Fulbright Austria (the Austrian-American Educational Commission) offers one grant a year in this category within the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, first awarded for 2024–25.
The grantee spends October to June in full-time study or research in music, performing arts or visual arts, enrolled at the Austrian public university named in the proposal.
Benefits & funding
- €1,300 a month for nine months (October–June) and a €2,000 travel and relocation allowance
- Tuition waived at the designated public university; accident and sickness cover up to US$100,000
- A supplementary grant: other funds are needed; no support for dependents
- 12 months of US federal non-competitive hiring eligibility
Eligibility
- US citizens or nationals at the deadline; permanent residents are not eligible; dual nationals only in special circumstances with exceptional proposals
- A bachelor’s degree conferred before the grant, or four years of professional arts training or experience; any level up to PhD candidates; PhD holders are not eligible
- Intermediate German by the grant start
- Full enrolment at an accredited Austrian public university; private study alone is not funded
- Not eligible: six months or more living in Austria in the year before the grant, or five of the six years before the deadline spent abroad
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
“Applicants must have a conferred bachelor's degree or equivalent before the start of the grant period. … In the creative and performing arts fields, four years of professional training and/or experience meets the basic eligibility requirement. … Applicants who currently hold or will hold a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) by the national application deadline. … Anyone who has resided abroad for five or more years in the six-year period preceding the national application deadline. … Residency in host country NOT permitted in year prior to grant” Eligibility
Eligible nationalities
USA
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Application process
- 1Contact Austrian music or art professors and obtain a letter of invitation; an application without it is incomplete.
- 2Apply online in Creative and Performing Arts with your field’s portfolio (conductors also document piano), German language evaluations and three recommendations by 6 October 2026, 17:00 ET (Fulbright Austria lists 7 October).
- 3Gain university admission: some schools require an audition or entrance exam, or you may enter as an exchange student with an invitation; auditions are competitive and may need a February trip to Austria at your own cost.
Program timeline
31 March 2026
2027–28 applications opened
deadline (closed)
6 October 2026
recommended / not recommended notice
End of January 2027
final selections
March–June 2027
1 October 2027 – 30 June 2028
grant period (orientation late September)