Universität Wien (UNIVIE) reviews

Definitely stay two semesters if possible. The reason is that, if you're like me, the first will be very much getting used to things- if I had left after that semester I'd have missed out on the best part, and seeing the city go through seasons and weather changes- it's the best way- especially in Vienna- Viennese are conservative and rather cold the weather can get very gray and cold. You need to stay to get the jewel under that exterior.

My university basically told me to try and find courses in Vienna that sounded comparable to courses offered at my home university (U of Maryland) which I still needed to take. This didn't really work though- I didn't find too much that was comparable, and if it was, it was very difficult for me as a foreigner to pass (even Austrians struggled to pass these courses). If I had to do it again, I'd go 1-2 weeks before classes to meet people and really research the courses and communicate with home university about what is being offered. I'd visit professors and explain to them that you are an exchange student and get an overview from them about their course.