New for winter semester 2026/27
The VFS Global competence check
If you finished your education in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh, there is now a test standing between you and an Austrian university application. It happens in person, it costs around 100 euros, or around 160 at Vienna, and the one university that publishes a pass mark sets it at 50 percent. Here is what it is, how you find out your result and how to be ready for it.
Sources last read in full on 17 October 2026, except TU Graz, whose site was down that day and was last read on 6 October 2026. Every one of them is linked at the bottom of this page.
The short version
- Who
- Anyone who completed their previous education in one of the listed countries, whatever passport they hold. The list depends on the university
- From when
- Winter semester 2026/27 at most universities. JKU Linz starts with summer semester 2027
- Where
- In person at a VFS Global centre. There is no online option
- Cost
- Around 100 euros, paid to VFS directly, not to the university. Vienna quotes around 160 euros for the check together with its German placement test
- Pass mark
- At least 50 percent of the maximum marks, as published by the University of Graz
- When
- Before you submit your application, not alongside it
- Result
- VFS sends it to the university, not to you. You find out through the admission decision, by email or the university's portal
Passing does not admit you. It only lets your application be looked at.
Who has to do it
The trigger is where you completed your previous education, not the passport you hold. Beyond that, each university sets its own terms, and the eight that publish a page on this do not match. The differences are the part worth reading.
TU Graz
University of Graz
JKU Linz
University of Salzburg
BOKU University
Montanuniversität Leoben
University of Klagenfurt
More Austrian universities are expected to join. If yours is not listed here, search its admission pages for "competence check" before you assume it is exempt.
The process, step by step
Check you qualify, before you pay anything
The universities all say the same thing in almost the same words: the competence check only makes sense if you already meet the admission requirements. If you do not meet them, a good result changes nothing and your application is still rejected.
So read the requirements for the exact programme at the exact university first, including the language certificate it asks for, and check what your documents need in the way of legalisation and translation.
Book the appointment
Every university links the same booking form. You pay around 100 euros to VFS directly, or around 160 euros at Vienna, which quotes that for the check and its German placement test together. Several universities now call the company VFS Education Services, which is the education arm of VFS Global, so do not be thrown by the two names.
You have to name which Austrian university and which degree programme you are aiming at. Get this right. The documents checked and the subjects covered both follow from what you put here.
Attend in person
Three things happen at the appointment. Your identity is checked against your passport, your documents are checked against your chosen programme, and your general competence is checked across a set of school subjects.
Apply to the programme as normal
Standard route, standard deadlines. The competence check adds a step in front of the application, it does not change the application.
What you do with the confirmation depends on the university, and they do not agree. Vienna, TU Graz and JKU Linz want you to upload it. Leoben tells you not to upload anything from VFS at all. The others do not say.
Wait
VFS sends your result straight to the university. You are not the courier, and no university says VFS will tell you your score.
The university then reviews your documents and your result together, which they all say may take several weeks, and Graz says weeks to months. The answer comes by email, or through the MyAdmission portal at JKU Linz. The section below has the detail for each university.
How you find out whether you passed
Every university says VFS sends your result directly to it. None of them says VFS will tell you your score. For most applicants, the first you hear is the university's admission decision, which they all put at several weeks after you apply.
The University of Graz is the exception. It tells you to have received your result before you apply, so its applicants evidently see a result first, but it does not say how it reaches them. It is also the only one that says what failing means: below 50 percent, you are not eligible for admission under any circumstances. No university publishes a retake rule.
If you want to know where you stand sooner, ask VFS at your appointment how and when you will see your result, and ask the admission office in writing so the answer is on record.
University of Vienna
TU Graz
University of Graz
JKU Linz
University of Salzburg
BOKU University
Montanuniversität Leoben
University of Klagenfurt
What is checked at the appointment
Identity, then documents, then competence. The competence part covers up to seven subjects, and which of them apply follows from the degree programme you named when you booked.
- GermanOnly for programmes taught in German. Leoben does not list it
- EnglishListed by every university
- MathematicsDepends on your programme
- PhysicsDepends on your programme
- ChemistryDepends on your programme
- BiologyDepends on your programme
- History and GeographyDepends on your programme
Vienna and Graz describe it as a check of general knowledge, and Graz calls the whole appointment an aptitude assessment. The others call it general competence. None of them publishes a syllabus.
India: what has to be true before you book
The universities all give the same warning in Step 1, so it is worth repeating plainly. If you do not already meet the admission requirement, the competence check cannot rescue you, and Vienna says outright that such applications are rejected regardless of the result. Check these first, then book.
Legalisation and translation
- India is an apostille country. Your documents need an apostille, not full diplomatic certification.
- Anything not issued in German or English has to be translated, and the apostille itself has to be translated too.
- Translations must be done by an officially sworn and court certified translator.
- The translation must stay attached to the original. Vienna states that detaching them voids the translation, and that this applies even when you are only scanning. Scan every page together as one PDF.
The grade thresholds
- Bachelor or diploma at the University of ViennaA secondary school leaving certificate covering 12 years of education, from India, with at least 70 percent of the maximum possible marks.
