Educational certificates
On this page, you can find important notes on submitting educational certificates.
General notes
- Document your education in detail: start with the certificate from the last school you graduated from (which entitles you to begin university studies in your home country) and continue up to the current state of progress in your university studies.
- Submit all certificates in their entirety: include the diploma certificate as well as the overview of subjects and grades. Do not omit any parts of the certificate (such as a Diploma Supplement) or any single pages.
- Submit official certificates: official certificates are those bearing a signature and stamp from the issuing institution, a reference to their automatic issuance or a verification code. Other prerequisities may apply.
- Submit all copies of your certificates in their original language, accompanied by a certified translation in German or English.
- You need to submit each document only once, even if you wish to apply to multiple universities.
Officially certified copies
- Many universities require officially certified copies of your educational certificates (including of the overview of subjects and grades) and certified copies of the translations. Send these by post to uni-assist.
- Copies are only accepted as certified when they carry the original official stamp and original signature of the certifying person.
- Copies, scans or uploaded copies of certified documents are not considered certified and cannot be accepted.
In some cases, an online-only application is sufficient. Check here whether your chosen university accepts an online-only application.
For bachelor applications
If you are applying for a bachelor or Staatsexamen course, or if you need to visit a Studienkolleg beforehand, follow these instructions.
Submit the following documents:
Submit the certificate which allows you to start university studies in your home country. Submit the certificate in its entirety, including the overview of subjects and grades.
If you have already passed a University entrance exam in your country of origin, please submit the relevant certificate.
Have you already studied at a university outside of Germany?
- Please submit a complete overview of subjects and grades issued by your university.
- If you have already completed your studies, we also need your diploma certificate.
These documents may also be relevant for an application to bachelor, Staatsexamen or Studienkolleg courses.
Have you already studied at a university outside of Germany?
In order to calculate your grade, we need the grading system used by your university for your degree. The grading system is usually included with the overview of subjects and grades. If this is not the case on your certificates, you have two options:
- Send us a link to your university’s website containing information on the grading system,
- or send us a PDF with your university’s official grading system. Simply upload the grading system to your My assist account.
Please note:
- We need an official document on your university’s grading system, such as the examination regulations. Links to anabin or Wikipedia are not enough.
- We need the grading system used for your degree - not the grading system used for a single course.
Important: Find out under Info country by country if there are special notes on certificates from your country of origin.
For master’s applications
Have you studied at a university already and would like to apply for a Master’s course in Germany?
Submit the following documents:
Please submit all certificates in their entirety: include the diploma certificate as well as the overview of subjects and grades. You must not omit any parts of the certificate (such as a Diploma Supplement) or single pages.
In order to calculate your grade, we need the grading system used by your university for your degree. The grading system is usually included with the overview of subjects and grades. If this is not the case on your certificates, you have two options:
- Send us a link to your university’s website containing information on the grading system,
- or send us a PDF with your university’s official grading system. Simply upload the grading system to your My assist account.
Please note:
- We need an official document on your university’s grading system, such as the examination regulations. Links to anabin or Wikipedia are not enough.
- We need the grading system used for your degree - not the grading system used for a single course.
Some universities require your school leaving certificate and proof of having passed a University entrance exam (if you have passed such an exam in your country of origin) for applications to master’s courses.
Tip: Always submit your school leaving certificate as well as the certificate proving that you passed your University entrance exam. Some school leaving certificates may serve as proof of language proficiency, for example.
Important: Find out under Info country by country if there are special notes on certificates from your country of origin.
