Nostrification
FAQs - Nostrification of a degree awarded from a foreign University of Applied Sciences (UAS)
Nostrification is the recognition of a foreign academic degree as the equivalent of the corresponding Austrian degree. Nostrification is only possible when it is necessary for professional practice or the continuation of training/education in Austria and when there is an equivalent University of Applied Science (UAS) study programme.
The recognition of a foreign degree outside an EU member state, an EEA state or Switzerland can be nostrified via the UAS/universities.
For non-physician health professions, MTD/midwifery/health and nursing degrees - bachelors/diplomas, those Universities of Applied Sciences which offer the respective bachelor degree program are responsible.
Secondary technical school diplomas or diplomas below NQF level 6 may possibly be nostrified at the federal state of Upper Austrian (Department of Health) in the field of certified nursing assistant (Pflegefachassistenz) or nursing assistant (Pfegeassistenz).
Applications for recognition can be submitted to the UAS for the following degree programmes:
- Healthcare and Nursing
- Biomedical Science
- Radiological Technology
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Dietetics
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Midwifery
Please send enquiries by email to the contact person responsible for the relevant degree programme
A nostrified academic degree has the same legal effects as an academic degree acquired in Austria; it therefore entitles the holder
- to use the corresponding Austrian (instead of the foreign) academic degree and
- to exercise all associated rights, in particular to exercise that profession which in Austria is reserved for graduates of a relevant University of Applied Sciences degree programme.
The application for the nostrification of an academic degree acquired at a foreign University of Applied Sciences requires, among other things, that the nostrification is mandatory due to a law or a legal regulation, e.g. for practicing a profession or for continuing the applicant's education in Austria.
Important: It is not allowed to submit the same nostrification request to other university councils (more than one university council) at the same time.
If you have already submitted an application to another university of applied sciences, your application to the UAS will be rejected.
For the nostrification of a degree obtained at a foreign UAS, the following points must be observed:
- The application for nostrification must designate the UAS degree program comparable in Austria, which is structured with regard to the requirements, the overall scope as well as the study contents in such a way that it is to be considered equivalent to the foreign UAS degree program named in the application.
- To enable an assessment of whether the two degree programmes are equivalent, you must submit the necessary documents and evidence with your application. You can find out which documents are required at Which documents should I submit? .
- Provided that equivalence is generally recognised and only a few additional elements are required to achieve full equivalence, the applicant has the right, in the event of a positive decision, to complete the courses, examinations or placements at the UAS.
The head of the council, as the competent authority, shall decide on an application for the nostrification of an academic degree acquired at a foreign University of Applied Sciences. The head of the council has to examine whether the applicant's foreign study program is structured with regard to the requirements, the overall scope as well as the study contents in such a way that it is to be regarded as equivalent to the domestic UAS study program named in the application ("equivalence examination").
If the equivalence is basically deemed to apply and only individual supplements to the full equivalence are missing, the applicant has the right to complete these courses and examinations announced by the head of the council as an associate student.
The following supporting documents must be enclosed with the application for recognition:
- Passport
- Curriculum vitae containing the key details of your educational background
- Birth certificate and any documents relating to a change of name (e.g. marriage certificate), if your academic records are in a previous name.
- Proof of residence (registration form) or details of an authorised representative in Austria (power of attorney)
- Certificate of general university entrance qualification (e.g. school-leaving certificate/Matura certificate)
- Certificate confirming completion of your degree and the award of your academic degree (diploma)
- Transcript of Records, including the titles and number of hours for the courses attended and examinations taken throughout the degree programme. Diploma Supplement, if available.
- Upon request, a detailed curriculum of the training completed (broken down into theory and practice, specifying the number of hours or teaching units) must be submitted.
- Evidence of work placements completed as part of the degree programme (specifying the respective placement areas and the number of hours completed for each placement)
- Evidence of a state examination (subject examination), if this forms part of the academic programme.
