The Austrian-American Educational Commission/ Fulbright Austria (AAEC) is one of the 50 bi-national commissions under the Fulbright Program, which exists in order to promote “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the peoples of other countries.”[1] The program was established in 1946 as part of a bill dealing with the liquidation of surplus US assets left in Europe after World War II.
[2] The Fulbright Program fulfills its mission of mutual understanding by facilitating the exchange of students and scholars between countries.
[3] The AAEC provides Fulbright grants for up to 20 recent undergraduates and graduate students from the US to study and engage in research in Austria.
[4] The Austrian American Educational Commission awards Fulbright scholarships to scholars in diverse fields for various time periods, depending upon the individual grant and the strength of the applicant pool in that particular year.
USTAs are American citizens who have completed a bachelor's degree, are under 30 at the time of application, and have an interest in teaching German or English.