Anabin: how to check whether Germany recognises your university
TL;DR: Anabin is the official German database of foreign qualifications. Look up your university under Institutionen: H+ means it is recognised, H+/- means extra conditions apply. Universities, uni-assist and the visa office all read the same entry, so check it before you apply.
What Anabin is
Anabin is short for Anerkennung und Bewertung auslaendischer Bildungsnachweise, the recognition and evaluation of foreign educational qualifications. It is run under the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education, and it is the reference that German universities, uni-assist and immigration authorities use when they decide whether your degree counts.
That single sentence is why it belongs at the start of your application, not the end. An offer built on a degree Anabin does not recognise is an offer that falls over at the visa stage.
The two lookups that matter
Anabin holds two different things, and applicants routinely check the wrong one.
| Lookup | What it answers | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Institutionen | Is my university recognised in Germany | Institutionen, then Suchen nach Institutionen |
| Hochschulabschluesse | Is my specific degree equivalent, and to what | The degree evaluation section |
Start with the institution. If the university itself does not clear the bar, the degree question never arises.
How to look up your university, step by step
- Open the database and choose Institutionen.
- Open the tab Suchen nach Institutionen.
- Select your country, type the university name, and search.
- Open the entry from the results and read the status field.
Search the name exactly as it appears on your degree certificate, including the state or city where your university uses one. Indian universities in particular appear under long official names that differ from the name everybody actually says.
What H+ means, and the statuses you will see
| Status | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| H+ | Recognised. A degree from a public or publicly recognised institution with this status can be recognised in Germany. |
| H+/- | Conditional. Recognition depends on further criteria, which differ by country. |
| H- | Not recognised for these purposes. |
| Not listed | No entry yet. It does not automatically mean rejected, but it does mean questions. |
What to do when your university is not H+
Do not give up on Germany, and do not pretend the entry says something else. The realistic moves are:
- Check the spelling and the alternative names first. A missing entry is often a search problem rather than a recognition problem.
- Ask the university you are applying to. Individual admissions offices can evaluate qualifications Anabin treats as conditional.
- Consider the route that resets the question, such as a recognised Bachelor's at a listed institution or a preparatory year.
If your degree is from India, pair this with the APS certificate, which verifies the documents themselves and is a separate requirement from recognition.
The three mistakes that cost applicants a cycle
Checking the degree before the institution. If the university carries no recognised status, the equivalence of your particular degree is beside the point. Institution first, every time.
Searching the name everyone uses. Universities are listed under their full legal names. "DU" or a campus nickname finds nothing, and applicants conclude they are unlisted when they are simply mis-searched.
Assuming an offer settles it. Admissions offices and visa officers are different readers of the same database. An offer letter tells you the university was satisfied. It does not tell you the visa section will be.
How this fits the rest of your application
The order that saves money: check Anabin, then check the programme's entry requirements, then convert your marks with our German grade converter, then apply through uni-assist or directly. The full sequence sits in our complete guide to studying in Germany.
Do this in your first week of research rather than your last. The whole check takes ten minutes, and it is the cheapest risk you will ever remove from your application.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
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