How to Verify Your German Degree in Nepal: UGC Equivalence Guide

If you finish a degree in Germany and come home, the office that decides what it is worth in Nepal changed in 2026. Equivalence of foreign degrees used to be handled by the Curriculum Development Centre at Tribhuvan University. Under an amendment to the University Grants Commission Act, 2050, made through the Act to Amend Some Nepal Acts, 2082, that job has moved to the University Grants Commission (UGC). UGC opened online applications in July 2026 and began issuing equivalence decisions in August.

So if a senior told you to "go to TU CDC", that advice is out of date. Here is how UGC equivalence works now, online at ugcequivalence.edu.np, and what to collect in Germany before you fly back.

When you need equivalence

According to UGC's equivalence portal, equivalence is the official confirmation that a foreign degree corresponds to a qualification in Nepal, and it is "generally required for further studies, government service, professional registration, and job applications within Nepal". In practice that covers:

• applying for a PhD or another degree at a Nepali university
• Lok Sewa and other government jobs
• registering with a professional council, such as engineers with the Nepal Engineering Council (see our engineering guide)
• employers who ask for it in their job requirements

If you stay in Germany, none of this applies to you yet; your German degree works as it is there. Our guide to the 18-month post-study permit covers that route.

How UGC equivalence works

The whole process runs online at ugcequivalence.edu.np. You create an account, verify your email, fill in the application form, upload your documents and pay the fee online. UGC says applicants "no longer need to visit our office in person for most requests", which means you can start while still in Germany.

UGC distinguishes two kinds of decision:

Fees are paid through the portal and are non-refundable except where the Commission or the law allows. The portal lists a June 2026 notice on a revised processing fee, but we could not confirm the current amount in October 2026, so check it when you apply.

The documents UGC asks for, and their German equivalents

UGC's list is short. Mapping it to what a German university gives you is the useful part:

The entry qualification rule is simple: for a master's equivalence the bachelor's is your entry qualification, and for a bachelor's equivalence it is your +2. UGC says SLC or SEE certificates are generally not needed unless your lower qualification dates from before the +2 system. M.Phil. and PhD applicants need extra proof such as registration, progress reports, defence and viva documents.

What to collect before you leave Germany

Getting a document from a German university office is much simpler while you are still in Germany than by email from Kathmandu. Before you deregister and fly home, make sure you have:

1. The Diploma Supplement in English. German universities issue it with your degree. It describes your programme and, in its standard template, explains the German grading scheme (section 4.4) and the German higher education system (section 8), which helps an evaluator who has never seen a German transcript (HRK template).
2. English versions or certified translations of the Urkunde and Zeugnis if they were issued only in German.
3. The module handbook (Modulhandbuch) for your programme, as a PDF. If your programme goes to procedural equivalence, a subject committee will want to see what you studied.
4. A copy of your residence permit card and visa, front and back, before the card expires or is handed back.
5. Your thesis or at least its abstract and grade.

Grades are a separate headache. Germany grades from 1.0 (best) to 5.0 (fail), the opposite direction from Nepal's percentages. The Diploma Supplement's grading section is the official explanation, so keep it with your transcript. Our guide to the German academic system explains how degrees and grades are structured, and the grade conversion guide covers the opposite direction, from Nepali marks to the German scale.

Do your German documents need legalisation?

Possibly, and it is far easier to sort out while you are in Germany. Nepal is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (HCCH status table), so an apostille is not the route for German documents used in Nepal. Instead, the Federal Foreign Office explains that legalisation is done by the foreign country's mission in Germany, usually after the document has been pre-certified by the competent German authorities.

The Embassy of Nepal in Berlin attests documents that already carry the signature and stamp of Germany's Foreign Office, of Nepal's Department of Consular Services, or of an embassy accredited in Germany. For academic certificates its fee is EUR 50. UGC's portal does not list legalisation among its required documents, so email UGC ([email protected]) before you leave Germany and ask whether your case needs it. If it does, ask your university's examination office which German authority pre-certifies its documents.