Coronavirus Updates

Which security measures are in place at Campus WU?

• Wearing an FFP2 mask without a valve (or a mask of even higher quality) is required in all WU buildings, including at your seat during examinations and in the library during your entire stay.

  A current, negative test result does not excuse from the obligation of wearing a mask.

• Maintain a safe distance from other people, avoid groups and crowds.

• To facilitate social distancing when entering and exiting larger buildings, one-way traffic routes / separate entrances and exits are marked.

• In auditoriums and classrooms, the number of seats has been reduced, and seats have been marked and numbered in accordance with current hygiene measures. We need this to document your attendance for contact tracing purposes. Please do not re-arrange seats or remove labels under any circumstances.

  • Yellow = examination seat

• The number of seats in the libraries and project rooms has also been reduced and marked accordingly.

  • Red = please leave this seat free

The maximum occupancy of each room is indicated on the door.

What general, personal hygiene measures should be used to protect yourself against COVID-19?

You often can’t avoid touching surfaces, books, or attendance lists, so general hygiene measures to protect yourself against COVID-19 are particularly important:

• Wash your hands frequently => you will find hand disinfectant dispensers in the entrance area of each building and all sanitary facilities are equipped with disinfectant soap.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

• Use good respiratory hygiene and always cough and sneeze into the crook of your elbow or a tissue, which should then be immediately disposed of.

• Disinfection stations in all buildings with classrooms => in addition to increased cleaning in all buildings, wipes and disinfectant sprays are available to clean your individual workstation.

What special guidelines apply to on-campus examinations?

• For written examinations, examination seats are marked in yelllow and you must bring your own pens (ballpoint pen in black/blue or the like, no pencils). Please note: You have to wear an FFP2-mask without a valve (or a mask of even higher quality) at all times during your exam.  

• For oral examinations, there must be a distance of at least 2m between you and the examiner. Please contact the examiner directly for information on the maximum number of listeners in compliance with the required minimum distance and maximum room occupancy.

I am uncertain and have questions about the coronavirus. Who can I contact?

If you have general questions about the coronavirus, please call 0800 555 621 (AGES/Österreichische Agentur für Ernährungssicherheit) – This hotline is available 24/7.

More information about Covid-19 in different languages can be found on the website of the City of Vienna.

I suspect that I have the coronavirus, what should I do? / I have no symptoms, but am waiting for the test or the test result ... what should I do?

In all these situations, please do NOT come to campus, stay at home!

• If you are experiencing symptoms such as fever, cough, trouble breathing, sudden taste or smell loss or are regarded as suspicious for other reasons, stay at home and call the 24/7 hotline 1450 or your general practitioner.
  If you are not at home, go straight home, wearing a mask over your nose and mouth, and call 1450 or your general practitioner.

• Follow the instructions of the telephone health service hotline, if you wait for the test or the result, and do not come to Campus WU until your case has been cleared up. Please report the suspected case to us at potential-covid@wu.ac.at.

  • If the test result is negative please let us know by e-mail.

  • If the test result is positive, please let us know using the COVID-19 notification form linked here and stay at home for the duration of the period recommended by the health authority. Please inform your course instructors if your state of health does not allow you to participate in courses / examinations. 

For reasons of public interest in the area of public health, WU reports any cases of infection or suspected cases to the public health authorities and is obligated to provide information to the public health authorities upon request. (see Data Protection Statement)

I have been identified as a level I or level II contact person, can I come to campus WU?

Regardless of the contact level, anyone who has been identified as having had contact with a case of COVID-19 and is in “home quarantine” or is “self-monitoring their health status” under instructions of the authorities is requested not to come to Campus WU for the duration of the period recommended by the public health department.

• Our goal: To be able to identify, notify, and isolate contacts at WU quickly in the event of an infection of a student or teacher with COVID-19, i.e. positive test (in cooperation with the relevant health authorities)

• Your contribution: reporting to WU if you have a positive test result (link to the reporting form)
  Our Data Protection Statement is available here.

What is Contact Tracing?

If someone is infected with COVID-19, whether they have symptoms or not, the health authorities use contact tracing to find the people the infected individual interacted with in the 96 hours before the onset of symptoms or, if there are no symptoms, 96 hours before the individual was tested. Contacts are designated as level I (high risk exposure) and level II (low risk exposure). (Document in German only) Regardless of the contact level, anyone who has been identified as having had contact with a case of COVID-19 is requested not to come to Campus WU for the duration of the period recommended by the public health authorities.

