Number of recipients
In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities.
A flexible combination of teaching and research activities that entails teaching at least two courses (classes meet once a week for 90 minutes) and may include advising or supervising advanced students. The format and content of individual courses as well as research objectives are negotiated on a consensual basis with the host institution, contingent upon its needs and the grantee's interests and expertise.
Faculty of Social Sciences
University of Vienna
To learn more about Vienna, visit Austria's official travel portal.
Grants must begin in late September 2026 or late February 2027 in line with the Austrian academic year and the mandatory orientation. Grant activities at the host institution will begin on October 1, 2026 or March 1, 2027 and end on January 31, 2027 or June 30, 2027 respectively.
Applications are sought in the following disciplines of social science: communication, political science, social and cultural anthropology, sociology, science and technology studies, nursing science, development studies, and demography. The University of Vienna is seeking scholars to work with one or more of its departments associated with the Faculty of Social Sciences and is particularly interested in approaches that might foster collaboration among the departments responsible for the above mentioned disciplines.
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
Instruction will be in English. Some knowledge of German is advantageous but not required.
If German is required to complete the proposed research project, proficiency must be documented in the project proposal.
This award is open to academics with required terminal degrees, career profile, and teaching experience in relevant fields.
Faculty of Social Sciences
University of Vienna
In case of questions about this award at the Faculty of Social Sciences, applicants may contact Dr. Roman Pfefferle.
To view alumni who have received this award, please visit Fulbright Austria's website.
This award is generously funded by the University of Vienna.
€5,000 per month (approx. $5,500; exchange rates may fluctuate) for four months
All grantees receive a travel and relocation allowance of €1,000 (approx. $1,100; exchange rates may fluctuate).
For an estimated overview of the cost of living in Austria, please click here.
Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State and the Fulbright Commission in the host country reserve the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.
Fulbright Austria offers up to 23 awards. The majority of awards are anchored at specific Austrian institutions and correspondingly dedicated to host institutions' specific fields of interest, ranging from natural and life sciences, engineering, and business and economics to the social sciences, arts, and humanities. Fulbright Austria hosts two US scholar cohorts per year, with the majority of scholars arriving in spring.
In recent years, Austria has established itself as one of the top-ten destinations for Fulbright US Scholars, a success which is largely due to the excellent partnerships the Austrian Fulbright commission has built with institutions across the country. As enthusiastic supporters of the Fulbright program, Austrian institutions are excited to welcome US scholars to their campuses and to expand their professional networks.
Please note that Austrian institutions will be on summer break from July 1 until September 30. If you contact faculty and staff, please consider that turnaround times will potentially be longer as of early July.
Fulbright Austria (the Austrian-American Educational Commission) evaluates proposals in terms of their potential to fulfill the program's mandate of promoting mutual understanding between the peoples of Austria and the United States. Proposals for flexible combinations of teaching and research will be evaluated for their scholarly excellence, comparative approaches, bilateral relevance and potential for establishing or enhancing institutional relationships. As a rule, the quality of an applicant's proposal is more important to the Austrian-American Educational Commission than the academic rank of the applicant.
Fulbright Austria expects applicants to take all possible measures to avoid plagiarism. For resources on plagiarism, please visit these external resources:
• The Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research’s Best Practice Guide for Research Integrity and Ethics
• The Austrian Agency for Research Integrity’s website
Grantees to Austria are responsible for costs related to obtaining a visa in the US (processing fees, hotel, travel, etc.).
In country, the first grant payment will be disbursed at the start of the grantee's assignment, pending submission of the Austrian bank information form. Bank processing times for the first grant payment may take up to two weeks from the date of submission. Grantees should be prepared to cover their own expenses for this period. No dependent support is available.
For an estimated overview of the cost of living in Austria, please visit: https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/austria.
For further information on life in Austria, please visit the U.S. Embassy Vienna's website and the Austrian Embassy Washington's website.
Dr. Franziska Brunner, Scholar Program Officer
Fulbright Austria (Austrian-American Educational Commission):
Email: fbrunner@fulbright.at
Address: Fulbright Austria, MQ, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, Austria
Website: www.fulbright.at
To view the alumni who have awards to Austria, please visit the grant pages on Fulbright Austria's website at https://www.fulbright.at/programs/in-austria/scholars.
Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.