Mises University 2025

Rooted in the tradition of Carl Menger and Ludwig von Mises, as well as Murray Rothbard and F.A. Hayek, the Austrian school offers a rigorous and logical approach to economics that gives free markets their due and takes full account of the reality of human choice. More than a field within economics, the Austrian school is an entirely different approach that dissents from the mainstream on method, theory, and policy. It views economic actors as unique, conscious, and freely choosing individuals, not as undifferentiated data to be manipulated mathematically or politically. 

The scholarship application process for Mises University 2021 is now open to full-time college and university students. The deadline for scholarship applications is April 6, with decisions communicated to all applicants by April 13. Economics majors and graduate students have priority, but college and university students in all disciplines are encouraged to apply.  

Important Note: all Mises University applicants agree to abide by the Mises Institute's Visiting Scholar Manual.

Faculty and Member Observers should use the Faculty & Member registration form rather than the student scholarship application site.

Student Scholarship Application Requirements

1. Application questionnaire
2. Unofficial copy of university transcript
3. Student photo ID copy
4. Academic letter of recommendation
5. Confirmation of consent to terms of the Manual for Visiting Scholars

(Note: The academic letter of recommendation should address your academic strengths that go beyond what is recorded in the university transcript. Particularly helpful are comments on your interest in Austrian economics or Austrian scholarship in general. If you are a graduate student, the letters should address the quality of your research and potential to make contributions in your academic field. If your professor wishes to send this letter privately, it can be emailed to Patricia Barnett pat@mises.org).

Costs

***New in 2025! The Mises Institute will select students to receive travel scholarships for attendees of up to $500. If you would like to request assistance to attend Mises U, please select the box in the scholarship application.

Through the generosity of Mises Institute Supporters, there is no registration fee at Mises University for students who are accepted. Acceptance is highly selective. All students who are accepted on full scholarship receive complimentary admission to all sessions, refreshment breaks, accommodations for 7 nights, transportation between accommodations and the Mises Institute each day, and meals beginning with dinner on Sunday, July 20, and ending with dinner on Saturday, July 26.

Students must be able to attend the full event to be accepted. 

Accommodations

Information will be sent to each student after acceptance.

Shuttles between the Atlanta GA, Birmingham AL, Columbus GA, and Montgomery AL airports are available through Tiger Taxi Shuttle. From Atlanta airport only, through Groome Transportation. Attendees should make their own reservations and payment and choose the drop-off and pick-up point of AU Hotel and Conference Center.

Awards

The student who passes the oral examinations (the Mündliche Prüfung) with the best record, as chosen by the examining committee, will be awarded the Douglas E. French Scholarship Prize of $2,500. Second and third highest scorers will receive the Kenneth Garschina Prizes of $1,500 and $750 respectively.

The Campus

The Mises Institute, where sessions take place, is adjacent to Auburn University and near the heart of downtown Auburn. The Mises Campus features seminar rooms; an extensive special-collections library, including the personal library of Murray Rothbard; a large archival center housing the papers of Mises, Rothbard, and other great Austrian economists; a bookstore; a discussion conservatory; an outdoor amphitheater; and study gardens.

Meals

Breakfasts will be served at accommodations. Lunches and dinners will be served at the Mises Institute or local restaurants. Nightly social hours will offer refreshments in an informal atmosphere ideal for discussing new ideas from the daily lectures or for making friends.

Final Exam

Mündliche Prüfung is an optional exam contest for students who would like to have their knowledge tested at the end of the conference. The exam is open only to students. Preliminary written testing on Thursday determines who is qualified to take the final exam on Saturday. Questions are based on content in required readings and plenary sessions. A faculty jury will engage each of the preliminary passing examinees in a ten minute question-and-answer session based on the readings and the lectures each has attended. At graduation, those who pass the oral exams will receive a graded acknowledgement. Each faculty panel will select two students as the leading candidates from its examinations. These six finalists will then undergo a deeper examination by the entire faculty. The third and second highest scorers will receive the Kenneth Garschina Prizes of $750 and $1,500 respectively. The student selected by the faculty as the most learned of the conference will receive the Douglas E. French Prize of $2,500.