Scholarships and Student Financial Aid in Austria

Studienbeihilfe: the state study grant

Studienbeihilfe is Austria's main state grant, paid monthly to students who meet income, academic progress and citizenship conditions. The maximum monthly amount depends on your age, living situation and family status, and rises each year with inflation adjustments made every September 1. For the 2026/27 academic year, the maximum reaches around 1,151 euros a month, up from about 1,121 euros in 2025/26, according to figures reported by Arbeiten und Studieren , which tracks Austrian student aid policy.

Eligibility for non-Austrian EU/EEA citizens is not automatic. You qualify on equal terms with Austrian citizens if you or a parent count as a migrant worker in Austria, if you already had strong ties to the Austrian education or social system before starting your degree, or if you hold the EU right of permanent residence after five continuous years of legal residence in Austria. Students from outside the EU/EEA generally do not qualify, with limited exceptions such as recognized refugees.

Apply through stipendium.at , run by the Studienbeihilfenbehörde (Study Grant Authority), which also runs an online calculator so you can check your likely amount before applying. There is also an earnings limit if you work alongside your studies: exceed it and your grant reduces or stops, set at 17,212 euros for calendar year 2025 and 17,677 euros for 2026.

University performance scholarships

Every Austrian public university and Fachhochschule can pay its own Leistungsstipendium (performance scholarship) to students with excellent grades, independent of financial need. You typically need a grade average around 2.0 or better across your exams to qualify, and the award ranges from about 750 to 1,500 euros, based on figures reported by Finanzinfo.at . Apply directly through your university's student services office, since rules and exact amounts vary by institution.

A related option, the Förderungsstipendium, supports students working on a thesis or research project with above-average results, covering costs like materials, travel or conference attendance up to roughly 5,000 euros. Both scholarships come from your own institution's budget, not a national fund, so check your university's own scholarship page for its specific call and deadline.

Erasmus+ and exchange funding

If you move to Austria for a semester or year through an exchange agreement rather than a full degree, Erasmus+ pays a monthly grant on top of any tuition waiver your exchange agreement includes. Your home university's international office sets and pays this grant, since amounts are decided by each country's Erasmus+ national agency and vary by group of destination countries, so check with your home institution's Erasmus+ coordinator for your specific rate.

Other routes worth checking

• Family allowance (Familienbeihilfe): a separate child/family benefit some students remain eligible for during study, paid to the family rather than a scholarship in its own right

• OeAD scholarship portal: the national agency OeAD manages a wide portfolio of grants, though most flagship inbound programs such as the Ernst Mach Grant target students and researchers from outside Europe rather than intra-European mobility

• University-specific need-based hardship funds, available at some institutions for students facing sudden financial difficulty, check your student union (ÖH) office

How to plan your application

1. Check the stipendium.at calculator early to see if Studienbeihilfe eligibility applies to you as an EU citizen

2. Keep your grades strong from your first semester, since Leistungsstipendium eligibility depends on your academic record

3. Ask your host university's ÖH or student services office directly about internal scholarships not listed nationally

4. If moving via exchange, start your Erasmus+ paperwork with your home university months before departure