Learn languages, experience culture: summer colleges 2025

Eisenstadt, 12 August 2025 - A successful model is entering the next round: since 1999, the Department of Business at Burgenland University of Applied Sciences has been organising multi-week summer colleges together with partner universities in Central and Eastern Europe, providing students with intensive language experience and cultural insights. Once again this year, around 50 participants from Austria and abroad took part - in Budapest and Poděbrady.

Summer colleges in Hungary and the Czech Republic

In Budapest, where the summer college took place from 6 to 19 July 2025, the students immersed themselves in Hungarian culture, and not just linguistically. The programme included tandem lessons in Hungarian and German, exciting excursions such as a visit to the Hungarian Parliament, the Petőfi Literature Museum or a tour of the legendary ruin pubs, as well as an excursion to Lake Balaton or a lecture on the traces of Empress Elisabeth in Budapest. The programme concluded with Hungarian folk dances and a communal dinner. The programme was led by lecturers from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. One student sums it up: "I learnt more about Hungary in a fortnight than in a whole semester. The combination of language, history and everyday life was perfect!"

Students also studied hard in Poděbrady in the Czech Republic from 5 to 20 July - in perfect summer weather. The days were characterised by tandem lessons in Czech and German and an extensive cultural programme: the students explored Eastern Bohemia, went on a hike to Libice nad Cidlinou, paddled on the lake in Poděbrady and gained an insight into the regional economy on an excursion to a glass factory. One highlight was the visit to ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA, the foreign trade organisation of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber in Prague.

A welcome opportunity for part-time students

Part-time students did not miss out either: intensive language courses were held on two weekends in July at the Eisenstadt campus. Around 100 students took part and worked intensively in eight groups on their knowledge of Croatian, Russian and the regional and cultural studies of Central and Eastern Europe. In addition to language lessons, the programme also included intercultural aspects of communication - from "dos and don'ts" in professional and social interaction to questions of everyday language use. The programme was supplemented by excursions to Vienna, Eisenstadt and Sopron in the footsteps of (Burgenland) Croats, Hungarians, Czechs and Russians.

The summer colleges are sponsored by the Austria-Hungary and Austria-Czech Republic programmes, which is why the participation fees are particularly attractive for students.

There is still the opportunity to apply for a remaining place on the Bachelor's degree programme in International Economic Relations. Information at www.hochschule-burgenland.at

Further enquiries:

Gianina Wallner, BA MA │ Marketing and Communication │ University of Applied Sciences Burgenland GmbH │ Tel: +43 (0)5 7705 4514 │ E-Mail: gianina.wallner(at)hochschule-burgenland.at