uni-assist, explained properly

uni-assist e.V. evaluates applications from international students for around 180 German universities. Instead of every university separately decoding foreign certificates, uni-assist checks whether your documents are complete, whether your degree qualifies you for the course you chose, and how your grades convert to the German system. Checked on the official uni-assist site, 4 June 2026.

One thing the official site says plainly and is worth repeating: uni-assist does not work with commercial agencies to place applicants at German universities. Official information lives only on the university websites and uni-assist.de. If an agent claims a special uni-assist channel, that channel does not exist.

Only if your chosen university uses it, and many do not. There are three common setups:

• Direct application. The university runs its own portal and uni-assist is not involved at all. Verified examples (checked 4 June 2026): the University of Stuttgart's C@MPUS portal (official application page) and FAU's campo portal (official program page).
• Full uni-assist application. Your complete application goes through the My assist portal, and uni-assist forwards it to the university after evaluation.
• VPD only. The university wants a uni-assist Vorprüfungsdokumentation (VPD), a certificate that rates your grades in the German system. You get the VPD from uni-assist, then apply directly on the university portal. Verified examples (checked 4 June 2026): TU Munich (official uni-assist info page) and TU Berlin (official applying page) for international degrees. We explain it fully in our VPD guide.

Always confirm the channel on your university's own application page. The official list of uni-assist universities shows who uses uni-assist and for which courses.

The official uni-assist process has six steps (per uni-assist.de, How to apply, checked 4 June 2026):

1. Get information. Read your course's requirements on the university page first. uni-assist checks formal criteria; the university decides admission.
2. Plan your application. Check deadlines for your semester and whether your university wants a full application or a VPD.
3. Assemble your documents. Scans of certificates, plus certified translations where needed (rules below).
4. Apply online. Register in the My assist portal (my.uni-assist.de), fill in your educational history, select your courses, and upload documents. Upload each document only once, even for several universities.
5. Pay all fees. Processing starts only after payment arrives.
6. Send and track. Submit and follow the status in your My assist account.

From the official certificate rules (checked 4 June 2026):

• Digital upload only. You upload documents in My assist; uni-assist does not want certified paper copies by post for the standard process.
• What counts as official. Certificates must carry a signature and stamp from the issuing institution, a reference to automatic issuance, or a verification code. Country-specific extras can apply.
• Translations. Upload every certificate in its original language together with a certified translation into German or English. Certified means translated by someone authorised under oath or admissible in court, not by you or an agency typist.
• Complete documents. Upload certificates in their entirety: the degree certificate plus the full subject and grade overview. Do not leave out pages.

Per the official fee page (checked 4 June 2026):

• 75 EUR for your first chosen course of study in a semester.
• 30 EUR for each additional course in the same semester.
• The costs are the same for a standard application and for the VPD procedure. There is no separate VPD fee.
• Fees are due regardless of the outcome. If you apply again in a new semester, the fee structure resets.
• Some universities cover the handling fee for their applicants; My assist shows this in the course selection list.

Use our uni-assist cost calculator to add this up for your application set.

uni-assist starts processing once your payment has arrived. You track everything in your My assist account, and uni-assist contacts you there or by email. Build a real buffer into your deadline planning: the official current processing times (last updated 1 June 2026) list 6 to 7 weeks for documents from Asia, North America and Oceania, and uni-assist recommends applying at least 8 weeks before the deadline. The result either goes onward to the university (full application) or comes back to you as a VPD certificate you submit with your direct application; the details live in our VPD guide.