Austrian Government Scholarships (OeAD): Ernst Mach Grants for International Students

The OeAD Scholarship Austria is one of the most generous fully funded awards for international students. Austria funds one of Europe’s longest-running government scholarship programs for international researchers, and it is managed by the OeAD, Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalisation. The best-known award in the family is the Ernst Mach Grant, named after the Austrian physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach (1838-1916). It is financed by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research, and it brings students and young researchers from outside Austria to Austrian universities and research institutions for a research or study stay.

Read this part first, because the Ernst Mach Grant is often described wrongly on third-party sites. It is not a full master’s or PhD degree scholarship. The main tracks fund a defined research or study stay of a few months, not a complete degree program. The one exception is the ASEA-UNINET track, which funds a full PhD for students from five Southeast Asian countries. This guide explains each track honestly, so you can see which one fits your situation before you spend time on an application.

1. Introduction

The OeAD, Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalisation, administers Austrian government scholarships on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research. Its flagship award for incoming international researchers is the Ernst Mach Grant. The program is named after Ernst Mach, the Austrian physicist and philosopher whose work shaped modern physics and the philosophy of science. The grant invites students and young researchers from foreign universities to come to Austria for a research or a study stay, and it pays them a monthly grant while they are there.

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Quick Facts

Scholarship Name	Austrian Government Scholarship (OeAD)
Host Country	Austria
Host University	Any eligible Austrian university
Study Level	Research stay for PhD students, postgraduates and postdocs; semester stay for undergraduates and graduates; full PhD for ASEA-UNINET
Funding Type	Monthly grant EUR 1,300 (rate in current calls; confirm in the live call). Travel subsidy for ASEA-UNINET.
Eligible Nationalities	Selected countries, including Pakistan
Study Duration	Varies by program
Application Deadline	Worldwide: 1 December 2026. Fachhochschule: 1 February 2027. Follow-Up: 1 February 2027. ASEA-UNINET: 1 March 2027.
Scholarship Year	2027
Official Website	grants.at

The purpose of the program is academic exchange. Austria funds the stays to build research links between Austrian institutions and universities abroad, and to give young researchers from other countries access to Austrian labs, libraries, archives, and supervisors. The grant is competitive, and it is awarded once a year for stays in the following academic year. For the 2027/28 academic year, the main Worldwide call closes on 1 December 2026, a date the OeAD brought forward from the 1 February deadline used in earlier years.

Pakistani students and researchers are eligible for the main tracks. The Worldwide track is open to applicants from all countries except Austria, and the Fachhochschule track is open to students from non-European universities, which includes Pakistan. The only track that excludes Pakistan is ASEA-UNINET, which is limited to five Southeast Asian countries. This guide covers all four tracks, so you can pick the one that matches your level and your nationality.

2. Types of OeAD Scholarship Austria

The Ernst Mach Grant has four tracks. They share a name and an administrator, but they serve different people and they close on different dates. Do not mix them up when you check deadlines.

Ernst Mach Grant – Worldwide. This is the flagship track. It is aimed at young researchers from all disciplines and all countries except Austria who want to carry out a research project in Austria. The stay lasts 1 to 9 months, and the age limit is 35 years. Applications are open from September to 1 December.

Ernst Mach Grant for studying at an Austrian University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule). This track is aimed at undergraduates and graduates from non-European universities who want to spend a semester or two at an Austrian University of Applied Sciences. The stay lasts 4 to 10 months, and the age limit is 35 years. Applications are open from October to 1 February of the following year.

Ernst Mach Follow-Up Grant. This track is aimed at postdoctoral researchers and lecturers from non-European developing countries who have already received a grant administered by the OeAD in the past. It supports their scientific career and deepens cooperation with Austrian higher education institutions. The stay lasts 1 to 3 months, and the age limit is 45 years. At the start of the grant period, at least 3 years must have passed since the last funded research visit to Austria. Applications are open from September to 1 February of the following year.

