FAQs - Erhard Busek Grant

The Erhard Busek Grant aims to enable highly qualified students from non-European developing countries to complete a full two-year Master’s programme in Austria. This excellence scholarship supports highly qualified students, particularly in STEM and English-taught Master’s programmes.

Fields of study in groups 5-7 and Health Sciences (0913, 0914, 0915, and 0921) according to ISCED; priority is given to STEM and English-taught programmes.

Graduates of a Bachelor’s degree who wish to pursue a two-year Master’s programme in Austria and whose degree was obtained at a higher education institution in a non-European developing country; scholarships are awarded only to students who can provide proof of unrestricted admission to the relevant Master’s programme.

Students receive a monthly scholarship rate of 1,300 euro and a one-time travel allowance of up to 1,200 euro.

No.

Tuition fees are not covered by the scholarship. Erhard Busek Grant recipients are exempted from these fees by the admitting higher education institutions. 

Higher education institutions are responsible for applying for the quota of desired scholarship places. As part of the admission procedure, they pre-select the students they wish to offer a scholarship to on the basis of defined criteria and a ranking. The OeAD must be notified of the candidates deemed suitable by issuing a letter of endorsement to the students to be nominated. Finally, the applying higher education institution is responsible for ensuring the academic supervision of the expected students, for appointing a contact person (mentor) in addition to academic supervision and for facilitating the professional and organisational requirements for the implementation of the intended study programmes.

This can be determined independently by each higher education institution.

There is no funding for the pre-selection, e.g. through scholarship interviews.

Phase I: Higher Education Institutions (expression of interest)

Phase II: Students (scholarship application)

1. Phase I (expression of interest): Higher education institutions apply to the OeAD for the intended scholarship places for an Erhard Busek Grant as part of a formal expression of interest (submission deadline: 15.12.2024). They confirm that the academic and organisational support of the students at the higher education institution is guaranteed. A selection committee consisting of the BMBWF and the OeAD decides on the allocation of scholarship places.
2. Phase II (scholarship application): Based on the allocated quota, the higher education institutions then select the best-qualified candidates from among those students who apply to them for a relevant Master's programme and put them forward to receive an Erhard Busek Grant. The students then apply to the OeAD (submission deadline: ongoing from 1 September 2025) to receive this scholarship. The scholarships are awarded after a final review of the formal requirements of the applications received.

The number of scholarship places applied for is binding in the event of an allocation opportunity. The selection committee consisting of the BMBWF and the OeAD reserves the right to reallocate available places.

Higher education institutions will be informed of the results of the expression of interest by the OeAD (February 2025). After they propose the best-qualified students to receive the scholarship on the basis of the quota allocated to them and those students apply to the OeAD, the students and their academic supervisor will be informed by the OeAD by e-mail. 

If students have been awarded a scholarship, they will receive award documents from the OeAD with information on how to proceed. Information for OeAD scholarship holders and answers to frequently asked questions can be found here.