Austrian Fulbright Student Program

Type

Austrian Fulbright students

Application Period

1 February 2024–1 May 2024

Grant Length

One- and multi-year programs

Starting Date

August/September 2025

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Obtain a Fulbright grant to pursue a master's degree and study in the US

Submit an application

Applications for the Austrian Fulbright Student Program must be submitted online using the IIE platform linked below. Before applying, please read the frequently asked questions and download the application .zip file to access detailed application instructions and country-specific materials.

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Program requirements

Austrian citizenship (Dual citizens of Austria and the US are not eligible due to program regulations.)

Candidates must already have a degree from an accredited university or university of applied sciences or be close to completing their degree.
- Bachelor's programs: degree must be completed by 1 October 2023 at the latest (degrees completed by 30 October 2023 will be considered on a case-by-case basis).
- Master's programs: degree must be completed by 1 May 2024 at the latest.

The Austrian Fulbright Student Program funds master's programs at all accredited US institutions. So-called “professional degrees” cannot be funded. This includes, for instance:
- MBAs and similar programs in business, management, marketing, and finance (with the exception of not-for-profit management and social entrepreneurship, public management and administration, public affairs, and/or public policy (MPA/MPP)
- LLM programs (with the exception of constitutional law, human rights law, international public law, legal theory and philosophy, comparative law, and/or legal history)
- Medical programs, veterinarian medicine, and/or pharmacy (with the exception of public health)

Funding cannot be awarded for study programs to which candidates have already been admitted or for which they have already applied outside of the Fulbright Program.

Candidates who meet the qualifications to apply for the Austrian Fulbright Scholar Program (postdocs and professionals) cannot apply for an Austrian Fulbright student grant.

Candidates who have already received a Fulbright student grant, a postgraduate grant from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (with the exception of internships), or a grant from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) or the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) are also not eligible to apply.

It is also not possible to receive funding through Fulbright if you also receive a grant from any of the institutions noted above.

As Fulbright students are funded through the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF), Fulbright grantees are not eligible to apply for other grants offered by the BMBWF.

Nominations for a Fulbright grant are contingent upon approval from the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board (FSB). According to the FSB’s rules and regulations, candidates who are already in the US at the time of their application are not eligible to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to candidates who do not have extensive and/or recent experience living and studying in the US.

Selection criteria

Excellent study record (US institutions consider each applicant's cumulative grade point average (GPA))

Qualifications relevant to the study program for which the applicant would like to apply

Scholarly, artistic, social, and political commitment and work (also on a volunteer basis)

Career objectives

Study proposal

English skills and communication skills

Test results of the mandatory standardized tests required for the admission to a US institution
- All candidates must pass the GRE with a good score after admission to the Fulbright Program (i.e., not before 1 May 2023). Applicants for law programs are exempt from this rule.
- All candidates must pass the TOEFL with a good score after admission to the Fulbright Program (i.e., not before 1 May 2023) to evaluate the candidates' language skills.
- Test facilities need to forward the test results directly to Fulbright Austria (TOEFL code: 7517; GRE code: 4800) AND to the Institute of International Education in New York City (code for TOEFL and GRE: 2326)

Benefits

Tuition and maintenance grant of up to $25,000 for one-year programs or up to $35,000 for multi-year programs

Travel and relocation allowance of up €2,000

Enrollment in the US Department of State's Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE) with a maximum coverage of $100,000

Negotiation of (partial) tuition waivers or additional financial support conducted with the relevant US institution by IIE

Coaching and administrative support during the application phase, which increases the probability of acceptance to a US institution

Vouchers for GRE and TOEFL examinations after admission to the Fulbright Program

Application submission to four US institutions as a "Fulbright candidate" and coverage of associated application fees by IIE

Visa sponsorship: J1 visa (exchange visitor) requires grantees to return to their home country for at least two years after the completion of their studies before they can apply for a residence or work permit (you can, however, re-enter on a tourist or student visa at any time)

Pre-academic training in the US (occasionally) and/or participation in "enrichment seminars" in the course of one's stay

If you are playing with the idea to apply for the Fulbright Program, just do it! If you have a passion or an issue that you really want to
work on that makes this world a better place, have some faith in yourself and fill out the application.

-Sabine Lumesberger, Austrian Fulbright Student, 2021–22

Contact Person

Darrah Lustig

Student Program Officer
TEL. +43-1-236 7878 - 16
DLustig@fulbright.at

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