Ernst Mach Grant – ASEA-UNINET. This track is open to undergraduates, graduates, postgraduates, and postdocs from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, or Vietnam who want to study or carry out a research project in Austria. Undergraduates and graduates receive 9 months, postgraduates doing a full PhD receive up to 36 months, and postdocs receive 4 to 9 months. The age limit is 35 years for undergraduates, graduates, and postgraduates, and 45 years for postdocs. The closing date is 1 March.

Older Ernst Mach programs have ended and now sit in the OeAD archive. The special Ernst Mach – Ukraine program, set up after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ended on 30 June 2026. The ASEA-UNINET short-term research grant for postdocs ended on 30 September 2026. Do not apply to a track you saw on an old page. Check the current call on grants.at before you prepare documents.

3. OeAD Scholarship Austria Degree Level

The level you can apply for depends on the track, and the tracks do not all fund the same kind of stay.

The Worldwide track funds a research stay for doctoral (PhD) students enrolled at a university outside Austria, for postgraduates, and for postdocs. It does not fund a complete or partial regular PhD, master’s, or other study program in Austria. You come to Austria to carry out a defined research project, and you return to your home university when the stay ends.

The Fachhochschule track funds a study stay for undergraduates and graduates from non-European universities. You spend one or two semesters at an Austrian University of Applied Sciences. It is for a semester abroad only, not for a complete bachelor’s or master’s degree program in Austria.

The Follow-Up track funds a short research stay for postdoctoral researchers and lecturers who already held an OeAD grant. It is a follow-up visit, not a new degree.

The ASEA-UNINET track is the only one that funds a full degree. Postgraduates from the five member countries can receive funding for a full PhD in Austria, for up to 36 months. Undergraduates and graduates in the same track receive a 9-month study visit, and postdocs receive a 4- to 9-month research stay.

If your goal is a full master’s degree in Austria, the Ernst Mach Grant is not the right award. Look instead at Austrian university scholarships and at the OeAD scholarship database on grants.at, where other programs are listed. The Ernst Mach Grant suits people who already have a home university and a research project, and who want a funded stay in Austria to carry that project forward.

4. Available Subjects

The Worldwide track is open to young researchers from all disciplines. There is no fixed subject list. Your subject is defined by your research project and by the Austrian university or research institution that hosts you. Natural sciences, engineering, medicine, social sciences, humanities, law, economics, and the arts are all covered, as long as you have a host supervisor who agrees to the project.

The Fachhochschule track is also open to all disciplines. You apply to spend a semester at an Austrian University of Applied Sciences, and the subjects on offer are the programs those institutions teach, from business and engineering to health, social work, media, and design.

The Follow-Up track covers the research field of the postdoc’s own work, and the ASEA-UNINET track covers all fields of study for applicants from the five member countries. Because the subject is set by your project rather than by a published list, the quality of your research proposal matters more than the field you pick. A clear, feasible project with a named Austrian supervisor is the core of a strong application in every track.

5. Scholarship Benefits

The Ernst Mach Grant pays a monthly grant for each month of your approved stay. The rate in the current calls is EUR 1,300 per month. The rate is published in the live grants.at call for each track, and you should confirm the exact rate there before you apply, because the OeAD publishes an updated call each year. The monthly rate is the same for the Worldwide track and for the Fachhochschule track, according to the current calls and the fact sheets published by Austrian universities.

Extra benefits differ by track. For the ASEA-UNINET track, the grant includes a travel costs subsidy of up to EUR 1,200, and for the full PhD grant a mobility subsidy of EUR 300 per month on top of the EUR 1,300 monthly grant, which makes an effective rate of EUR 1,600 per month for full PhD scholars. The Worldwide and Fachhochschule tracks include assistance in arranging accommodation and health insurance, which the OeAD helps with once you are selected.

Be honest with yourself about the money. The OeAD describes the grant as a supplementary grant, and its guidance says that own funds are required. EUR 1,300 a month is below the full cost of living in Vienna, where rent alone can take most of it. Smaller Austrian university towns cost less, but you should still plan for extra funds from your home university, your employer, or your own savings. Do not treat the monthly grant as a full salary. It is support for a research stay, and you need a realistic budget for rent, food, transport, insurance, and study costs.

