Simply follow the 6 application steps. Take advantage of our checklist, which provides useful guidelines for each step.
In general, you can apply for multiple courses of study at the same university. To do so, create a separate application for each course using My assist.
However: Universities can limit the number of applications per semester. You should find out from your chosen university how many courses of study you can apply for at the same time.
Yes, but we will need a power of attorney from you so that other people can sign application forms on your behalf, submit applications or withdraw an application for you.
The power of attorney must be in German or English and be signed by hand by you. It is valid until you revoke it in writing.
You can download and use the sample form below. Please complete and sign the power of attorney form and send it to us by post or fax. You can also simply upload the power of attorney form to your My assist account.
This depends on your chosen course and may also depend on your country of origin.
Each university sets fixed application periods and deadlines. The university's deadlines apply to your application via uni-assist. Please find out from your chosen university about their deadlines for your chosen course.
Further information and tips on application deadlines:
As soon as the university has activated the applications in My assist.
Each university sets fixed application periods and deadlines. For more information, please visit the universities’ websites.
We recommend: Apply as early as you can, at least 8 weeks before the application deadline, if possible. This will enable you to submit any missing documents in time.
Are you applying for the preliminary review documentation (VPD)? Then you should allow even more time for your application, because you generally still have to apply to the university directly using the VPD.
More details:
You will usually receive your evaluation result within 4 to 6 weeks – counting from the day on which we received your application and payment. We evaluate all applications received in order of their arrival.
We will inform you by email as soon as the evaluation result is available in your My assist account. You will then find out if your application is complete, as this can only be determined during our evaluation of your application.
Please note: If your application is incomplete, we will provide you with a list of what is missing or was submitted in the wrong form. You can submit missing documents up until the application deadline.
Additional information:
All the required documents must be received by uni-assist fully completed and in the right form before the application deadline expires. You must also pay for and submit your online application within the application deadline.
If documents are missing or do not arrive in time, the requirements have not been met and we will not be able to forward your application to the university.
Are you applying for the preliminary review documentation (VPD)? If so, you should allow sufficient time for your application, because you still have to apply to the university directly with the VPD.
The most important thing is that uni-assist receives your completed application before the application deadline expires.
uni-assist has agreed on its own deadlines with the universities for processing applications. This means we can continue to process your application even after the application deadline has expired.
Generally, the universities do not start their admission processes until uni-assist has processed all the applications that we received that were complete and submitted within the application deadline.
Are you applying for the preliminary review documentation (VPD)? If so, you should allow more time for your application, because you generally still have to apply to the university directly using the VPD. The above-mentioned agreement does not apply to the VPD procedure.
No. We treat all applicants equally so we cannot give preference to certain applications.
We recommend that you apply as early as possible. Enquire about the visa at the embassy. At many German embassies, you can apply for a student applicant visa with a positive evaluation result from uni-assist.
You can find out if your chosen university has instructed uni-assist to use the special VPD procedure by checking our database: uni-assist universities.
If the VPD procedure applies, you will find a note on the VPD procedure below the address of your chosen university in our list.
When you apply for a VPD, please use My assist.
- Register, enter your applicant information and educational history, select the university and complete the application form via the “Selection list” (box symbol). Your application is automatically a request for a VPD.
- Pay the handling fees. Only then can we evaluate your application.
- Submit all required documents in the original language and in certified translation, if your original documents were not issued in German or English.
Check here if your chosen university accepts online-only applications. If so, simply upload the required documents. Does your chosen university require officially certified copies? Then please send them to us by post.
Please allow sufficient time for your application because you will generally still have to apply to the university directly using the VPD.
More details and a checklist:
"Vorprüfungsdokumentation" (VPD) - preliminary review documentation
Are you having trouble finding the application form for the VPD?
Using hochschulstart.de, some universities coordinate applications for specific courses of study through the Trust for Admission to Higher Education’s (SfH’s) central database.
You can find out whether your chosen course of study is offered using the hochschulstart.de (DoSV) procedure from your chosen university and on the hochschulstart.de website.
If your chosen course of study is offered using the hochschulstart.de (DoSV) procedure, you will be notified about that when completing your application form in My assist.
If you are applying for a course of study that is offered using the DoSV procedure, you must enter a personal identification number in My assist. You get the number from hochschulstart.de. To get your number, please register at dosv.hochschulstart.de. Your identification number consists of two parts:
- BID ("Bewerber-ID", or Applicant ID) and
- BAN ("Bewerber-Authentifizierungs-Nummer", or Applicant Authentication Number).
Without an accurate BID and BAN, we cannot forward your application to the universities.
More details and a checklist:
We keep your hard copies until the end of the year following the receipt of your hard copies. We can reuse on-file hard copies for new applications, so you do not need to send these documents again.
An example:
- Hard copies received on: 10 May 2023
- Hard copies will be kept until: 31 December 2024
If you send us a new application within this period or submit new hard copies, the safekeeping period for all existing documents is reset. After the safekeeping period ends, we destroy the hard copies.
We keep electronic documents up to 3 calendar years. During this time you do not have to re-upload documents you have already uploaded previously. After 3 calendar years we delete the electronic documents.
However, please check:
- Were your certificates and documents complete when you last applied? Was something missing that we asked you to submit?
- Does the university require additional application documents for this new application?
- Does the university require an up-to-date CV?
- Have you received new certificates that may be relevant for your application?
If so, please submit these documents before the end of the application deadline. With them, please always submit a new application form via your My assist Account. Your account is still valid. Please do not register again.
More important information: