Head to the Countryside for a Semester with RURASMUS

RURASMUS is back for the 2027 summer semester!

During a RURASMUS semester, you’ll work on and conduct research into an exciting topic and make an important contribution to the future development of a community or region. You’ll not only change the perspectives of local residents, but also gain important skills for the future.

What exactly does the “Countryside Semester” entail?

• Who? RURASMUS is looking for dedicated, independent students of planning sciences: architecture, spatial planning, urban and regional planning, urban studies, urban design, and all similar disciplines or fields of study that deal with space and people.
• Free housing and workspace: Housing and a workspace in the RURASMUS community are provided free of charge.
• Local support from “buddies”: In every RURASMUS community, there are “buddies” who help students quickly integrate into the community and support them in carrying out their projects.
• Networking and exchange: There are regular opportunities for networking and exchange with other students to share experiences and ideas.
• Ideal for theses: RURASMUS is particularly well-suited for practice-oriented bachelor’s and master’s theses conducted in a rural context.

What projects are available in the summer of 2027?

• St. Gallen (Styria, Austria): Housing+ in the Town Center
  How can housing become a driving force for revitalizing the town center?
• Neufelden (Upper Austria/Austria): KIRCHENGRÄTZL: Concerns for Tomorrow!?
  How can a historically grown alley be transformed into a cross-generational, caring neighborhood where housing, care, social interaction, and health care are intertwined?
• Bad Leonfelden (Upper Austria/Austria): OPPORTUNITIES ON THE HORIZON: A Snapshot of the Municipality’s Potential Spaces
  What potential lies in municipally-owned buildings and open spaces if they are shared more wisely, used for multiple purposes, and opened up to new target groups?
• Weyer (Upper Austria/Austria): DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS FOR THE OLD SCHOOLYARD
  The Old Schoolyard on Unterer Markt is to be reimagined, transforming it from a vacant space into a cross-generational living and gathering place.
• Vorchdorf (Upper Austria/Austria): From a New Building to a Vibrant Educational Campus
  How can new learning infrastructure be transformed into a space that students, teachers, and school administrators can collectively understand and use?

Information Session: November 5, 2026; click here to register.
Application deadline for an “Aufs-Land Semester”: December 14, 2026
 

You can find more information about the program and the application process here.