6. Eligible Nationalities

Nationality and the location of your home university decide which tracks you can apply for. The rules differ by track, so check each one against your own situation.

Worldwide track: open to applicants from all countries except Austria. Pakistani citizens are eligible. Austrian nationals are excluded from this incoming-mobility grant.

Fachhochschule track: open to undergraduates and graduates from non-European universities. Pakistani students are eligible, because Pakistan is outside Europe and the rule is about the university, not only about citizenship.

Follow-Up track: open to postdoctoral researchers and lecturers from non-European developing countries who have already received a grant administered by the OeAD. Pakistan is a non-European developing country, so a Pakistani postdoc who held an OeAD grant in the past can apply, provided at least 3 years have passed since the last funded research visit to Austria.

ASEA-UNINET track: open only to citizens of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, or Vietnam. Pakistani citizens are not eligible for this track. If you are from one of the five member countries, check whether your university is an ASEA-UNINET member university, because that membership is part of the eligibility for postgraduates and postdocs.

7. Eligibility Criteria

The OeAD publishes the eligibility rules for each track in the live grants.at call. The rules below are the confirmed requirements from the official OeAD overview page and the current calls. Always confirm the current rules in the live call before you apply, because the OeAD updates the call each year.

• Age limit: 35 years for the Worldwide track and the Fachhochschule track. For the Follow-Up track, the age limit is 45 years. For ASEA-UNINET, the age limit is 35 years for undergraduates, graduates, and postgraduates, and 45 years for postdocs, counted at the time of application.
• Status: For the Worldwide track, you must be a PhD student enrolled at a university outside Austria, a postgraduate, or a postdoc. For the Fachhochschule track, you must be an undergraduate or graduate student at a non-European university. For the Follow-Up track, you must be a postdoctoral researcher or lecturer at a higher education institution or university in a non-European developing country, and you must have received an OeAD grant in the past.
• Austrian host: For the Worldwide track, you must have an Austrian academic supervisor or host institution that agrees to your research stay. Contact professors at Austrian universities directly with a short description of your project, and secure their support before you apply. A stay without a host cannot be funded.
• Research project: You must submit a research proposal or project description that fits the stay you are asking for. The proposal should state the question, the method, the work you will do in Austria, and what the stay will produce.
• Previous OeAD funding: For the Follow-Up track, at least 3 years must have passed since your last funded research visit to Austria.
• Degree: You must hold the degree your track requires. PhD students must be enrolled in a doctoral program outside Austria. Postgraduates and postdocs must hold the relevant completed degree.

The age limit is strict, and it is counted at the time of application or at the start of the stay, depending on the track. If you are close to the limit, check the exact wording in the live call and count from your date of birth. A strong project does not override an age limit.

8. English Language Requirements

The OeAD does not publish an English language test requirement for the Ernst Mach Grant, and there is no IELTS score set by the program itself. The working language is the language of your research project and of your Austrian host institution. Many research groups in Austria work in English, and many work in German, so the language you need depends on your supervisor and your project.

Confirm the working language with your Austrian supervisor before you apply. If your host group works in German, you will need German skills to take part in daily work. If it works in English, English is enough. Your university or host institution may ask for proof of language skills as part of its own admission or hosting process, so check that with the host as well. Do not assume that no language proof is needed anywhere in the process. The grant has no test, but the host institution sets its own rules.

9. Required Documents

Applications are submitted online through grants.at, the OeAD scholarship database. You create an account there, open the call for your track, complete the online form, and upload your documents. There is no paper application and no email application. The exact document list is published in the live call for each track, and it differs slightly by track, so check the live call before you prepare your files.

The documents the calls ask for include:

• Online application form, completed in the grants.at system.
• Curriculum vitae, listing your education, research experience, publications if any, and work history.
• Research proposal or project description, stating the question, the method, the work plan for the stay in Austria, and the expected outcome.
• Confirmation of supervision or an invitation letter from your Austrian host institution or supervisor, confirming that the stay is agreed and that the supervisor will host you.
• Degree certificates and transcripts for your completed degrees, and proof of enrollment if you are a PhD student.
• Copy of your passport.
• Letters of recommendation from academic referees who know your research work.

