exchange program! You can read our alumni experiences on our blog, such as Emily’s or Madison’s blogs on their experiences flying to Japan or Rachel’s tips on what you actually need to know about flying.

Program Fees for Fall 2024 – Spring 2025:

• Academic Trimester: $12,950
• Academic Semester: $13,745
• Academic Year: $16,400

Packaged into the Price:

• Airport pickup upon arrival
• Host family accommodation and 3 meals per day
• Comprehensive medical/accident insurance
• Full-day orientation (Conducted by the Austrian Staff, 4 weeks after arrival)
• Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of the program for use on college applications.
• Access to Greenheart Travel Facebook groups to connect with alumni and others on your start date ahead of your program.
• Greenheart Atlas Program 
• Greenheart Travel T-shirt & other Greenheart swag

Our Support and Services: 

• Visa Assistance in applying for the visa ahead of arrival, including visa paperwork and extensive directions and support.
• Extensive pre-departure advice and support from your US-based program coordinators! They will be with you from your first inquiry, all the way through preparing to leave and your arrival in Austria.
• Support from in-country staff upon arrival to Austria.
• Online pre-departure cultural and logistical orientation before you leave
• 24-hour in-country and emergency support for the duration of the program, including 24-hour emergency phone numbers to reach a program manager at any time.
• Opportunity to apply for a Greenheart Grant to give back to your community at home or abroad

Extra expenses to budget for:

• Airfare to/from Austria
• 2 Day Optional Welcome Camp in a major European city ($800 USD)
• Local transportation costs
• Any excursions or extracurricular activities
• Personal spending money and items like toiletries

Payment Details

• $1,500 Application Fee due by the program deadline to formally apply
• $5,000 Commitment Payment due 14 days after acceptance
• Remaining balance is due 16 weeks prior to your start date. If your program starts within 16 weeks of acceptance, the remaining program balance payment will be due at the same time as the commitment payment. 

Worried about the program fee?

Our goal is to help make travel accessible to everyone and we are here to help when you are deciding if this experience is financially do-able. Each year we offer a scholarship for a high school study abroad student! We also have a guide to fundraising your program fee, and many high school students fundraise in their hometowns ahead of their program.

We also offer discounts for applying early (plus there are many other benefits to applying early!) for each start date and for US families that have hosted an exchange student with Greenheart Exchange.

In researching a study abroad program, you have already shown you are a leader and open-minded in your academic pursuits. These are just a few of the traits that our exchange students possess. You’re motivated to immerse yourself in another culture and flexible enough to live outside your comfort zone. You should also:

• Be between 15 and 18 years of age (at the time of travel)
• Be from the United States or Canada
• Possess a high school cumulative GPA of at least 2.75/4.0
• Be in great mental* and physical health
• Have a genuine interest in becoming a part of your host family and community
• If no pre-knowledge of German, an intensive German course is compulsory, additional fee applies
• Be willing to learn the German language

Interested in gaining German fluency before you go? Check out our Teen Summer Language Camp in Berlin!

*What does it mean to be in good mental health?

Moving to a new culture and staying in unfamiliar surroundings without your normal support structure can be very stressful, even to a well-adjusted student. Sending a student with pre-existing conditions on a long-term exchange program could exacerbate whatever challenges the student was previously facing. In order to ensure the safety of our participants, we must be rigorous in our pre-screening of all high school abroad applicants.

Therefore, we may not be able to accept students who have struggled with any kind of mental illness, specifically within the last 2 years and/or are reliant on medication to address their existing mental health condition. Each student will be addressed on a case by case basis and ultimately it is Greenheart Travel’s in-country partner who holds the right to accept or decline a student based on their individual policy.

These include, but are not limited to:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Eating disorders
• Chronic debilitating migraines
• Bipolar Disorder

All students who currently experience one or more of these conditions will be required to submit an addendum to the terms and conditions as well as a letter of support from their current mental health specialist. If the student’s mental health issue has been managed (post-medication) for over 2 years, we will still require a note from his/her relevant practitioner (psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, etc) as part of the application process.  We encourage you to discuss your specific situation with us directly, before securing these documents.

