FAQ-Students at Risk Austria

The Students at Risk Fonds is intended to support students who are demonstrably at risk of being formally or de facto denied the right to education at their university on the basis of their ethnic, sexual, gender or religious identity, or their political or civic engagement, in continuing and completing their studies in Austria.

The fund is run by the Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH).

 

Students who are enrolled in a Bachelor's, Master's or PhD/doctoral programme at a university outside the EU/EEA/EFTA* which is recognised in Austria and who can prove that they are at risk of being formally or de facto denied the right to education on the basis of their ethnic, sexual, gender or religious identity or their political or civic engagement and who are no longer able to continue their studies or have to discontinue them.

The studies must have been pursued in the country of origin for at least one semester, and the discontinuation of studies must not have taken place more than two years prior to the nomination. In addition, the studies must have been pursued conscientiously (at least 16 ECTS per semester) before they had to be discontinued.

*with the exception of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the United Kingdom

The funding agency defines the country of origin as the previous place of study, i.e. the country in which the discontinued studies were pursued. Persons whose previous place of study was in an EU/EEA/EFTA country or in Andorra, Monaco, San Marino or the United Kingdom are excluded from funding. Please note that regardless of the place of study, nationals of EU/EEA/EFTA countries as well as Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the United Kingdom are not eligible for nomination for the fund.

The programme funds Bachelor's, Master's and PhD/doctoral students from all countries worldwide, with the exception of nationals of EU/EEA/EFTA countries, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the United Kingdom.

When allocating the fund, care is taken to ensure a balanced distribution among countries of origin and target institutions.

Applicants must demonstrate active political, civic and similar engagement in their country of origin. This can include either membership in groups or individual actions based on liberal democratic principles and striving to contribute to positive social change.

Candidates must have been active in some form of activism, e.g. by participating in political rallies, writing critical articles, openly expressing protests on social media, or the like. 

Furthermore, this activism must have been so consistent and/or radical that there is a risk that the person will encounter negative reactions from local/central authorities in their country due to their activism and will be formally or de facto denied the right to education at their university. 

The threat can be substantiated by personal written reports, written records (e.g. official documents, social media posts, ideally with the possibility of chronological classification, letters documenting specific incidents in detail, etc.) or witness statements. The right to education may have been denied, for example, through expulsion or withdrawal of a scholarship and, subsequently, of the right of residence.

If you were formally or de facto denied the right to education in your country of origin due to your ethnic, sexual, gender or religious identity or your political or civic engagement, and you dropped out of university no more than two years ago, you can be nominated for this fund.

There are four sectors of educational institutions in the Austrian higher education system:

• public universities (List of 23 universities)
• universities of applied sciences (List of 21 universities of applied science )
• teacher training colleges, (overview of 14 teacher training colleges and private universities), and
• private colleges/private universities (List of private colleges and private universities)
   

Recipients of the Students at Risk Fonds can continue their studies at any of the listed educational institutions. At the time of application, they must have unlimited admission to study at an Austrian higher education institution.

Studies in the university preparation programmes are also supported.

No. To apply for support from the Students at Risk Fonds, candidates must first be nominated by an Austrian university. Direct applications by candidates themselves are not possible.

No, you cannot nominate yourself. You must be nominated by an Austrian university. Direct applications by candidates themselves are not possible.

1. Nomination by an Austrian university: The first step is to obtain a nomination from an Austrian university. To be nominated, an authorised representative of the university must complete the relevant form (available at OeAD) and submit it to the OeAD.
2. Written application by the candidate: Once the nominations have been checked for completeness and plausibility, the candidate is invited to apply in writing using an online application form.
3. Review of the submitted application documents by the OeAD: Checking for completeness, fulfilment of the formal criteria and plausibility of the alleged threat in detail.
4. Decision by a selection committee: A selection committee consisting of one member each from the ÖH, the OeAD and the BMFWF decides on the granting of support. In addition, experts may be consulted in an advisory capacity.
5. Written decision: The candidate will be notified of the decision in writing.

There is a maximum age of 35 (as of October 1 of the respective academic year). As a rule, applicants must be at least 18 years old (of legal age). 
In addition, the highest school or university degree should generally have been obtained no more than four years prior to the application date.

No, funding for a second university degree (i.e. a second Bachelor's, Master's or PhD degree) is not part of this programme.

No. This programme is aimed at Bachelor's, Master's and PhD students who can prove that they are at risk of being formally or de facto denied the right to education in their country of origin due to their ethnic, sexual, gender or religious identity or their political or civic engagement.

No. This programme is only open to students and doctoral candidates. For researchers, for example, there are programmes offered by the Austrian Science Fund: Funding Opportunities for International Researchers - FWF.

Provided that all other requirements can be met, applications from persons already residing in Austria are admissible.  

Yes. After being nominated by an Austrian higher education institution, eligible candidates will be invited by OeAD to submit their application via the OeAD’s online application portal. Applications submitted by email or postal mail cannot be accepted.