Start the supervisor search early. Finding an Austrian professor who agrees to host your project can take weeks of emails, and the supervision confirmation is a required document, not an optional extra. Write a short, specific message to each professor: who you are, what your project is, why their group fits it, and what you would do during the stay. A generic mass email gets ignored. A short, focused message that shows you read their work gets answered.

10. Selection Criteria

The OeAD assesses applications on academic merit, on the quality and feasibility of the research project, and on the strength of the host supervisor’s support. A project that is clear, realistic for the length of the stay, and well matched to the host institution’s work scores better than a broad project with no clear plan. Your academic record and your research experience support the proposal, and the supervisor’s confirmation shows that the stay is real and agreed.

The selection also weighs the fit between your background and the project. A PhD student whose thesis topic matches the Austrian group’s work has a stronger case than an applicant whose project has no link to the host. The OeAD does not publish a scoring formula, so do not look for one. Put your effort into a proposal that a reader can understand in one sitting: a clear question, a method you can carry out in the time available, and a result you can name at the end.

Results for the Worldwide call are reported in the months after the deadline. The exact announcement date is stated in the live grants.at call, so check it there rather than relying on a date from a third-party site. If you are selected, the OeAD will send you instructions on acceptance, insurance, accommodation, and the residence permit process.

11. How to Apply – Step by Step

Follow the steps below for the track that fits you. The supervisor search comes first, because the rest of the application depends on it.

1. Pick the track that fits your status and nationality: Worldwide for PhD students, postgraduates, and postdocs; Fachhochschule for undergraduates and graduates from non-European universities; Follow-Up for former OeAD holders; ASEA-UNINET only if you are from one of the five member countries.
2. Find an Austrian supervisor or host institution. Search Austrian university department pages for professors in your field, read their recent work, and write to them with a short proposal. Agree on the research plan and ask for the confirmation of supervision.
3. Create an account on grants.at, the OeAD scholarship database, and open the call for your track.
4. Prepare your documents: CV, research proposal, supervision confirmation, degree certificates and transcripts, passport copy, and letters of recommendation. Check the exact list in the live call.
5. Complete the online form and upload your documents. Submit before the deadline for your track: 1 December 2026 for Worldwide, 1 February 2027 for the Fachhochschule and Follow-Up tracks, and 1 March 2027 for ASEA-UNINET.
6. Wait for the result, and follow the OeAD instructions on acceptance, insurance, accommodation, and the residence permit if you are selected.

Do not wait until the last week to contact supervisors. Professors answer slowly, and a supervision confirmation that arrives after the deadline is useless. Start the search at least two months before the deadline, and keep a list of the professors you contacted and the replies you received.

12. Deadline

The four tracks close on different dates. Here are the confirmed deadlines for the 2027/28 academic year, published on the official OeAD overview page and in the current calls.

Track	Deadline
Ernst Mach Grant – Worldwide	1 December 2026 (online application open September to 1 December)
Ernst Mach Grant – Fachhochschule	1 February 2027 (online application open October to 1 February)
Ernst Mach Follow-Up Grant	1 February 2027 (online application open September to 1 February)
Ernst Mach Grant – ASEA-UNINET	1 March 2027 (music practice: 15 December 2026)

The Worldwide deadline is the one most often listed wrongly. Many websites still show 1 February 2027, based on earlier years. The OeAD moved the deadline for the 2027/28 call forward to 1 December 2026, and the official OeAD overview page confirms that the online application is possible from September to December 1st. If you are applying for the Worldwide track, treat 1 December 2026 as the deadline and do not plan around February. Stays funded in this call take place in the 2027/28 academic year, which starts in September 2027.

Check every date and rule in the live call before you apply. The official OeAD overview page is oead.at Ernst Mach Grant, and applications are submitted through the OeAD scholarship database at grants.at. The OeAD homepage is oead.at.