- Optional: Summary or abstract of the Bachelor’s thesis/final dissertation
- Optional: Certificates of further education and training
- Optional: Evidence of relevant professional experience (references)
Strongly recommended: Valid proof of German language proficiency at B2 level (or C2 level for speech and language therapy) must be submitted prior to admission in order to be able to attend courses and sit examinations at the UAS
Recognised proof of German language proficiency:
In particular, the following certificates are recognised as proof of sufficient German language proficiency for admission to the degree programme:
- German as an examination subject in the school-leaving examination (level B2)
- Supplementary German examination as part of a preparatory course
- B2 certificate of the Austrian German Language Diploma https://www.osd.at/ (for Speech and Language Therapy: C2)
- TestDaF (Test of German as a Foreign Language, http://www.testdaf.de) with a minimum level of TDN 4 in all parts of the test (for speech and language therapy: at least TDN 5)
- Goethe Certificate B2 from the Goethe-Institut https://www.goethe.de/de/index.html (for speech and language therapy: C2)
If other proof of knowledge of the German language is provided, the respective proof can be recognized in individual cases (if necessary, after obtaining expert opinions).
Instructions for the Presentation and Submission of Documents
The documents marked accordingly in the table below must be submitted as originals or certified copies.
Foreign documents must be duly authenticated where required by international agreements or applicable regulations. This may also apply to the corresponding translations, where applicable. Further information on authentication requirements for foreign public documents can be found here:
https://www.bmb.gv.at/Themen/schule/schulrecht/anauschubi/bvs.html
As a general rule, documents are accepted in German or English.
If a document is issued in another language, a German or English translation is required. For certain documents, the translation must be prepared by a generally sworn and court-certified translator.
The translation must be permanently attached to the original document or certified copy.
Important: Authentication certificates and endorsements must also be translated.
Electronic submission
Scan the documents in full and in the same format and arrangement as they appear in paper form.
This is particularly important for translated or certified documents. Only in this way can it be verified how the original document or certified copy, the translation and the authentication certificates or endorsements are connected to one another.
Electronic submissions are accepted exclusively in PDF format.
The files must be named as follows, for example: “01_SURNAME_First name_Passport.pdf”.
Submission by an authorised representative
If you, as the applicant, are unable to present the required original documents or certified copies in person, the documents may also be submitted by an authorised representative.
In this case, an appropriate power of attorney is required.
A certified copy is a copy of an original document that has been officially certified. An authorised body or person confirms that the copy matches the original document presented.
Important: A certified copy is not the same as having the original document authenticated.
- Certified copy: A copy of the document is certified. The certification confirms that the copy matches the original document presented.
- Authentication of a document: The original document or a certificate/confirmation attached to it is authenticated. Depending on the type of authentication, this may confirm, for example, the authenticity of a signature or seal, or the origin of the document.
How do I obtain a certified copy?
Depending on the country of origin, the document and the requirements of the relevant procedure, the process may involve the following steps:
- If required, the original document is authenticated first, for example by means of an apostille or diplomatic authentication.
- A copy of the document is then made. An authorised person or body, such as a notary, certifies on the copy that it matches the original document presented. This creates the certified copy.
- If the document was not issued in German or English, it must be translated, if required, by a generally sworn and court-certified translator.
- The complete set of documents can then be submitted in accordance with the requirements of the nostrification procedure.
The processing fee is € 150.00 regardless of the outcome of the nostrification and is to be paid after application.
The head of the council of the UAS for Health Professions Upper Austria has to check whether the applicant's foreign studies with regard to:
- the requirements (level classification: baccalaureate studies)
- the overall scope (ECTS) and
- the study contents
is structured in such a way that it is to be regarded as equivalent to the domestic UAS degree program named in the application.
Those courses that are not supported by appropriate evidence cannot be included in the equivalency review.
During the examination of the content of your foreign educational qualification, it is determined whether the equivalence is basically deemed to apply. If individual course contents are missing as a supplement to the full equivalence, a notice will be issued stating which courses/examinations must be completed in order to achieve equivalence.
