If you want to research in the U.S. as part of your Austrian degree, or you are an American student planning a research stay in Austria, the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation funds exactly that kind of exchange.amounts start at EUR 4,000 for a three-month stay. The catch? You must organise supervision on both sides and submit through your Austrian university's international office.
What the Marshall Plan Foundation actually funds
The Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation runs an exchange programme for research stays between Austria and the U.S. It is aimed mainly at students in technical, natural or economic fields. Since 2008 it has offered more than 1,300 scholarships to Austrian and American students. The money is not for a full degree, it is for a research visit of at least three months.
Amounts are stepped by length of stay, as listed by the foundation:
- EUR 4,000 for three months
- EUR 5,000 for four months
- EUR 6,000 for five months
- A bonus of EUR 1,500 for stays of 6.5 months or more, and for master's students
- EUR 2,500 for PhD students
So the total you receive depends on how long you go for and what level you are studying at. The foundation's own page is the place to confirm how the bonus stacks with the base amount in your case.
Who can apply, and what you need before you start
You do not apply cold. The foundation expects you to secure supervision at both your host university and your home university first. Only then do you submit your documents to the international office of your Austrian university, which passes them on to the foundation.
That order matters. If you are an Austrian student hoping to go to the U.S., your home university's international office is your first stop, they will tell you which documents they need and when. If you are an American student coming to Austria, the same logic applies in reverse through your own institution's arrangements, but the application still goes through the Austrian university side according to the foundation's process.
Before you get that far, check that the institution you want to host you actually runs the kind of research you need. Our list of all universities in Austria covers 65 higher education institutions, and our catalogue includes 589 programmes with English among their languages of instruction (455 taught in English only, the rest in German and English). Those counts come from the Austrian national register as of October 2026, so confirm details with the institution.
Deadlines and start dates
The foundation's page shows two calls:
- 1 September to 30 October 2026, with the earliest start on 4 January 2027
- 1 March to 30 April 2027, with the earliest start on 2 August 2027
These are the dates as shown on the foundation's page. Treat them as the planning frame, not a guarantee, always confirm the current call with your international office before you book anything.
What you owe afterwards
The scholarship is not just cash. After your stay you must produce a research paper of at least 7,500 words with a technical aspect, plus a field report of up to two pages. Build that into your timeline. A three-month research visit plus a 7,500-word paper is a real commitment, and the foundation expects it.
Where this fits among other funding options
The Marshall Plan award is one of several scholarships open to students coming to or from Austria. Our scholarships section covers the broader landscape, and the scholarship directory lists options including the Ernst Mach Grant worldwide, the Ernst Mach Grant for studying at an Austrian university of applied sciences, Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, the Ernst Mach Grant ASEA-UNINET, the Ernst Mach Follow-Up Grant and CEEPUS. If your field is technical, natural or economic and your plan is a research stay rather than a full degree, the Marshall Plan scheme is the closest match. If you are still choosing a programme, start with the directory and work backwards.
Practical checks before you apply
Admission in Austria is handled by each institution, not centrally. The OeAD does not process study applications and there is no central application portal. At public universities the general deadline for most bachelor's programmes is 5 September for the winter semester and 5 February for the summer semester, but other programmes, and applicants from outside the EU/EEA, can have different deadlines.
Costs to keep in mind: the student union fee (ÖH-Beitrag) is EUR 26.20 per semester and compulsory for all students. At public universities, EU/EEA students pay no tuition only within the programme's standard duration plus two semesters; most other students pay EUR 726.72 per semester. If you are coming from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland for more than six months, you need a Residence Permit, Student; the application fee on oesterreich.gv.at is EUR 218 and the authority decides within 90 days. The residence authority decides on permits and the institution decides on admission, so check migration.gv.at and your institution's pages rather than relying on any single source.
One more thing: programmes and fees in our catalogue come from the Austrian national register as of October 2026. Confirm every figure with the institution before you rely on it.
Sources
- Data on the Marshall Plan Foundation scholarship: foundation overview page, as cited in our facts file.
- OeAD, application and admission.
- oesterreich.gv.at, admission of international students.
- oesterreich.gv.at, residence permit for students.
- Tuition and student union fee data, as listed in the Austrian national register.
- Register open data (BMFWF open data and studienwahl.at), as of October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Marshall Plan scholarship?
Amounts run from EUR 4,000 for three months to EUR 6,000 for five months, with a EUR 1,500 bonus for stays of 6.5 months or more and for master's students, and EUR 2,500 for PhD students. The foundation's page is the place to confirm exactly how the bonus applies to you.
Who can apply for a Marshall Plan scholarship?
The programme is mainly for students in technical, natural or economic fields doing a research stay between Austria and the U.S. You must first secure supervision at both your host and home university, then submit through the international office of your Austrian university.
What are the deadlines for the Marshall Plan scholarship?
The foundation's page lists two calls: 1 September to 30 October 2026 (earliest start 4 January 2027) and 1 March to 30 April 2027 (earliest start 2 August 2027). Confirm the current call with your international office before you plan.
What do I have to produce after the research stay?
You must write a research paper of at least 7,500 words with a technical aspect, plus a field report of up to two pages. Plan that work into your timeline from the start.