International Relations and Mobility Programmes
Scholarship for short time academic research and expert courses abroad (KUWI)
General Information
Scholarship Terms
Application Procedure
Top-Up Application - for students receiving government financial aid (StudienbehilfenbezieherInnen)
To Dos upon Return
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General Information
Students who are currently writing their master's thesis, diploma thesis or dissertation can apply for the 'scholarship for short time academic research and expert courses abroad'. The academic stays can be at any university or research institution worldwide and have to be of additional value to the previously conducted research.Students writing their master's or diploma thesis can receive funding for up to 6 months, and students working on their dissertation can be funded for up to 12 months. The minimum duration of stays abroad has to be 5 days.
The scholarship cannot be used for participation in competitions, congresses, conferences, symposiums, language courses or internships at companies (in case of a work placement, please refer to http://portal.tugraz.at/portal/page/portal/Internationale_Beziehungen/Outgoings).
Scholarship Terms
Monthly Stipend:
A monthly stipend is granted upon the availability of financial means. If you have a regular income of more than € 730,- netto per month, you will receive 50 % of the amount.
(List of stipend amounts)
Travel Allowance:
A travel allowance can be granted upon the availability of financial means. Please note that even though you can apply for KUWI multiple times, the travel allowance will only be granted once. (Should you have received the scholarship during your diploma/master's programme, you can again apply for the travel grant when writing your dissertation.)
The cost of travelling does not have to be presented upon applying for the scholarship.
Students who are awarded a travel allowance have to prove the appropriate use of the granted sum by handing in the original travel documents upon return. For details refer to the section To Dos upon Return.
Expert Courses:
The course costs for expert courses are funded upon availability ot the financial means. Students are refunded 2/3 of the course costs, but a max. of € 1000.-.
Tuition Fee Waiver:
Students who stay abroad for a period of more than 30 days during a semester can apply for their tuition fee at TU Graz to be waived. They only have to pay for the student union fees (ÖH-Beitrag).
Attention: In order to have the tuition fee waived for periods abroad that begin in the summer semester, students have to apply by 5 February; for periods abroad that begin in the winter semester, the latest possible application deadline is 20 October.
Application procedure
Application criteria:
- admittance as a regular student at TU Graz
- minimum age 20 years
- for applicants working on their diploma/master's thesis the maximum age is 30 years; for people with well-founded circumstances (maternity, second-chance education) the maximum age is 35 years
- for applicants working on their dissertation the maximum age is 35 years; for people with well-founded circumstances (maternity, second-chance education) the maximum age is 40 years
- successful completion of 180 ECTS credits in the field of study relevant to the stay abroad; proof of successful completion of the first part of studies (1st Diplomprüfung) or the bachelor degree
- the applicants must not have already started their research stay abroad when applying; applications after the completion of an expert course are not permitted.
Students of fields of study NAWI-programmes or Electrical Engineering and Audio Engineering can only apply for KUWI if TU Graz is their main university. Kindly note the grant possibilities at your university!
Application documents:
- online application
- tabulary CV (dated and signed)
- profound project description about the planned research abroad (max. 2 pages)
- written confirmation of acceptance from the university / research institution abroad; please note that the exact period of stay has to be mentioned in the letter and that TU Graz only accepts confirmations on official university paper, dated, signed and stamped (emails cannot be accepted!).
- 2letters of recommendation written by (habilitated) professors at TU Graz.
--> Exception - Field of study Architecture: the letters of recommendation can also be issued by academic assistants in university teaching positions
--> one letter of recommendation has to be issued by the supervisor of the academic paper - copy of the 1st diploma certificate or degree certificate (notice of award)
- for students in a diploma or master programme: a 'Transcript of records' listing all successfully completed courses at TU Graz, issued by the admissions office
- for applicants planning on attending an expert course: proof of course costs
- if applicable: Tuition Fee Waiver / Refund of Tuition Fee
Application deadlines:
20 October
5 February
5 May
The complete application package has to be handed in at the Office of International Relations and Mobility Programmes by the above mentioned deadlines. Should the application deadline be a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next working day.
Applications which are not handed in on time will not be considered in the application round and are put on hold until the next application date.
Top-Up Application for students receiving government financial aid
Students receiving government financial aid have to apply for Financial Aid for Studying Abroad at the resonsible authorites (Studienbeihilfenbehörde) in due time. Should the awarded financial aid for studying abroad be less than what the TU Graz awards nominated students, students can apply for a Top-Up scholarship.
Application documents for the Top-Up Scholarship:
Please note that the Office of International Relations and Mobilits Programmes only accepts complete applications!
- online application
- profound project description about the planned research abroad (max. 2 pages)
- one letter of recommendation written by the supervisor of the academic paper at TU Graz.
--> Exception: Field of study Architecture: the letter of recommendation can also be issued by academic assistants in university teaching positions.
- written confirmation of acceptance from the university/research institution abroad; please note that the exact period of stay has to be mentioned in the letter and that TU Graz only accepts confirmations on official university paper, dated, signed and stamped (emails cannot be accepted!)
- copy of the 1st diploma certificate / bachelor certificate
- copy of the notifcation from the 'Studienbeihilfenbehörde' of the financial aid granted
- for students in a diploma or master programme: a 'Transcript of records' listing all successfully completed courses at TU Graz, issued by the admissions office
- if applicable: Tuition Fee Waiver / Refund of Tuition Fee
- for applicants planning on attending an expert course: proof of course costs
ToDos upon Return
Within 2 months after returning, the following documents have to be handed in at the Office of International Relations and Mobility Programmes:
- confirmation of stay from the host institution stating the actual exact period of stay (official paper, dated, signed, stamped, emails cannot be accepted)
- report (template available here)
- copy of the recognition form (signed by the supervisor of the academic paper at TU Graz) --> not for expert courses abroad!
- travel allowance: proof of the appropriate use of the granted sum by handing in the original travel documents (airline: paper ticket/e-ticket, boarding passes, passenger receipt; train ticket, etc.) including the statement of payment (credit card statement)
Please note that the scholarship and travel allowance can only be granted if the above-mentioned documents are handed in. ATTENTION: New from the 5 February application round on: TU Graz only reimburses travel costs after handing in the required documents!