Please note that students who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD will not be guaranteed any academic accommodations plans by the host school abroad.

So, what about credits? 

Neither Greenheart Travel nor the host school abroad provides high school credit. All credit must be granted through your home school in the U.S. or Canada. All U.S./Canadian schools have different policies. Here’s a blog post to read more about how some alumni have transferred credits.  

In Austria, we cannot guarantee your host school will provide you an official transcript. If your school will not, some host schools will provide documentation, letters, and any other materials you require upon request. You must have good behavior, attendance, and performance in order for the school to fulfill this request.  

Then, you should take this documentation back to your home school as proof of your participation in the program. Your home school is responsible for awarding you credit for this program or not.  

Before You Go Abroad

You should meet with your US high school before you leave and share the general curriculum guidelines for Austria with your guidance counselor and/or teachers.  

Because the curriculum will vary by school and we cannot guarantee you’ll take any specific classes, it is important that you arrange the required classes required for your graduation, such as U.S. History, before or after your time abroad.  

Greenheart Travel will be able to provide information about the general curriculum for your age level in Austria. You will not know your course schedule until after you arrive in the country and start attending school.  

Access your High School Curriculum Guidelines for Austria here!

Once You’re Abroad

Please keep in mind that the grading system in other countries is different than the US. Most host schools will not grant grades or transcripts as it is too difficult to evaluate your work due to the language barrier. If your host school is able to award you grades, they won’t be an exact match to what you would get in the US. 

What to know about attending an Austrian high school:

• The school year in Austria will begin for foreign students in mid-September.
• In most cases you will go to school five days a week, except in some schools, where they have classes on Saturdays too.
• Lessons start just before 8 o’clock in the morning and finish around an hour after lunch during weekdays and around 12pm on Saturdays.
• Austrian youths study eight years at high school (Gymnasium).
• Austria has different kinds of schools:
  • sports orientated gymnasiums
  • music orientated schools
  • science orientated schools
  • economics orientated gymnasiums
  • tourism orientated gymnasiums
  • handicraft orientated schools
  • pedagogic and kindergarten orientated schools
  • agricultural high schools

The compulsory subjects for Austria are German, English, Mathematics, Biology, History, Physics, Chemistry, Sports, and Music. The most common subjects (basic subjects) are English, German, Mathematics, History, Biology, Sports, Music, Physics, Geography, French and Latin.

You can substitute one or two of them. This means, that instead of Latin or French, you can take part in a lower grade in German, where they teach more grammar. All classes are taught in German.

In Austria there are no school uniforms. There are mostly public schools, but some schools are private schools with a school fee. There is also a fare to pay if you go to school by bus or train. Some students can walk or ride a bike to school.

As a High School in Austria participant, we will support you and welcome you to the program in a variety of orientation activities.

These Include:

• Online pre-departure cultural and logistical orientation before you leave with the Greenheart Travel staff
• Greenheart Travel Atlas Program will provide pre-departure activities to complete ahead of arrival, on program, and for reflection after returning home.
• Overnight Welcome Camp in September for Fall arrivals in St. Gilgen at a nice lake called Wolfgangsee. All exchange students who start in September attend and their host families can join as well if they want to get to know each other.
• Local coordinators will meet the student personally after arrival in their host family placement

2-Day Optional Welcome Camp in a European City (Extra Cost $800 USD)

For those who are interested, there is an option to buy a 2-Day Welcome Camp for an extra cost before arriving to Austria. This is a fun introduction to Europe with other exchange students who will be placed in Austria and other European countries.

The best way to learn about a new culture and language is to be fully immersed in it which is why all Greenheart Travel high school abroad students live with local host families. All of our host families are volunteers and will treat you as a member of their family. By being a part of your family’s daily life, you will learn to live and speak like a local.

