Students at Risk Fonds (Austria)
Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH), administered by the OeAD
Overview
The Students at Risk Fonds, run by the Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH) and administered by the OeAD, pays €1,200 per month so that students who are denied the right to education at home can finish a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in Austria.
It funds the standard duration of the degree plus two semesters, and up to three semesters of a university preparation programme (Vorstudienlehrgang) before it. Tuition is not covered — at a public university that is €726.72 per semester for third-country nationals. Maximum 50 grants per academic year (2025/26 round).
Who can apply
- You must have studied for at least one semester at a recognised university outside the EU/EFTA (and outside Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the UK), and have had to break those studies off no more than two years before the nomination.
- The risk has to be demonstrable: denial of the right to education because of ethnic, sexual, gender or religious identity, or political or civic engagement. General financial hardship is not what this fund is for.
- Maximum age 35 at the time of application. Bachelor, master and PhD level are all covered.
How to apply
- 1
You cannot apply yourself. An Austrian higher education institution nominates you to the OeAD on a nomination form, confirming your unrestricted admission and language level — so the first move is the international office of the university you want to study at.
- 2
Nomination deadline for the 2026/27 round: 1 September 2026.
- 3
Confirm the current call at oead.at before planning around it: the quota of 50 and the terms are set year by year.
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Amounts, deadlines and eligible-country lists are set by the awarding body and change every academic year. Always confirm the current call on the official source before applying.