uni-assist: How to Apply to German Universities

What uni-assist is

uni-assist e.V. describes itself as evaluating applications by international applicants for around 180 German universities. It checks your documents, converts your grades to the German system and passes the result to the university, which makes the admission decision. Apply through the My assist portal.

Which universities use uni-assist?

Many German universities do, but not all, and a university may use it for some programmes only. Check your university and programme in the uni-assist universities database and on the university's own page before you start.

uni-assist fees

From the uni-assist fee FAQ, read 3 October 2026:

Fees cover processing and evaluation of your documents regardless of the result. You pay in the My assist portal; uni-assist warns that payment requests come only from uni-assist through its portal. Source: uni-assist: pay all fees.

Required documents and certified copies

Typically you need the application form from My assist, educational certificates and transcripts showing all subjects and grades, language certificates where the course requires them, and any course-specific documents. uni-assist states that documents not issued in German or English generally have to be translated into one of them, with court-certified translators recommended. On certified copies we found no clear rule on the pages we read, so check uni-assist: assemble your documents and your university's page.

Source: uni-assist: assemble your documents.

Deadlines and processing time

uni-assist says each university sets fixed application periods and deadlines, so there is no single winter or summer semester date; look yours up in the universities database. uni-assist states that evaluation typically takes 4 to 6 weeks after your complete online application, and recommends submitting at least 8 weeks before the deadline. Source: uni-assist: plan your application.

Language certificates

Requirements vary by university and course. uni-assist names DSH and TestDaF for German, TOEFL or IELTS for English, and Goethe-Institut certificates as common examples. For English-taught programmes see our universities accepting TOEFL and IELTS fees pages, and practise in our free mock test.

Common mistakes

• Applying to uni-assist when your university takes applications directly.
• Starting less than 8 weeks before the deadline.
• Not translating documents that are not in German or English.
• Paying anyone other than uni-assist through its portal.
• Forgetting language certificates that your programme requires.

FAQ