Study German in Austria

Program Dates & Prices

See a summary of Dates & Prices for all programs

About the School

Seminar Schloss Bogenhofen is located in a rural setting about four miles east of the town of Braunau on the river Inn. Across the river from Braunau is the German town of Simbach. About thirty-six miles to the southwest lies one of the most beautiful cities of Europe—Salzburg, Austria. On the campus itself, the dominant building is the former castle that dates back to the mid-fifteenth century and serves as the classroom building for senior high school students. The very modern men’s (the Burschenheim) and women’s (the Madchenheim) residence halls were opened in 1988 and 1990 and are very well designed and simply but tastefully furnished. Two students to a room is the rule and there is a beautifully tiled shower and bathroom in every room.In any school year, about 35-50% of the students at Bogenhofen are enrolled in college level courses in theology and German language and culture. The other 50-65% of the students on campus are enrolled in courses in the “Gymnasium,” which has course work equivalent to secondary school and junior college levels in North America.  College and secondary classes are held in separate buildings but both college and secondary students live in residence hall facilities and eat together in the cafeteria.

Location/Directions

ACA students going to Bogenhofen would most likely fly into either Salzburg, Austria, or Munich, Germany. Munich is about 75 miles northwest of the campus and air service is more frequent. Students are encouraged to fly to Salzburg, if possible, as it is much closer to the school. Someone from the school will pick up and return students one time to either airport. There is no transportation fee for the first arrival or the final departure. A Notice of Arrival Form is available online and it should be completed at least one week in advance if transportation from the airport is needed.

Local Climate

Salzburg lies at the northern edge of the Eastern Alps; therefore, the area experiences a winter season. Below is a table indicating the average high and the average low temperatures for each of the months, September through May.

• September — 29/4°C 84/39°F
• October — 23/-1°C 73/30°F
• November — 15/7°C 59/45°F
• December — 9/-16°C 48/3°F
• January — 11/-15°C 52/5°F
• February — 15/-5°C 59/23°F
• March — 18/-5°C 64/23°F
• April — 22/-1°C 72/30°F
• May — 24/1°C 75/34°F

The temperatures at Bogenhofen are usually a bit milder than Salzburg standard.

Campus Life

At Bogenhofen, you are invited to enjoy an uplifting spiritual atmosphere. Daily chapels, dorm worships, youth group and vespers, and church services are all part of the Bogenhofen spiritual life. As a large percentage of Bogenhofen’s students are high school students, some of the rules on campus are designed for high school students, but are well within the framework of a traditional Adventist lifestyle. More flexibility is available for older students. This is reflected in the electronic locking system for the residence halls, which allows for later curfews for students older than 18 years old. Students who wish to enjoy the year should try to blend in with the culture and accept the environment as it is and avoid forming an American clique. Access to the Internet is available in the computer lab, library, the classroom and at a computer terminal in each residence hall. Students who have their own laptop can connect to the Internet in the library or in the classroom.  Bringing a laptop will also make it easier to work on assignments, but is not mandatory.

Sports & Traveling

Many athletic activities are available on campus. There is a gym for indoor sports, a multi-purpose-court for basketball, soccer, tennis, a soccer field and a beach-volleyball court.   Intramural sports include volleyball, basketball and soccer. ACA students may participate in PE classes in the Gymnasium (senior high school). No black or colored sole shoes may be used in the gymnasium. School teams participate in an international volleyball tournament in the fall and several national and international soccer tournaments throughout the year.

In addition, ACA students spend a week in the Alps skiing, snow boarding, and ice skating provided that there are a minimum of 10 participants. The men’s residence hall has a fitness room and the dean of men is available for advice and help with a personal fitness program. Table Tennis equipment is also available.The rural surroundings are well suited for jogging, running, and mountain biking. Regular bicycles are available to students wishing to ride through the countryside or the four miles into the town of Braunau and Simbach. A deposit of $7-15 (depending on the condition of the bike) will be collected at the beginning of the school year and refunded to the student at the time of departure.   There is a swimming pool in Braunau.

Getting Around Bogenhofen

There is limited train service from Bogenhofen (Hagenau im Innkreis station) to Braunau am Inn. Also, the school has bicycles that are available to the students. These make it easy to get into Braunau or Simbach. Both of these towns have several stores with a reasonable range of items available. Trains to and from Hagenau im Innkreis also make Salzburg accessible either for shopping or for private music instruction. It takes a little over one hour to get to Salzburg.

Academic Program

International students attending Seminar Schloss Bogenhofen will be given a German Language Proficiency Examination before the course registration in the fall quarter. On the basis of the test results they will register for either the 100 level or 200 level German language courses. Those in the 200 level courses are expected to qualify for beginning 300 level courses by the end of the first quarter.

Language instruction courses are organized in two to three levels – beginning and intermediate/advanced. Completion of the first level prepares students to take the Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch (Zertifikat Deutsch). Completion of the second and third level prepares students to take the “Intermediate Level” Östereichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch (Mittelstufe) or the “Advanced Level” Östereichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch (Oberstufe). Students at the first level complete their studies in three quarters, while other students complete the combined second and third levels in three quarters. It is also possible to take Business German on two levels, beginning and advanced. Advanced Business German will prepare the student for the ÖSD examination “Diplom Wirtschaftssprache Deutsch”.

In completing their full time load of courses (12-18 quarter hours), students at all levels take a religion course and can also participate in choir or chamber orchestra or take private music lessons in organ, piano, violin, guitar or voice (cost for music lessons is not included in the ACA tuition and must be payed separately to the international college). In the first quarter a vegetarian cooking class with emphasis on typical Austrian food is offered.

Since language learning, to a large degree, consists of culture learning, a number of cultural tours are offered during the school year, including four days in Vienna during the fall, and one week in Berlin and other sites of cultural interest in Germany during the spring. Salzburg, Linz, and Munich, centers of music and art, are one or two hours drive away from Bogenhofen and can be visited for museum visits, concerts, and other special cultural events. All students must participate in the outings designated as ACA cultural tours. These tours are an integral part of the instructional program and their cost is included in the tuition. Record will be taken and specific assignments given. Students’ completion of these assignments and positive participation on the tour will affect their overall grade in courses for which they are enrolled.

Visa Information

Cultural Trips & Tours