Question 1

What is anabin?

Accepted Answer

anabin is the official database German authorities use to assess foreign universities and degrees. It is run by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) at the KMK.

Question 2

Does H+ mean my degree is recognised?

Accepted Answer

No. H+ means your university is a recognised institution. Whether your own degree is equivalent is decided by the recognition authority in the federal state where you apply.

Question 3

What if my university is not listed or is H-?

Accepted Answer

Then the authority usually checks your degree individually, often with a Kenntnisprüfung. Your free roadmap shows the steps for your case.

Question 4

Does anabin matter for nurses, physiotherapists or midwives?

Accepted Answer

Partly. If you studied your profession at a university, anabin shows whether that university is recognised, which also helps with a visa for skilled workers with a degree. Your professional recognition is still decided by the authority in your federal state, and an H- or a missing entry does not rule it out.

Question 5

A state or state-recognised institution (H+)

Accepted Answer

Anabin lists your university as a state or state-recognised institution. That is a statement about the university, not about your degree. It matters because a foreign degree can normally only be recognised in Germany if it was earned at such an institution, so H+ clears that precondition. It is not an Approbation decision, and it does not replace the individual assessment of your curriculum, your hours and your documents.

Question 6

Listed, but further criteria apply (H+/-)

Accepted Answer

Your university is in Anabin, and the entry says further criteria have to be met before a degree from it can be recognised — which ones depends on the institution and on your individual case. It does not mean your degree is “partly recognised”, and it does not mean that recognition “depends on the federal state you choose”. The entry narrows the question; it does not answer it.

Question 7

Not a recognised higher-education institution (H-)

Accepted Answer

Anabin has assessed your institution and does not classify it as a recognised higher-education institution. Because that status is normally a precondition for recognition, a degree from it faces a considerably harder road — but this is still a statement about the institution. Only the responsible authority can tell you what it means for your qualification and which routes stay open to you.

Question 8

No entry in Anabin (—)

Accepted Answer

Your institution is not in the database at all. That is not the same as H-: nothing has been assessed and nothing has been refused. Anabin is not complete and institutions are still being added to it, so a missing entry is missing information rather than a negative result.

Anabin check: how is your university classified in Germany?

Where does this data come from?

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Anabin check: how is your university classified in Germany?

Where does this data come from?

Common questions

More free tools