Austrian Medical Students' Association - AMSA-Auslandsfamulatur

What the AMSA exchange gives you

You will undertake a 4-week clinical placement (Famulatur, a hands-on hospital internship) at a university hospital or an accredited teaching hospital abroad, in one of more than 80 countries. The placement is recognised as a standard clinical placement at every Austrian medical university. You will also be provided with accommodation, one meal a day (or pocket money instead), a local contact person, and a social programme including a welcome dinner, an international food and drink party, and day trips. The programme is run by the Austrian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA), which is part of the international federation IFMSA. It is based on the principle of give and take: for every student Austria sends abroad, it hosts one from another country. This is not a monetary scholarship. You pay a participation fee of 525 EUR. This includes 420 EUR for the organisation of your stay, a deposit of 75 EUR, which you will receive back if you fulfil the post-programme requirements, a non-refundable risk fee of 25 EUR, and an IFMSA membership fee of 5 EUR.

Who can apply

• Degree: You’re studying medicine in Austria.
• Your local group: There is an active local AMSA group at your university. For 2026, these are Innsbruck, Krems, Linz and Vienna. If your group is inactive, please contact the national exchange coordinator first and send a letter of motivation in which you commit to helping set up a local exchange team.
• Study stage: You have reached ‘clinical placement eligibility’, i.e. the point at which your university allows you to undertake a clinical placement (depending on the university, this may be via the clinical placement OSCE, Famprop or a clinical placement licence).
• Membership: Students at Sigmund Freud Private University and Danube Private University must become full members of AMSA before applying.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply, provided they are studying medicine in Austria.
• Destination rules: You must also meet the entry requirements for your chosen country. For some destinations, this means a language requirement or a minimum level of academic achievement.

How to apply

You select up to three preferred countries from the current list and apply to AMSA by email. Places are allocated according to a points-based system that takes into account your academic progress, your voluntary work, your involvement with AMSA, and any clinical placements you have already completed. For the 2026 placements, places in the first round will be allocated by 25 October and those in the second round by 22 November. A third round will take place from December onwards on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Once you have been allocated a place and paid the fee, the rest of the application process will be handled via the IFMSA exchange database.

How realistic are your chances?

Places are limited, as AMSA can only send as many students abroad as it admits in Austria. Consequently, not every applicant will be offered a place. Good academic performance, as well as evidence of voluntary work and your involvement with AMSA, will boost your score and improve your chances. It is advantageous to apply in the first round and to remain flexible regarding the city and subject area, as popular destinations fill up quickly.