- Master at the University of ViennaA bachelor programme of at least three years full-time, from a university in Section 1 or 2, with at least 60 percent. Or the same degree from a state university in Section 3, with at least 80 percent.
- Master at the University of GrazA bachelor programme of at least three years full-time, from a university in Section 1 or 2, with at least 60 percent.
- Master at the University of Salzburg (the three programmes in the check)A bachelor programme of at least three years full-time, from a university in Section 1 or 2, with at least 60 percent. Or the same degree from a state university in Section 3, with at least 70 percent.
Section 1, 2 and 3 are ENIC NARIC Austria classifications of your university, and they change which threshold applies to you. If you do not know how yours is classified, find out before you spend anything. Every university also states that each application is reviewed individually, so treat these as the floor rather than as a promise.
How to prepare
Read this before the tips
No syllabus, sample paper or format has been published by any of the universities. Anyone selling you a question bank for this test is guessing. What follows is reasoning from the published subject list and the published pass mark, and it is not a shortcut.
Treat it as a broad school-level screening, not a specialist exam
Most of the universities call it general competence. Vienna and Graz call it general knowledge, and Graz calls the whole thing an aptitude assessment. The subject list is a secondary school curriculum. Revise across the subjects rather than deep into one.
Work from your own 11th and 12th standard material
For mathematics and the sciences that is the level the subject list points at, and it is material you have already been taught once. That is a much better use of a week than anything sold as competence check preparation.
Narrow it to your programme
Scope follows the programme you named when booking. Leoben, which only runs English-taught programmes through this, does not list German at all. Work out which of the seven subjects your programme plausibly touches and weight your time that way.
Practise the language out loud
This is an in person appointment. English is on every list, and German is on the list if your programme is taught in German. A certificate proves what you could do on a test day months ago. Being able to talk about your subject is a different skill from being able to read about it.
Know your own documents cold
What you studied, where, over how many years, and what your marks mean on your board's scale. Your documents are checked in front of you. You should not be reading your own transcript for the first time at the counter.
Bring more than you think you need
Passport, your booking confirmation, and every certificate your chosen programme asks for, with the translations still attached to the originals.
Do not book late
Bachelor programmes with an entrance exam and master programmes with a selection procedure can only be applied to once a year, in spring. A missed appointment is not a lost afternoon, it can be a lost year.
Mistakes that cost people a year
- Paying for the check before confirming you meet the basic requirement for the programme. Vienna spells out that some applicants are rejected regardless of their result in the competence check.
- Detaching a sworn translation from its original. Vienna states that this voids the translation, and that it applies even when you are only scanning.
- Naming the wrong university or programme when booking, which means the wrong documents and the wrong subjects.
- Assuming your university has the same country list, programme scope or upload rule as one you read about somewhere else. All three vary.
- Starting the apostille in the last month before the deadline.
- Reading a pass as an admission, and easing off on the rest of the application.
What it does not replace
This is the point people miss. The competence check is an extra gate in front of the gates that were already there. The first three below are taken from the universities' own lists of what it does not replace, and those lists broadly agree with each other. The last two are not on their lists, but they catch people out often enough to be worth stating.
- Not the formal review. The admission office still assesses your documents and your content on its own terms afterwards.
- Not an entrance exam. If your programme has an entrance exam, an aptitude test or a selection procedure, you still sit it.
- Not the University Preparation Programme. Any supplementary examinations prescribed in your admission letter still stand.
- Not a language certificate. Proof of German or English is a separate admission requirement, and the universities tell you to check it before booking anything. Vienna says the same of its onSET German test.
- Not a visa step. Your student residence permit is a separate process with the Austrian authorities, and it comes later.
Questions about the competence check
What is the VFS Global competence check?
It is a mandatory in-person appointment at a VFS Global centre that you have to complete before you can apply to an Austrian university, if you completed your previous education in one of the listed countries. It starts with the winter semester 2026/27 intake at most universities, and with summer semester 2027 at JKU Linz.
The appointment covers three things: your identity against your passport, your educational documents against the programme you named, and your general competence across a set of school subjects. It costs around 100 euros, paid to VFS rather than to the university, and VFS sends the result straight to the university. The University of Vienna quotes around 160 euros, because it now pairs the check with onSET, an online German placement test.
Who has to take the competence check?
It depends on where you completed your previous education, not on which passport you hold, and on which university you apply to. Vienna, TU Graz and JKU Linz apply it to Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. BOKU adds Nigeria. Salzburg and Leoben add Nepal, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. The University of Graz now lists eleven countries: Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, although one paragraph on the same page still names only the first three. Klagenfurt lists twelve: the same eleven and Türkiye.
The programme scope differs too. Vienna and Graz apply it to bachelor, diploma and master programmes. JKU Linz and Leoben apply it only to programmes that have no admission procedure of their own, and at Leoben only to English-taught ones. Salzburg applies it to just three master programmes. Check the page for the university you are applying to rather than assuming the rule you read elsewhere holds.
What is the pass mark for the competence check?
