Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) Scholarships

The Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) is a fund of the Republic of Austria and a partner of the federal government in promoting integration.

The ÖIF was founded in 1960 by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BM.I) under the name "Refugee Fund of the United Nations". The Hungarian crisis of 1956 and the associated wave of refugees made it clear that Austria needs an appropriate institutional framework to take care of refugees.

After it was spun off from the BM.I in 1991, 2002 marked a milestone in the history of the ÖIF. From this point on, the ÖIF's performance profile was specifically expanded and since then the ÖIF has been jointly responsible for the implementation of the integration agreement. In this context, the ÖIF handles German exams across Austria at various language levels and evaluates German integration courses for ongoing quality assurance.

With integration centers in Vienna, St. Pölten, Eisenstadt, Linz, Graz, Salzburg, Klagenfurt, Innsbruck and Bregenz as well as mobile advice centers in municipalities, the ÖIF supports refugees and immigrants in their integration process in Austria with advice and information.