Uni-assist Germany: A guide for international students (2024)

uni-assist is a national service provider based in Berlin which is used by approx. 170 universities (June 2020) to help them process international student applications. They also support international students who are interested in applying to German universities. uni-assist does this by providing general information about the application process online and processing relevant application documents required by universities for the admissions process. They are there to facilitate the application process and ensure that all students have required documents, even though they come from different countries and certificates and grading systems vary.

uni-assist does not make the decision on whether a student is admitted to a study program. They are only in charge of ensuring that a student has all required application materials and that all official documents are verified. Once this is complete, they transfer the documents to the university that the student is applying to. So while it may seem at times that you’re applying to uni-assist to which all of your documents and certificates you will be required to submit, just remember that they are only a service provider and have no influence on your admission to any study program.

Something to keep in mind: some universities use uni-assist to process international student applications only for certain degree programs, but not all degree programs. Therefore, you should check if your preferred degree program uses uni-assist rather than searching for the University on the list of member universities. Even if your preferred university is listed, it can be the case that your particular program has direct applications through the university or vice versa.

Some universities have their application process directly with the university and just use services from uni-assist to verify the documents required to apply. Through this process, once students have documents verified by uni-assist, they receive  Vorprüfungsdokumentation (VPD) (don’t let big German words scare you, in English this translates to ‘Pre-Review Documentation’) which they then must send, along with the application and required documents, directly to the university. Easily put, the VPD is like a certification given to students by uni-assist after the verification of official documents. Afterward, students must submit the VPD certification directly to the university when they apply. Students must submit the VPD to the university before the application deadline expires. The VPD contains information on which educational certificates students presented to uni-assist, which kind of university entrance is possible with these certificates, and how uni-assist rates their grades within the German grading system. To clarify, even though students must have their documents verified by uni-assist in this case, the application is still done directly through the university.

But wait, we have some good news! Some universities that process their international student applications through uni-assist cover the uni-assist application fees. This keeps the application fee free for you! Want to know which universities and programs cover the uni-assist fee for their students? Check out the Handling Fees site from uni-assist to see if your preferred program is listed.

Currently, there are no fee waivers or exemptions regarding the application fees for uni-assist. However, students with special circumstances or refugees are encouraged to contact their university program directly regarding the application process. You can read more about special programs for refugees from uni-assist here.

In our view, it is important for students to select the study program best suited for them, regardless of processes. We, therefore, encourage international students to apply to any program they are interested in.