FHV and Schloss Hofen launch nostrification course

For the first time, a nostrification course for a bachelor's degree in Health Care and Nursing is being held at the FHV in cooperation with Schloss Hofen. The one-semester academic course has started with 17 participants from India, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran and the Philippines. All of them are already working in the field of nursing assistance. "Nostrification leads to the recognition of a foreign degree in Austria and means full equivalence with the corresponding Austrian degree. This is associated with the right to use the respective Austrian academic degree - in this case a bachelor's degree - and the authorization to practice the profession. With this newly created option, we are contributing to the qualification of urgently needed nursing staff in Vorarlberg," explains Angelika Wolf-Batlogg, Head of the Nursing Program at Schloss Hofen.

Practical training at the FHV

The course is aimed at people who have completed a state-recognized bachelor's degree in Health Care and Nursing abroad or in third countries. A prerequisite for participation is a positive notification of nostrification with conditions. Classroom teaching takes place two days a week at the FHV. "We are pleased to accompany the professionals on their path to recognition of their foreign bachelor's degree. They complete further courses and examinations or professional practical training on an individual basis, depending on the defined requirements. We carry out the practical training in our new nursing and simulation laboratories at the FHV," says Diana Brodda, Head of the Health Care and Nursing competence area and Head of Department of Work and Health at the FHV. She is the scientific director of the nostrification course.

Registration open for 2026

In future, the nostrification course will be held once a year in Vorarlberg - or twice a year if demand increases. The next course will begin in spring 2026 and registrations are already open.

Nostrification course for the upper service of Health Care and Nursing BSc
Organizer: Bodensee Weiterbildungszentrum Schloss Hofen
Location: FHV - Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences
Next start: Spring 2026
Slots: 25
Duration: 1 semester

Admission requirements:

• Completed bachelor's degree in Health Care and Nursing in a third country
• Nostrification certificate with conditions (issued in an Austrian federal state)
• Proof of German language skills (language level B2)
• Certificate of admission to studies 

Further information and application for 2026:
https://www.schlosshofen.at/bildung/pflege/nostrifizierungskurs-neu/