The applicant has the right to complete the courses/examinations listed in the notification as an associate student at the UAS for Health Professions Upper Austria.
If the completion of courses/examinations is imposed to a manifestly disproportionate extent, the nostrification cannot be granted, which is why an application must be rejected in this case.
It should be noted that the German language competence of at least level B2 (or C2 in the case of speech therapy) is required for admission to an associate degree program at the UAS for Health Professions Upper Austria. In addition, the above mentioned proof of your German language proficiency is also required for subsequent professional authorization or registration in the health professional register („Gesundheitsberuferegister“).
If the application for nostrification is legally rejected due to a lack of equivalence of the domestic and foreign studies, the applicant can apply for the regular admission procedure at the UAS for Health Professions Upper Austria as a regular student.
After successful completion of the admission procedure, the applicant can apply for the crediting of examinations already completed abroad for the Bachelor program.
An appeal against decisions of the head of the council regarding nostrification is admissible to the Federal Administrative Court.
- Submission of the application form and all required documents (Applicant)
- Preliminary assessment (UAS for Health Professions Upper Austria)
- Payment of the fee (Applicant)
- Formal and substantive review of the submitted documents (UAS for Health Professions Upper Austria)
- Optional: Professional interview (Applicant & UAS for Health Professions Upper Austria)
- Presentation of the original documents or submission of certified copies in paper form (Applicant)
- Verification of the original documents or the certified copies (UAS for Health Professions Upper Austria)
- Preparation of the expert assessment report (UAS for Health Professions Upper Austria)
- Right to be heard - opportunity to submit comments (Applicant)
- Issuance of the official decision (UAS for Health Professions Upper Austria)
- Right to appeal (Applicant)
- Completion of the required supplementary measures (Applicant)
- Issuance of a confirmation upon successful completion of all required supplementary measures (UAS for Health Professions Upper Austria)
How to submit your application
Send an email to the relevant contact person for your degree programme stating that you wish to apply for recognition of your qualifications.
Please state which qualifications you have obtained and in which country.
Scan all the documents required for recognition in full and ensure they are clearly legible. (See the section What documents do I need to submit?)
- Each document must be submitted as a colour scan.
- Save each document as a PDF.
- Name the files precisely, for example:
“01_SURNAME_First name_Passport” - All parts of a document must be included in a single PDF file. This includes:
- the original document or the certified copy
- all certification notes
- the corresponding translation
Please also complete the application form for recognition in full and sign it.
Send the signed application form together with all the required documents to the relevant contact person.
You will then receive an invoice for the processing fee of 150 euros.
Start of the recognition procedure
The official recognition procedure will only start as soon as:
- all the required documents have been submitted and
- the processing fee has been paid.
The procedure then proceeds to the examination phase, during which the content and formal validity of the submitted documents are reviewed.
During the procedure, you may be invited to attend an interview. Your theoretical knowledge and practical professional skills may also be assessed.
In addition, your original documents or certified copies will be verified. These must be presented in person to the relevant contact person at the University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions Upper Austria (FH Gesundheitsberufe OÖ) for verification before a formal decision is issued.
Outcome of the procedure
Following the examination phase, the preparation of an expert opinion and the opportunity for the parties concerned to comment on the findings, a formal decision will be issued regarding the recognition of your qualification (nostrification).
Completion of supplementary measures
In the event that the decision stipulates the completion of courses/examinations/internships, these can be completed at the UAS for Health Professions Upper Austria. For this purpose, you will be enrolled as an associate student and pay the ÖH (student union) fee per semester.
Issuing of a certificate
After successful completion of the prescribed courses/examinations/internships, confirmation of nostrification will follow, which, in conjunction with the previously issued nostrification notice, entitles the holder to use the corresponding domestic title BSc, professional qualification and also to be entered in the respective professional register.