Prospective host families undergo a rigorous screening process. Participants can rest assured that only suitable host families will be selected. In fact, many of our current host families have hosted students in the past, showing what an impactful experience it was.

In order to qualify as a host family, the prospective hosts must:

• Successfully pass a criminal background check
• Undergo and pass an in-person interview with program staff
• Agree to and pass a home inspection

We will connect you with your host family prior to your arrival in your host country. By e-mailing and speaking with them before arriving, it will help break the ice when you finally meet in person. It will also show that you are as excited to live with them as they are to host you!

Host families have many reasons why they want to welcome you! Our host families are volunteers, meaning they don’t receive compensation for housing and feeding students during their program. Many host families love the experience of cultural exchange – they learn just as much about your country as you do theirs. Many are also former exchange students and want to return the favor, or they have children who have gone or will go to study in the U.S. Having an exchange student exposes their children to new languages and cultures.

Greenheart Traveler, Anastasia, and her host sister – wearing traditional Austrian clothing.

In your Austrian school, you can join many sport activities, and for students with an interest in music, different musical activities are also offered. Every school arranges trips, either for sport or cultural activities. The trips are a lot of fun to take part in, but not included in the program fee.

Its close proximity to lakes, forests and mountains enables Austria to offer a great variety of activities. Alpine skiing began with local competitions in the Austrian Arlberg area, where many well-known ski resorts are located. Most families go on short ski trips, or go skiing during the weekends in the mountains, so you can expect to join your host family at least once on a skiing weekend! Snowboarding, surfing, sailing, horseback riding, soccer, tennis and volleyball are also popular activities.

If you play an instrument, you will have the chance to join the town or school orchestra, where you can practice and play with more than 40 musicians. When you live in a town, or take a trip to a city, there are museums, theatres, musicals and more to enjoy!

Already graduated high school? No problem! Gap year students are welcome to study abroad in Austria for any length of time. Studying abroad in Austria for any length option before college is a great way to gain independence, language skills, and experience before starting university.

Eligibility:

• Be no older than 18 and 6 months at the time of arrival
• Have graduated in good standing
• Be willing to abide by expectations of students under 18

You can also combine a summer, trimester, or semester in Austria with another gap year program. Read more here!

In addition to our traditional academic year and semester program, we also offer a short-term summer program with all of the same basic program details, just short term (1 month!).  If you only have the summer to spend away, this is a perfect way to get abroad for that time! This is geared towards students who have commitments that do not allow them to commit to a full semester or year in Austria but want to travel during their summer vacation.

Learn more about the Summer in Austria High School Abroad Program here.

Committing to studying abroad can feel daunting, but we are here every step of the way to make the application process as simple as possible! Below are the various steps you’ll need to take to be accepted on a high school abroad program.

1. Start Your Application Here. You will be sent more information as well as the link to our application portal to begin your formal application. Once the initial form is complete, you will be connected to a High School Abroad program manager who will speak with you and a parent to go over the details of the program.

2. Submit Basic Program Information: The first step in our application portal will be basic things like your chosen start date, etc.

3. Submit your fee: A $1,500 application fee is required in order to apply for the program. This is subtracted from your total program fee, it’s not additional. 

4. Complete Application & Documents: Provide more detailed information about yourself in Part 2 of the application. In this section, you’ll tell us more information like your work history, motivations for joining the program, travel history, and emergency contacts. You will also submit your documents (below) within your portal account.

5. Interview: After submitting your deposit, you will schedule an interview.  During this interview we will ask you questions about living with a host family, adjusting to new situations and homesickness, among other things. You will also receive an overview of the next few months and what you can expect. This is done via Zoom, and at least one parent should also be in attendance.

6. You’re Accepted! Once you’ve completed all the steps, Greenheart Travel will thoroughly review your application and will contact you within 2-3 weeks about your acceptance. Then, you’ll get more information about preparation, visas, and placement.

