Austrian Study Grant Authority - Federal Aid for Students - Grant for Semester Abroad

Austrian grant for a semester abroad (Auslandsbeihilfe)

Whilst studying abroad, you will receive a supplement of 450 EUR per month in addition to your regular Austrian student grant for a period of 1 to 20 months. In southern and eastern European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Poland, Greece or the Czech Republic, the rate is 250 EUR per month. If you are only receiving the basic amount of the grant, you will also receive an additional 180 EUR per month.

On top of that:

• Travel: 56 EUR to 1,735 EUR, depending on how far you go.
• Language course: 80% of the costs, up to 365 EUR.
• Extra month: an additional monthly payment if you attend a language course lasting at least 2 weeks in the host country immediately before the start of your studies.

The grant comes from the Austrian Study Grant Authority (Studienbeihilfenbehörde). You can combine it with a full Erasmus+ grant, and your other Austrian study-grant payments continue while you are away.

Who can apply

• Study grant: You will receive the Austrian student grant as soon as you submit your application. This is a form of state support for students, the amount of which is based on your family’s income.
• Where you study: You are enrolled at an Austrian university, university of applied sciences, private university, university college of teacher education or theological college. Conservatories do not count.
• Timing: You are in the third semester of your Bachelor’s degree or are already further along in your studies.
• Study, not work: You go abroad to study, and your home university recognises the courses. Internships are not funded, except the clinical-practical year in human medicine.
• Field of study: Any subject.
• Destination: Any country.
• Nationality: You are an Austrian citizen or a foreign national or stateless person who is treated as an Austrian under the Scholarships Act.

How to apply

Apply for funding online via ID Austria (Austria’s digital ID) or send a paper application form to your regional funding office. Your application must be received within 3 months of the start of your studies abroad. Late applications will be rejected, so it is best to submit your application before you leave. Upon your return, you must provide evidence of having earned at least 3 ECTS credits for each month spent abroad. Otherwise, you may have to repay the money.