The Fulbright Commission in Austria offers up to 20
Fulbright student grants for recent U.S. undergraduates and graduate students
for research and study in Austria.
Types
of Research and Study Grants
-
2
grants to facilitate full-time research or study
-
4
Fulbright-Mach Awards for Doctoral Candidates, for full-time research
-
1
Fulbright-IFK Junior Fellow award (for PhD students in cultural studies)
-
1
award to study at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna
-
12
part-time study and research grants combined with English teaching assistantships
(13 hours per week) at secondary schools in university cities
Students
interested in the IFK and the Diplomatic Academy awards should apply through
the regular competition for Austria and note their interest in the specific
awards in their application. http://www.fulbright.at/fulbright-for-us-citizens/us-students/us-students-ifk.html
Language Proficiency
Intermediate to
advanced proficiency in spoken and written German is essential for all fields,
including music and fine arts. As a rule, university courses are taught in
German, although individual courses in specific fields may be offered in
English. University admission requires demonstrated proficiency in German.
Language study is available at most institutions and, depending on the level of
proficiency, required by some.
Duration of Study
9 months,
beginning with a late-September orientation in Vienna.
Candidate Profile
Traditional
candidates for the full-time research or study awards include graduate-level
students and Ph.D. candidates; musicians enrolled in performance programs;
selected students in the natural sciences and/or engineering, whose projects
may require extensive lab time; or selected volunteer and service projects.
Bachelor's level
candidates may apply for full-time research and study grants but should note
that the competition for full-time research and study awards is substantial
every year. Therefore, they are advised to apply for study grants combined with
English teaching assistantships. It is important for applicants to note that
recipients of grants combined with teaching assistantships can only pursue
studies on a part-time basis due to the time teaching commitments demand.
Individuals who have applied for, but are not selected for, full-time research
grants, may, at the discretion of the Fulbright Commission in Austria,
alternatively be considered for grants combined with a teaching assistantship.
**Medicine and
Veterinary Medicine are not recommended fields of study for this program**
Affiliation
All grantees, including
Ph.D. candidates, must be fully matriculated at accredited public universities
in Austria to facilitate tuition remission, insurance, use of libraries and
archives, etc. The AAEC facilitates university enrollment at the applicant's
preferred university and provides for the waiver of tuition fees. Grants are
not available 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 support and guidance for projects and include letters of invitation, if
possible. Invitations are absolutely necessary for full-time research and study
awards, and should indicate how candidates will be anchored at the
institutions. They are desired but not required for candidates of awards
combined with an English language teaching assistantship.
Music and Fine Arts
Admission
procedures at Austrian institutions of music and the arts vary on a
case-by-case basis. Universities of music and the arts require auditions and/or
entrance examinations, along with submission of a portfolio. Instruction
frequently is still based on "master classes": professors who 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 admission and audition requirements and dates
well in advance. Candidates may be required to travel to Austria at their own
expense to audition (as early as June), and the AAEC makes grants for musicians
contingent upon university acceptance. The AAEC does not accept applications
from music and art students who wish to study with private teachers or at
private institutions or conservatories that do not waive tuition fees. Grants
are awarded only after formal acceptance by a university of music or the arts.
Science and Technology
Before applying, candidates should
correspond with preferred institutions about availability of equipment and
facilities and solicit letters of invitation.
Application Process
An annual grant competition is managed by the Institute of
International Education (with an application deadline in October) which
prescreens applications. The link to the online application is above. The files
of semi-finalists are forwarded to the Austrian-American Educational Commission
in Vienna, and a binational committee selects finalists, who are notified about
the status of their applications in March/April.
