The Scholarship Programme
If you would like to work on part of your Bachelor’s or Master‘s thesis or a research project at TU Graz, and your home university is located in the USA, you are eligible to apply for a Marshall Plan Scholarship (MPS).
The Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation is a foundation that was established as a result of the Federal Foundation and Fund Act. The MPS program is a scholarship program that provides support for the academic exchange of students from Austria and the USA. Therefore, 1,000 students from the USA and Austria will receive support to study abroad during the period of 2008-2017.
Stipends for 3,000-10,000 euros are granted for stays of at least three months at a higher education institution in the other country, with the expectation that the research is pursued during this period. The exchange program should enable students to return to their homeland after the study period with a ‘broader perspective’ and ‘new respect for different views’.
Application Requirements
- You are a registered student at a university in the USA
- Your stay at TU Graz must last at least 3 months and no more than 10 months (not including the days you arrive and leave)
Application Procedure
In order to apply for a Marshall Plan Scholarship at TU Graz, you first need a supervisor at TU Graz. You need a supervisor for your research stay at TU Graz.
With a confirmation of a supervisor, you can apply with the required documents for a Marshall plan Scholarship at TU Graz. Make sure to hand in all documents listed; only completed applications can be processed. The application for the scholarship has to be done online.
You have to send your personal details to the programme coordinator of the Marshall Plan Scholarship at TU Graz, Karin Leber to receive the access data for the application!
More details regarding the programme and the application process can be found in the Fact Sheet.
Application Deadlines
Each year, there are two deadlines:
- 30 September (your stay at TU Graz can begin at earliest in February)
- 31 March (your stay at TU Graz can begin at earliest in August)
ATTENTION: when you need help finding a supervisor at TU Graz, you need to contact the responsible person at TU Graz two months before the application deadline.
Application Steps – Step 1
For the scholarship you need a supervisor at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz). In a first step you should try to find a supervisor with a rough idea of your research topic/project. The details of your research project should be worked out with your supervisor at TU Graz.
The International Office can assist you in your search for a supervisor. If you need support in finding a supervisor, please contact karin.leber@tugraz.at within at least 2 months before the application deadline.
Application Steps – Step 2
In order to apply for a Marshall Plan Scholarship at TU Graz, you first need to register with TU Graz. You have to send following data to karin.leber@tugraz.at:
- first name, last name
- email address
- date of birth
- gender (male, female)
- home institution (university)
- duration of stay from-till (at least 3 months, not including the days of arrival and departure)
Application Steps – Step 3
After the registration you have to upload the following application documents through the application database (link provided after step 2):
- photo/portrait
- CV (curriculum vitae)
- letter of motivation (maximum 2 pages)
- why do you want to do research at TU Graz?
- what is your expectation (benefit)
- detailed research topic/project description in English (minimum 1700 words, 2,500 words maximum )
Content/headlines of the project description:- name of your supervisor at TU Graz and your supervisor at the US university
- titel of the research project
- short description of reserach agenda
- general goals and objectives
- detailed description of research problem
- methodological considerations
- workflow
- relevance and expected results
- Confirmation of supervision from a supervisor at TU Graz
- Copy of your transcript of records
- Proof of registration at your home university
- Bachelor‘s degree certificate (optional)
- Letter of recommendation (optional)
- List of publications (optional)
Additional information about the application procedure will be provided after the first registration (step 2).
Nomination
If you have handed in all application documents, TU Graz will do a ranking and nominate the applicants to the Marshall Plan Foundation.
Before Arriving in Graz – Scholarship Payment
The Marshall Plan Foundation is responsible for granting the stipends.
Once your grant has been awarded, you will be sent the grant contract by the Marshall Plan Foundation. You must sign the contract and send it back to the Marshall Plan Foundation.
The stipend is paid out in 2 installments. The first installment represents 80% of your stipend, and the second installment, the remaining 20% of the stipend. The first installment will be paid out before your stay, once you have submitted the following documents:
- Copy of the visa
- Copy of a health insurance policy that covers you during your stay in Austria
The second installment will be paid after your stay, once you have completed the To Do items listed under After Your Stay.
Your Stay in Graz and at TU Graz
Prior to your arrival
Find information about your visa, housing, and much more under Preparing for your Stay Abroad.
At the beginning of your stay
You need to complete some bureaucratic tasks after you have arrived in Graz. Visit the Welcome Events in order to understand what you must do after your arrival.
During your stay
To make your stay and life in our beautiful city of Graz and in Austria easier, we have put together some information about the local conditions and tips to improve everyday life: Life in Graz
After Your Stay
Within 2 months at most after the end of your stay, you need to hand in documents in order to bring your stay in Graz to a close.
Send the scanned documents via email (as PDF attachments) to Karin Leber.
Documents to Submit After Your Stay
- A confirmation about your actual duration of stay issued by your advisor at TU Graz. The confirmation cannot e sent via email. It needs to be on official letterhead including signature and stamp.
- Your research paper in English that has been accredited by TU Graz. It needs to be at least 8500 words excluding title page, table of contents and sources etc.
- In case the title of your research has changed, a short statement written by you and your advisor at TU Graz.
- Report in English (maximum 2 pages) including:
- General impression of your research stay abroad
- Quality of the host institution
- Contacts within the host institution, inclusion in the organization
- Recommendations for future Marshall Plan students and fellows
- Contact email after completion of research stay
- Statement of your supervisor at TU Graz to assure the quality of the scientific research paper
