All grantees, including PhD candidates, must be fully matriculated at accredited public universities in Austria to facilitate tuition remission, health insurance, the use of libraries, archives, etc. Fulbright Austria facilitates university enrollment at the applicant’s preferred university, and the Austrian government provides for the waiver of tuition fees. Fulbright Austria does not cover tuition costs for enrollment at private institutions of higher education or other programs of advanced study in Austria that do not waive tuition fees.

Applicants should identify the individuals and institutions that will provide on-site guidance and include letters of affiliation. Invitations are absolutely necessary for full-time research and study grants and should indicate how applicants will be anchored at the institutions.

Affiliation/tuition fees

Fulbright Austria facilitates university enrollment at the applicant’s preferred university, and the Austrian government provides for the waiver of tuition fees.

Affiliation for music and fine-arts applicants

Admission procedures at Austrian institutions of music and the arts vary. Universities of music and the arts may require auditions and/or entrance examinations, along with submission of a portfolio. Instruction is frequently still based on “master classes” where professors select and train students for an extended period. Therefore, applicants are required to have established contact with Austrian music and/or art professors before applying for a grant and must solicit invitations to study with them.

Applicants should inquire about audition and/or admission requirements and dates well in advance. Candidates may be required to travel to Austria at their own expense to audition (as early as February) or may be admitted without auditions as exchange students, provided they have corresponding invitations. Fulbright Austria offers grants for musicians contingent upon university acceptance and enrollment; it does not provide grants based exclusively on private study. Auditions at universities of music and the arts are highly competitive in Austria. Virtuosity is an important criterion for admission, and institutions prefer younger candidates.

Affiliation for science and technology applicants

Before applying, applicants should correspond with preferred institutions about availability of equipment and facilities and solicit letters of invitation. Recent undergraduates applying for full research grants are frequently offered study grants combined with teaching assistantships and, therefore, must fulfill the German-language proficiency requirements noted above in order to be eligible for these grants, even if their research can be conducted in English.