7. Commitment Payment: Once you are accepted to the program, you will need to submit a $5,000 commitment Payment within 14 days to confirm your spot on the program. We cannot start the host family matching process until we have this deposit. Once you submit your commitment payment you will unlock the acceptance portion of your portal, which includes things like pre-departure videos, travel and arrival information, the Greenheart Travel Atlas, and more.

7. Book your flights, and get ready for your adventure to Austria! 

Required Documents

In addition to completing an application, you will also be required to submit documents. You can be collecting the documents during the application process, but all documents will be due 14 days after you submit your deposit.

The following documents will be required for all destinations:

• Letter of Recommendation (from a teacher, coach or guidance counselor) – does not need to be sealed, should be scanned and uploaded to the document portal
• Transcripts from the last 3 years (unofficial transcripts accepted)
• Student Dear Family Letter
• Parent Questionnaire & Letter
• Photo Album (5-7 photos of you on a Word document with captions in English and host country’s language)
• Medical Form (including immunizations)
• Copy of your passport
• 60-90 second self-introduction video sent via YouTube link
• Secondary rules & expectations document signed by both parents and students

Payments

For payments, a $1,500 non-refundable fee will be due with your submitted application. This deposit will be deducted from your overall program cost. If we are able to take a last-minute application submitted after the deadline, the deposit will be $2,000.

Once you are accepted onto the program, a $5,000 commitment payment will be due within 14 days of acceptance.  The remaining balance is due 16 weeks prior to  your start date, or at the same time as your commitment payment, whichever comes first.

You’ve Been Accepted, Now What?

Start getting ready for your adventure! Your program manager will be in regular communication with you to make sure that you are on track in your preparations to go abroad.

• Upon acceptance, you will receive a student handbook (parents – you get one, too!) and access to the Greenheart Travel Atlas, as well as the Greenheart Club.
• You will receive your host family and school placement roughly 2-3 months after acceptance.
• After receiving your host family and school placement, you will receive further instructions on applying for your student visa (if applicable for your program length)
• We will also schedule an online pre-orientation with other Greenheart students a few weeks before your departure!

Greenheart Travel has been working with high schoolers for many years, and there are advantages of applying for this program through us:

• 33 years of experience with cultural exchange programs
• Friendly, responsive, and professional support from your program manager.
• Connect with alumni and others on the program via our Greenheart Travel only Facebook forums, before you even leave!
• We try and make our program fees as inclusive as we can. We include things like medical insurance so you don’t run into any hidden fees down the line.
• Greenheart Atlas Program. The Greenheart Travel Atlas is a cultural training interactive guidebook alongside five videos where you will find three main topics covered: Personal/Professional Development, Cultural Understanding, & Environmental Awareness.
• Our alumni recommend us! GoOverseas.com Reviews // GoAbroad.com Reviews
• Hands-on support and personal attention every step of the way
• 24/7 emergency phone number to reach a staff member at any time
• Pre-departure “Culture Shock and Adjustment” Webinar before you leave
• Discounts for future Greenheart Travel programs
• We are a non-profit, mission-based organization
• Continued support throughout your time abroad

We also have some unique offerings to our Greenheart Travel students and alumni!

Greenheart Global Impact Grants (GIGs)

Greenheart GIG Grants are funds awarded to Greenheart Travel participants to use for community development projects in their host or home country. A GIG is the opportunity to create, improve, or maintain an impactful, community-focused project abroad or at home. Grant funds could be applied to supporting women’s cooperatives, schools, community centers, or health clinics, for example. Grant winners will be featured on our website, social media, and blog. You can see our past winners on our blog here.

Greenheart Alumni Program

We created the Greenheart Travel Alumni Program to provide resources and a community to support alumni in their advancement as global leaders, and a way to celebrate and reward our participants for being ambitious, inspiring catalysts of cultural exchange!

Junior Greenheart Global Leaders Conference

Each May Greenheart offers full-ride scholarships to around 10 teen alumni to attend our annual conference in Chicago. You can see more about what Jr. GGLC is and what you could do at the conference here.

Have questions or want to talk to one of the program coordinators? Set up a time to have a phone call below.