How to apply

Step 1:

1. Organise the admission of your host university: you need an official admission letter (incl. signature and/or stamp of the host university or a digitally verifiable certificate)

Step 2:

Benefit from our advisory services and visit the online consultation hours of the Joint Study coordinator if you are planning to apply for the scholarship. Please note that for your application the online consultation hour must be visited at least once.

1. see Step 1
2. Download the application form
3. Create the financial plan
4. Organise a travel cost calculation; including a screen shot from the flight costs from the website of the airline
5. 2 recommendation letters of habilitated professors (O.Prof., Ao.Prof., Univ.Prof., Priv.Doz.). (The BOKUonline business card of the professor shows a registered teaching authorisation.)
   The professors must not be from the same institute. (Students who have not completed their Bachelor studies at BOKU can bring two letters of recommendation from the same institute.) The professors must not be member of the Study Abroad Advisory Board (Auslandsbeirat). Please find an instruction how to fill out the recommendation letters.
6. Transcript of Records BSc and MSc (BOKUonline: transcripts/weighted by ECTS credits /Valid Document: Create valid document. Transcript must include: digital signature of BOKU and "grade average, weighted by ECTS credits")
7. Degree certificates
8. Curriculum Vitae (in English)
9. Motivation letter (in English) with a study plan.
   The motivation letter is a central document in the application. Make writing this letter a priority. In English. Describe why you want to do a semester abroad at your chosen university and what academic advantages, opportunities, etc. you will get from it. Focus on the host university you’ve chosen and the courses you plan to take there.

10. List of equivalent courses

    The list must be signed before the application deadline by the lecturer of the BOKU course, the coordinator AND the dean of studies. Incompletely uploaded equivalence lists will not be accepted!

     

You need the list of equivalence courses for the allowance of the courses you will complete abroad. The courses have to be affirmed by the programme coordinators and the Dean.

Programme coordinators:

Search at the website of the partner university for courses.

You have to choose a full semester study load.

If you want to have compulsory courses as equivalents to your courses you complete abroad, the lecturer of the compulsory course has to sign the equivalent on the list of equivalent courses.

If you just want elective courses as equivalents the signature of the programme coordinator is sufficient. The list of equivalent courses has to be signed by the Dean.

If the committee nominates you for another university as you have chosen you have to repeat this procedure for the new university.

11.   The proof of foreign languages: Spanish or English III or language examination at BOKU-International Relations (sprachkurse(at)boku.ac.at).

12.   Submit the application material at BOKU-International Relations

Cancellation Fee: 50 Euro - From October 2026: 70 Euro
If you decide to cancel your application after submission of your documents, we will ask you for an administrative fee of 50 Euros - from October 2026: 70 Euros. Exceptions: severe illness (including medical certificate), travel advisory from the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, severe illness or death of a close relative.

Deadlines

January 7, 2026 (11:59pm)
March 16, 2026 (11:59pm)          
May 26, 2026 (11:59pm)
September 30, 2026 (11:59pm)

Documents must be submitted in full by the submission deadline. Departure may only take place after the submission deadline.

Within one week, you will receive feedback by e-mail as to whether your application is complete.  Within approx. 5 weeks from the submission deadline, you will receive an e-mail on the decision of the Study Abroad Advisory Board. 

Documents:

• Admission letter of the host university
• Application form
• Motivation Letter (in English)
• Curriculum Vitae (in English)
• 2 recommendation letters of habilitated professors of BOKU (O.Prof., Ao.Prof., Univ.Prof., Priv.Doz., Assoc. Prof.)
• Language certificate (at least English III and accordingly Spanish III for La Molina); Can also be the language examination of BOKU-International Relations
• Transcripts of records of the bachelor and master studies in English including the weighted grade point average
• Degree Certificates
• List of equivalent courses
• Travel costs calculation

The application material has to be submitted at BOKU-International Relations in time for the relevant deadline. Please online hand in PDF documents.

Uncompleted, unreadable or delayed application material will not be considered!

Awarding:

The international committee considers the nomination. The international committee is composed of the head of the BOKU-International Relations and one deputy of each study programme.

The following criteria are assessed:
•    Study process (duration and grade point average)
•    Motivation and preparation of the study intent
•    Language skills
•    Overall impression of the applicants

The motivation is very important. You have to argue why you choose a certain destination and why you choose certain courses.

Step 3:

13. If you have submitted your completed application in time, the Study Abroad Advisory Board decides about your nomination within about four weeks.

14. You will get a written answer via mail including the declaration acceptance letter. The original declaration acceptance letter has to be submitted to BOKU-International Relations via E-Mail.

Step 4:

15. Apply for a visa at the embassy or consulate