Why are attendance and seating records being kept for all courses and examinations?

If someone who has attended a course/examination becomes infected, this attendance data is used to facilitate contact tracing. WU is also obligated to provide this information to the health authorities (§ 5 [3] of the Austrian Epidemics Act [Epidemiegesetz 1950]).

If attendance and seating are not carefully documented, it cannot be determined who was actually in contact with the infected person and everyone who attended the course/examination would have to be quarantined for 14 days. This means that if seating and attendance data are not accurate, even people who may not have been in the classroom at all might have to bear the consequences. 

In courses without compulsory attendance, these attendance records are kept only for the purpose of contact tracing and have no influence on your grade. Our Data Protection Statement is available here.

Are classes still being held? Can I still use the library or independent study zones?

All teaching activities on WU Campus are suspended until the end of June 2021. Teaching will continue to be held in distance-learning formats. This also applies to final presentations, office hours, project meetings, and the like.

Information about opening hours and current services of the library can be found directly on their website.

How are examinations currently held at WU?

• Exams and other types of performance assessment will be held online. The only exceptions are certain examinations that cannot be held online due to their design and/or curricular importance. Your lecturers will keep you updated. For exams on campus, the current safety regulations apply in each case. 

• The exams week in April and June will be held online. As usual, exam schedules will be posted on the online exam week website in a timely manner.
  Note: the no-show rule is in effect again!

Please keep yourself informed in time about registration deadlines, technical requirements, preparation and completion of the online exam! In addition, please take note of any further information provided by your lecturers/examiners.

What types of online exams will WU be holding?

All information about online exams at WU can be found clearly summarized on the Online Exams website.

Are there test runs for written examinations in the online examination environment?

Basically, we offer you the opportunity to test changes and innovations within the online testing environment on MyLEARN - however, test runs cannot be offered on an ongoing basis. Details and dates can also be found on the online exams website.

Where can I find further information on grants or study law issues in the current situation?

Please use the collection of FAQs of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (currently only available in german language).

Where can I find further information for users of WU's library?

Please visit the website of WU's library for further information on lending periods of borrowed books, how to access electronic ressorces (as databases, e-books,e-journals) from off campus, on scanner reservation at the Library for Law, on the digitization service and the library's advisory services online. 

When are rental lockers available again?

There will be no rental locker allocation for the 2021 summer semester.

The next rental locker allocation is expected to take place in September 2021. The corresponding dates will be available at the end of June / beginning of July 2021 at the Infodesk in the LC or at the ÖH.

If you have further questions please contact us by mail.

Are the service units on Campus WU open?

Restricted opening hours partly apply in departments and service units.

Please check in advance and note the information on the websites of the individual units: 

• Library

• Study Service Center (SSC)

• IT Services Support Center

• WU ZBP Career Center

• International Office

How can I get my transcript, enrollment confirmation, etc.?

Many important administrative procedures are accessible from home by using the Online Services for Students. In addition to re-registering for the semester, you can also download digital documents (transcript, enrollment information sheet, enrollment confirmation, etc.).

How can I pay the ÖH dues/tuition fees online?

You can also re-register for the summer semester 2021 via online bank transfer, click here for more information.

Many important administrative procedures are accessible from home by using the Online Services for Students. In addition to re-registering for the semester, you can also download digital documents (enrollment information sheet, enrollment confirmation, transcript, etc.).

When do the next graduation ceremonies take place?

Due to the number of infections and legal measures to reduce the COVID-19 pandemic, academic graduation ceremonies cannot be held at this time.

You will find information about your current options as well as any new dates on this website.

Specific information for incoming and outgoing exchange students can be found on the International Office website.

For questions regarding programs of the WU Executive Academy, please get in touch with the respective Program Managers. Click here for the contact details.

Links & hotlines

(in alphabetical order)

Federal Ministries

• Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research

• Federal Ministry of the Interior

• Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health Care and Consumer Protection

Health (Please only call if there is an emergency, not if you have general questions)

Domestic violence (services are anonymous and free of charge)

General support and mental health

Website for voluntary alternative civilian service (for voluntary, former "Zivildiener")

Website for information on the Austrian militia or extending your military service

Federal Student Aid

This information applies only to Austrian citizens and is available only in German. Please see the German version of this page.