Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management Scholarship 2026

The Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (ITH) sits in Salzburg’s Klessheim Palace, and since 1965 it has built a genuine international reputation training tourism and hospitality professionals — more than 2,500 international students have passed through its programmes, backed by Austria’s own standing as a country globally recognised for excellence in hospitality and sustainable tourism.

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The Austrian Development Cooperation partners with ITH specifically to open a limited number of scholarship places each year to applicants from developing countries, with the explicit goal of training professionals who’ll return home and strengthen tourism and hospitality capacity there. If you’re checking this now, this cycle has fully closed — applications ran from September 2025 through 6 February 2026, results reached applicants by April 2026, and the Diploma Course itself starts 7 September 2026. This post explains exactly how the scholarship and programme work, and what to prepare for the next application window, expected to open again around September 2026.

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Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management Scholarship Summary

About the Tourism and Hotel Management Scholarship

ADC offers roughly 30 scholarships each year across its priority countries, and the broader pool of developing nations eligible under the OECD DAC list, and the Institute itself is explicit about one thing worth understanding upfront: being from an eligible country makes you eligible to apply, not eligible to receive the scholarship. ADC and ITH describe the process as genuinely and deliberately competitive, not a formality once basic eligibility is confirmed.

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The nine-month Diploma Course itself runs from early September through the end of May the following year, combining classroom-based management education with practical, hands-on training reflecting real hospitality industry operations — not a purely theoretical academic programme.

Within the curriculum, students choose between two elective specialisations: Teacher Training or Entrepreneurship, allowing you to shape the programme somewhat toward your own longer-term career direction, whether that’s returning home to train the next generation of hospitality professionals or building your own tourism-related venture. A three-month industrial placement may also be available after the diploma itself concludes, extending the practical, applied dimension of the programme beyond the classroom component.

What the Scholarship Actually Covers

• Tuition fees, for the full nine-month Diploma Course
• Course materials, provided throughout the programme
• Health insurance, covering the duration of your studies in Austria
• Food on school days, though worth noting this specifically covers days you’re attending the programme, not a blanket meal allowance for every day of the week
• Excursions and social events, integrated into the programme’s broader learning and cultural experience
• Monthly pocket money, contributing toward personal expenses beyond the core covered costs — figures cited around €2,460 in total living stipend across some cycles, though confirm the current exact figure directly with ITH
• Partial accommodation costs, meaning housing support is real but not complete — you’ll need to budget for a remaining accommodation gap yourself

This is genuinely a partially funded scholarship, not a fully funded one, and that distinction matters practically: ITH requires successful applicants to pay a deposit — cited around €1,500, covering both a general deposit and a housing contribution — before receiving their formal admission letter. This is a real, upfront cost you need to be able to cover before your place is confirmed, not something deducted from stipend payments after arrival.

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Eligibility Requirements

• You must be 35 years old or younger
• You must be a citizen of an ADC priority country, or of another developing country on the OECD DAC list — ADC priority countries have historically included nations like Uganda, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Bhutan, Mozambique, Georgia, the Palestinian Territories, Moldova, and Armenia, though this specific list can shift by cycle, so confirm the current list directly on ITH’s official scholarship page
• You must meet ITH’s standard admission requirements for the Diploma Course, independent of the scholarship itself
• You must submit a genuinely complete application by the stated deadline — incomplete or late applications aren’t accepted
• You must be able to pay the required deposit and your share of accommodation costs, since the scholarship covers tuition and core living support but not the full cost of housing

The eligibility detail worth being financially realistic about: even as a successful scholarship recipient, you need real, upfront funds available for the deposit and your partial accommodation contribution before you can actually take up your place. This isn’t a scholarship where every cost is deferred or covered entirely by the award itself.

Required Documents

• A completed online application form, submitted through ITH’s official web portal during the application window
• Academic and admission documents, satisfying ITH’s standard Diploma Course entry requirements
• A motivation letter
• A motivation video, giving the selection committee a more direct sense of your genuine interest and communication ability beyond the written application
• English or German translations of any documents not already in one of these languages, where required

How to Apply

1. Review ITH’s programme and admission information directly on the official ITH Salzburg website.
2. Get information about ITH and the scholarship from an Austrian consulate or embassy if you want an additional verification point beyond the website itself.
3. Prepare all required documents, including your motivation letter and video.
4. Submit your application online through ITH’s official web application form, available typically from September through early February each cycle.
5. Watch for a confirmation email verifying your application has been received and processed.
6. Monitor your email for updates — ITH states results are communicated no later than April following the February deadline.
7. If selected, you’ll receive a formal letter of acceptance and need to pay the required deposit and accommodation contribution.
8. Begin your visa application process promptly after receiving your acceptance letter, given the practical timeline between an April notification and a September programme start.

How to Prepare for the Next Application Cycle

With this cycle closed and the diploma course starting within weeks, the coming months are for building toward the next window, expected to open around September 2026:

• Confirm your country’s current status on the ADC priority list or the broader OECD DAC developing countries list, since this list can shift between cycles — don’t assume your country’s eligibility from a previous year automatically carries forward.
• Start saving toward the deposit and accommodation contribution now, given that this is a real, upfront cost you need to cover even as a successful scholarship recipient — don’t assume the full cost of attendance is covered simply because you’re awarded the scholarship.
• Draft your motivation letter and video early, given how genuinely competitive ADC and ITH describe this selection process — a generic statement of interest in hospitality is unlikely to stand out against a genuinely specific, well-considered application.
• Decide in advance which elective — Teacher Training or Entrepreneurship — genuinely fits your career direction, since this shapes part of your programme experience and is worth reflecting in your application’s stated goals.
• Watch the official ITH Salzburg scholarship page directly, since the application window has historically opened around September each year, running through early February.

Deadline

The 2026-2027 application window ran from September 2025 through 6 February 2026, and results were communicated to applicants by April 2026 at the latest. The Diploma Course itself runs from 7 September 2026 to 30 May 2027. Based on this cycle’s timing, expect the next application window to open around September 2026, running through early February 2027, though ITH does not guarantee an identical schedule every year. Check the official ITH Salzburg scholarship page (ith-salzburg.at) directly rather than relying on a fixed date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the ITH scholarship fully funded?

No. It’s partially funded — tuition, course materials, health insurance, school-day meals, and monthly pocket money are covered, but accommodation is only partially covered, and a real upfront deposit is required before admission is confirmed.

Can Nigerian students apply?

Eligibility depends on whether Nigeria currently appears on the ADC priority list or the broader OECD DAC developing countries list. Confirm Nigeria’s current status directly on ITH’s official scholarship page before applying.

How competitive is this scholarship?

Genuinely competitive. ADC and ITH state explicitly that being from an eligible country makes you eligible to apply, not guaranteed to receive the scholarship — roughly 30 places are available each year across all eligible countries combined.

What happens if I already missed the 6 February 2026 deadline?

This cycle is closed, and the Diploma Course begins 7 September 2026. Use the coming months to prepare financially for the deposit and accommodation contribution, and to draft a strong application ahead of the next window, expected around September 2026.

What electives are available within the Diploma Course?

Teacher Training or Entrepreneurship, chosen based on your own career interests and direction.

Disclaimer: All scholarship details, deadlines, and figures in this post were verified from official and reported sources as of July 2026. Information is subject to change without notice, including the ADC priority country list, which can shift by cycle. Always confirm the latest details directly on the official ITH Salzburg scholarship page before submitting an application. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management or the Austrian Development Cooperation.

Official Application Portal