At least 50 percent of the maximum marks. The University of Graz is the only university that publishes a threshold, and it puts it bluntly: if you do not achieve it, you will not be eligible for admission under any circumstances.
Graz also says an application without a positive VFS Global result cannot be processed, which is why the check has to be finished before you submit rather than while the application is sitting with the university.
What subjects are tested?
Up to seven: German for programmes taught in German, English, mathematics, biology, chemistry, history and geography, and physics. Leoben lists the same set without German, because it only runs English-taught programmes through the scheme.
The exact scope depends on the degree programme you named when you booked, so an engineering applicant and a history applicant are not sitting the same thing.
What is onSET, and do I need it?
onSET is an online German language placement test. Since October 2026 the University of Vienna asks applicants who completed their education in Bangladesh, India or Pakistan to take it through VFS as well as the competence check, if their programme is taught in German. Vienna quotes around 160 euros for booking the two, and VFS sends both results to the university.
Vienna says onSET does not replace the German language proofs your application needs, so it is an extra step rather than a shortcut. None of the other universities mentions onSET.
Does passing the competence check mean I am admitted?
No. Every university says so directly, and the University of Graz puts it in a sentence worth remembering: meeting the requirements and passing the competence check do not guarantee admission.
The check does not replace the formal and content-related review of your application, it does not replace an entrance exam, aptitude test or selection procedure, and it does not replace supplementary examinations in the University Preparation Programme if any are prescribed in your admission letter. It is one part of a complete application and it adds a gate rather than removing one.
Do I take the competence check before or after I apply?
Before. The universities say the check comes first, and Graz adds that you should have your result in hand before submitting, because an application without a positive result cannot be processed. JKU Linz words it differently, as part of the procedure that starts when you apply, but it still tells you to do the check before you submit and to upload the proof.
This matters more than it sounds. Bachelor programmes with an entrance exam procedure and master programmes with a selection procedure can only be applied to once a year, in spring. If your appointment lands after that window closes, you wait a full year.
Do I upload the VFS Global result myself?
The result, no. VFS sends that directly to the university at every one of them.
The confirmation of participation is where they disagree. The University of Vienna asks you to upload it in u:space under "Further documents and proofs". TU Graz asks you to upload it as part of registration, and JKU Linz in its MyAdmission portal. Montanuniversität Leoben tells you not to upload any documents from VFS at all. The others do not say. Follow the instruction on your own university's page.
How do I find out whether I passed the competence check?
Mostly through the university's admission decision, not from VFS. Every university says VFS sends the result directly to it, and none of them says VFS will tell you your score. The university reviews your documents and the result together, which may take several weeks, and then writes to you by email, or through the MyAdmission portal at JKU Linz. Klagenfurt says a rejection is sent by email too.
The University of Graz is the exception. It tells you to have received your result before you apply, so its applicants evidently see a result first, but it does not say how it reaches them. If you want to know where you stand sooner, ask VFS at your appointment how and when you will see your result, and ask the admission office in writing.
What are Section 1, 2 and 3 universities?
They are classifications from ENIC NARIC Austria, the Austrian centre for recognising foreign qualifications. The Austrian universities use them to decide which grade threshold applies to you, so the same percentage can qualify from one Indian university and not from another.
For a master at the University of Vienna, a bachelor from a Section 1 or 2 university needs at least 60 percent, while the same degree from a Section 3 state university needs at least 80 percent. Vienna's page also states that for applicants from Bangladesh and Pakistan, some sections do not qualify at all, regardless of the competence check result.
If you do not know how your university is classified, that is the question to ask before you book anything.
Can I take the competence check in Austria instead?
Montanuniversität Leoben says yes: for prospective students who are already in Austria, testing is also possible at the university itself.
None of the other universities mentions this. If you are already in Austria and applying elsewhere, ask that university directly rather than assuming Leoben's arrangement is general.
How long does the competence check take, and can I retake it?
Neither is published. As of the date at the top of this page, none of the universities states how long the appointment lasts, whether it is written or oral or a mix, how many questions it has, whether you can retake it after falling below 50 percent, how long a result stays valid, or whether one result covers applications to more than one Austrian university.
Anyone telling you those figures is guessing, and anyone selling you a question bank for this test is guessing too. Ask VFS Global when you book, and ask your university's admission office in writing so you have the answer on record.
Sources
Everything on this page comes from these university pages, read directly. They are being updated as the scheme rolls out, so if one of them ever disagrees with this page, believe the university.
- University of Vienna, competence check at VFS Education Services
- TU Graz, competence check at VFS Global
- University of Graz, competency check at VFS Education Services
- JKU Linz, competence check at VFS Education Services
- University of Salzburg, competence check at VFS Global
- BOKU University, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Nigeria
- Montanuniversität Leoben, competence check at VFS Education Services
- University of Klagenfurt, admission to a bachelor programme
- University of Klagenfurt, admission to a master programme
- University of Vienna, legalisation of documents
- ENIC NARIC Austria, recognition and certifications
This page is a guide, not advice, and it is not affiliated with VFS Global or with any university. Decisions about your admission are made by the university, individually, on your own documents.