Nostrification is the recognition of a foreign university degree as equivalent to an Austrian university degree programme. Nostrification recognises the completion of a degree programme abroad as equal to a degree programme completed in Austria and grants the right to use the academic title awarded by the Austrian institution.

No. Nostrification is not required – and as a result not acceptable - for admission to a diploma/master's programme, a doctoral programme or PhD programme.

No. For filing a nostrification application written documentation is needed stating that the applicant actually needs nostrification for the purpose of working in his/her profession or continuing his/her education (by submitting, for example, a letter issued by the Vienna Board of Education (Stadtschulrat), the Austrian Bar Association (Rechtsanwaltskammer), etc.). Evidence indicating a specific job position or a prospective job is of no relevance for nostrification and will not be considered when evaluating the application. Access for nationals of EU or EEA member states to a number of professions requiring a university degree is governed by separate directives that do not require nostrification.

The legal framework is Section 90 of the 2002 Universities Act as well as Section 20 of the Satzung der Universität Wien (Statutes of the University of Vienna), part of the statute on Studienrecht (study law).

If a foreign academic title was nostrificated, the bearer is obliged to use the equivalent Austrian academic title instead.

However, recordal of foreign academic titles in official documents is only possible if the title was conferred in EU/EEA-countries or Switzerland, as well as academic titles in the field of theology issued by papal universities.

No. A nostrification application can only be submitted to a university where the degree programme corresponding to the studies completed abroad is offered.

The Studienpräses decides on the nostrification. At the University of Vienna the Studienpräses was established as the first instance pursuant to Section 19, para. 2, point 2 of the Universities Act as a monocratic body for enforcing degree programme-relevant provisions.

1. Application form

2. Birth certificate and other documents confirming a change of name (e.g.
    marriage certificate) if your previous name is used on the certificates
    submitted

3. Proof of citizenship, passport

4. Residence title (except EEA-citizen)

5. Secondary-school leaving certificate or evidence of general university
    entrance qualification

6. Curriculum vitae (condensed, highlighting specifically the previous educational
    background)

7. Written documentation that the applicant actually needs nostrification for the
    purpose of working in his/her profession or continuing his/her education in
    Austria (by submitting, for example, a letter issued by the Vienna Board of
    Education (Stadtschulrat), etc.)

8. Document confirming that the foreign degree programme was completed

9. Certificates of the exams passed and the academic theses approved

10. Records of study

    10.1. Transcript (evidence of admission to a university abroad)

    10.2. Curriculum (documentation of the courses of the degree programme  
            completed)

11. Academic thesis

      11.1 Diploma thesis, master thesis or doctoral thesis

      11.2 A 10-page summary of each of them

12. Payment receipt of nostrification fee (€ 150)

The award certificate must be submitted as original; the other documents may be submitted as originals or as certified copy/copies. For documents in a foreign language certified translations must be submitted. All foreign documents and all copies and translations made in a foreign country must additionally be legalised in the issuing country. Documents from the following countries are exempt from this legalisation requirement: Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Germany, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden.

At present, the nostrification fee is € 150 and has to be paid in advance. It will be forfeited if the nostrification application is rejected or withdrawn and cannot be refunded. If exams have to be taken and/or academic theses have to be written, tuition fees will have to be paid up to the time these requirements have been fully met (account details: Raiffeisenlandesbank NÖ-Wien, IBAN AT083200000000675447; indicate „Nostrifizierung ER 100000“ as the purpose of payment).

The nostrification application has to be submitted to the university where the corresponding Austrian degree programme is offered. Simultaneous submission of the nostrification application - or submission after withdrawal of the initial application - to another university or higher education institution is not permissible. For the detailed degree programmes offered at the University of Vienna please go to: Degree programmes of the University of Vienna.

At the University of Vienna the Studienpräses initiates the evaluation procedure after receipt of all the necessary documents. Taking into account the curriculum applicable at the University of Vienna at the time when the application is filed, the Studienpräses will assess whether the studies completed abroad are, in terms of the result of overall education, equivalent to the degree programme offered at the University of Vienna. The criteria relevant in this evaluation are the content, scope and requirements of the Austrian degree programme for the completion of which the recognition of equivalence is sought. Random checks of the applicant’s knowledge in the individual subjects or modules are also admissible. If the qualification is basically equivalent, but the qualification holder has to fulfil individual additional requirements to obtain recognition, the qualification holder will be requested, by way of an official notice, to take specific exams and/or write an academic thesis. The official notice will specify an appropriate period for fulfilling these additional requirements. During this period the applicant is admitted to the University of Vienna as a non-degree programme student.

The Studienpräses grants recognition by issuing an official notice of nostrification.

The official notice states the Austrian degree programme to which the foreign degree programme completed is equivalent and which Austrian academic title the applicant will be entitled to use on the basis of the nostrification instead of the foreign academic title.

A note indicating the issue of the official notice will be added to the original document that was initially submitted as evidence of completion of the foreign degree programme.

          o Special procedures

          o Procedure for teacher training programmes

Special procedures have been established for certain degree programmes completed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia and at pontifical universities. With these countries, specific agreements simplify the recognition of certain degree programmes. Please contact ENIC NARIC AUSTRIA at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy for more detailed information: Phone: (0043/1) 531 20/5921, e-mail: naric@bmwfw.gv.at, link: Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy

The nostrification of teacher training programmes is governed by regulations jointly issued by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy (bmwfw), the Federal Ministry for Education and Women's Affairs (BMBF) and the Vienna Board of Education (Stadtschulrat, SSR). Please click here for detailed guidelines.

Your application will be processed within three months. Any request to provide additional documents or information will interrupt this three-month period.

Persons with a valid notice of nostrification (stating additional conditions) need to apply for admission as non-degree programme students in order to fulfill those additional conditions.

This does not explicitly require proficiency in German. However, knowing German is a major advantage, because most courses needed to reach equivalent qualification are  taught in German.

Please find detailed information on the website of the Admission Office.