If you encounter problems while applying through the OeAD online application portal and require technical assistance, please contact technical support at support@scholarships.at.

If you cannot provide school or university diplomas or certificates, we will not be able to process your application.

No. It is sufficient to upload copies of your documents (with German or English translations, if applicable) to the online application portal. However, OeAD reserves the right to request certified copies of documents if necessary.

The fund is open to all subjects and degree programmes currently offered at Austrian universities.

This does not apply to courses with restricted access and admission procedures, such as medicine.

Further information on degree programmes and studying in Austria can be found at Study in Austria – highlight your future.

Information about studying with a disability or chronic illness can, for example, be found in this folder from the National Union of Students.

Please note that your language skills in German or English must generally correspond to level B2 (or higher) of the CEFR in order to be able to study in one of these two languages at an Austrian university. However, the requirements vary depending on the degree programme. If your German language skills are insufficient, you can acquire them in a university preparation programme. German language skills at level A2 are generally sufficient for this.

Yes, family members of students with a ‘residence permit – student’ can apply for a ‘residence permit – family community’. Information on how to apply and further information, such as proof of financial means for the duration of the stay, can be found here. Family members of recipients of the fund with a C or D visa can also apply for a C or D visa. Further information can be found here.

If you will complete your studies in 6 months or less, you will need a Visa C or Visa D. Students of the Students at risk fonds usually come to Austria for a longer stay and therefore generally require a Residence Permit - Student. 

As a rule, the application for a “Residence Permit - Student” must be submitted in person to the competent Austrian representative authority in the home country or country of residence. You must wait there for the result. If the application is approved, you can then apply for a Visa D to enter Austria (valid for four months). After entering the country with this entry visa, you can collect your “Residence Permit - Student” in Austria. This residence permit for students grants third-country nationals the right to stay in Austria for the purpose of studying for a specific period of time.

Exception: Students who are allowed to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within 180 days without a visa can also enter Austria without a visa. Here you can find a list of countries whose nationals are exempt from visa requirements. As an alternative to applying to the Austrian representative authority, these students can apply for a “Residence Permit - Student” in person at the residence authority responsible for their intended place of residence in Austria and enter Austria without an entry visa.
 

For short stays with a C or D visa, no gainful employment (including unpaid work such as voluntary work or internships) is permitted. Information can be found here. Recipients with a ‘residence permit – student’ can work up to 20 hours per week with a work permit. Conditions and further information can be found here. Any secondary employment must be reported to the funding agency in all cases.

Students who have completed their studies in Austria under a ‘residence permit – student’ can extend this once for a further 12 months for the purpose of seeking employment or starting a business. Further information can be found here.

To enter Austria:

To enter Austria, you first need travel health insurance. This insurance must be valid in Austria and provide sufficient coverage for various illnesses (coverage of at least EUR 30,000 with a guarantee to cover any rescue and repatriation costs).

Important: Students of third countries will only receive a “Residence Permit – Student” if they can additionally provide proof of insurance which covers “all risks” when collecting their residence permit at the latest. Since the “self-insurance for students” with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK, see below) is not yet valid at the time of entering Austria, it is necessary to show the intended conclusion of an insurance contract either by attaching a written declaration to the application for a “Residence Permit – Student” or by indicating it in the application form under “health insurance that is compulsory in Austria and covers all risks”. Travel health insurance is only sufficient as a temporary measure until insurance which covers “all risks” has been taken out.

After entering Austria:

After entering Austria and having registered / been admitted to the higher education institution, regular students at all universities and universities of applied sciences as well as non-degree students in university preparation courses can insure themselves with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse, ÖGK) at a monthly rate of EUR 73,48 [as of 2025] (“self-insurance for students”). If you would like to take out this insurance, you can already indicate in your application for a “Residence Permit – Student” that you will take out “self-insurance for students” with the Austrian Health Fund (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse, ÖGK) immediately after entering Austria.

Persons authorised to sign

Higher education institutions should only nominate candidates who, in addition to being at plausible individual risk, also have good prospects for studying in Austria. The proposed candidates must be able to provide the language certificates required for admission to the programme. If a preparatory course is required, this must be indicated on the form.

University institutions issue a letter of endorsement for the application of candidates deemed suitable. The universities also ensure permanent admission to the respective degree programme. 

Universities must confirm that the alleged risk is plausible as outlined in the call for applications.The documents will then be reviewed and assessed by the selection committee.

Universities should base the nomination as far as possible on reliable evidence of the plausability of the risk. In doing so, they should confirm whether the candidates are exposed to threats to their personal well-being or safety in their current country of study due to their ethnic, sexual, gender or religious identity or their political or civil society engagement (e.g. through physical violence, arrest, denial of civil rights, etc.) and are therefore formally or de facto denied access to education.

Sufficient evidence should be provided, such as personal accounts from the candidates, written records (e.g. official documents, social media posts, letters detailing specific incidents, etc.) or witness statements (e.g. from local NGOs, university staff or others).

This evidence must be treated as strictly confidential and may not be disclosed to anyone other than those involved in the nomination process.