- The Marshall Plan Foundation promotes academic exchange between students from Austria and the USA
- For research stays in the context of a bachelor's, master's thesis or dissertation at US universities
- Important: You have to find a supervisor at a US host institution yourself and submit an invitation letter with the exact dates of stay when you apply for the scholarship at the University of Graz!
Application Deadline:
- March 31 (for research stays starting in August the earliest)
- September 30 (for research stays starting in February the earliest)
Programme officer
Contact person for master's and doctoral students:
Christa Grassauer
Universitätsplatz 3, 8010 Graz
Phone:+43 316 380 - 1254
E-Mail: incoming.exchange(at)uni-graz.at
Contact person for Post-doctoral researchers
Mediha Ohranovic, BA. MA.
Strassoldogasse 10, 8010 Graz
Phone:+43 (0)316 380 - 2214
E-Mail: staffmobility(at)uni-graz.at
Duration of stay
- from 3 months actual research stay (without arrival and departure)
Requirements
- Admission for a regular study programme at the University of Graz (=Stammuniversität, main admission)
- Corresponding field of study
- At least 2 semesters completed at the University of Graz
- Excellent academic record
- Excellent knowledge of English
- Permanent residence and center of vital interests in Austria
Application documents
Submission of the following documents in original to the program officer in the International Office. In addition, send all application documents scanned in a PDF document to incoming.exchange(at)uni-graz.at.
Please submit the required documents in English!
- Application form
- Letter of motivation (max. 2 pages)
- Tabular curriculum vitae
- Well-founded project description, template (min. 1,500 - max. 2,500 words) incl.
- Title of the research work
- Brief description of the research topic
- General objectives
- Detailed problem statement
- Methodological considerations
- Work steps
- Benefits/relevance/expected results
- 2 letters of recommendation from professors of the University of Graz from the compulsory or elective subject area. For diploma students/dissertation students: One of the letters of recommendation must be from the supervisor of the scientific work. The letters of recommendation have to be handed over to the applicant in a sealed envelope and will be enclosed with the application.
- List of publications and/or list of lectures (optional)
- Proof of admission to a regular course of study at the University of Graz (printouts from UNIGRAZonline: current study sheet and confirmation of studies)
- Proof of academic achievement / Transcript of Records of the courses completed so far (printout from UNIGRAZonline)
- Letter of Acceptance from a US university stating the exact period of stay (official letterhead and signature, no emails or scans)
Financial support
- €4.000,- to €10.000,- (according to length of stay)
An expert committee will select the best candidates after the application period has expired.
Selected scholarship holders will receive a contract from the Marshall Plan Foundation (MPS), which have to be signed and returned to MPS. You have to hand in a copy of the contract at the Office of International Relations.
The scholarship is paid out in two installments. Payment will be made as soon as the following documents have been submitted to the Office of International Relations:
- Copy of your US-visa
- Copy of adequate health and accident insurance, including repatriation and repatriation guarantee, as well as adequate liability insurance for the entire duration of the stay in the USA
The second installment will be paid after the stay after submitting the relevant documents.
You must notify the programme officer at the Office of International Relations of any change to the points specified in the contract immediately (e.g. dates of stay, changes to the title of the research paper, etc.) , as these must be approved by MPS. Changes that have not been approved can lead to financial consequences!
Submit the following documents to the programme officer within 3 months of completing your stay abroad.
Post-stay documents:
- Final Report = Research Paper (min. 7,500 words, excluding title page and table of contents) template
- Field report (max. 2 pages) template
- Confirmation of stay from the host institution with exact dates of stay according to the application (official letterhead and signature, no e-mails or scans)
- Flight tickets & Boarding passes for travel to and from the host institution
- Assessment of the research paper and the research undertaken in the USA as part of the MPS scholarship by the supervisor at the University of Graz in the original with signature
Paper presentation deadline: Scholarship holders consent to the publication of their research work on the website of the Marshall Plan Foundation. If necessary, it is possible to arrange a later date of publication under the following conditions:
- Application for a retention period of up to 3 years: the request must be accompanied by a signed statement from the student, as well as a signed statement by the supervisor at University of Graz on an official university letter head (originals),stating the duration of the requested retention period and the reasons why this is necessary.
- Application for a retention period of more than 3 years: The request must be accompanied by a signed statement by the student as well as a signed statement by the supervisor at University of Graz on official university letter head (originals) stating the duration of the requested retention period and the reasons why this is necessary. Furthermore, the student must provide a 1,000 word summary (excl. Title page, content page and references) for immediate publication on the website of the Marshall Plan Foundation.