Guide for Anabin

Where can you check the German university entrance qualification (HZB)?

According to the criteria of the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz), you can check whether your diploma or current degree has been accepted for the German University Entrance Qualification (HZB) using the DAAD entrance qualification database or the Anabin database.

Anabin’s list may not include all schools or certificate programs. Therefore, you may not find your certificate, degree or the institutions where you studied here. Don’t worry, this does not mean that your degree is not recognized. It is still possible to have your degree recognized.

For high school graduates, the rules for undergraduate applications are relatively simple and I tried to explain them in my article “What is HZB?“.

For master’s degree applications, it is a bit more complicated and you will need to use the website. Depending on the department you graduated from, you can find out which departments you can apply for and the requirements on the “anabin” website. Since the anabin website is only in German, I will try to give you a complete guide on how to use the site. Let’s get started!

How to check it out?

Step 1: Go to https://anabin.kmk.org/anabin.html The home page looks like this:

Step 2: Look for “Hochschulabschlüsse” on the top left and click on it, you will see this on your screen:

Step 3: On the right side you will see two categories, “Suchen nach Abschlüssen” and “Suchen nach Abschlusstypen”, meaning you can search by major and by degree. However, in both cases you have to choose the country you graduated from. Below you will see a screenshot of the “suchen nach Abschlüssen” example.

On this screen, you must select your current degree from the drop-down menus. To do this, click on the “Alle Abschlusstypen” list and a window will appear with the degree types in your language. Select your current degree here.

Step 4 : For example, if you already have a bachelor’s degree, select “Bachelor/Bachelor” here. Then you have to find and select your department from the “Alle Studienrichtungen” list. The names of the departments will also be listed in your language. For my own example, I chose “Control and Computer Engineering”.

The section you selected will be listed at the bottom. You can view the details by clicking on the (+) sign on the side.

Step 5 : Click on the (+) icon and the details will be displayed under 3 headings (some sections may have 4).

Beschreibung – Description

Bewertung – Evaluation

Verleihende Institutionen – The institution where the diploma was awarded

Weiterführende Informationen – more information

Under the heading Beschreibung, you will see the corresponding topics and departmental comments about your alma mater in Germany. In Turkish universities, the comment section will usually be similar. Since undergraduate education, which is 240 ECTS in Turkey, is 180 ECTS in Germany, comments are written to indicate the difference.

Step 6 : Under “Bewertung” you will see information on how your degree will be classified in the German education system. The classifications are as follows:

bedingt vergleichbar (conditionally equivalent): Officially, there are differences between the status of your degree in Turkey and in the German education system. 

Entspricht (equivalence can be granted): There is no significant difference between your degree in Turkey and German degrees and it is stated in the “Kommentar” column that an application can be made.

Gleichwertig (full equivalence): The diploma is officially equivalent to a German degree.

However, this information is not enough. In addition, the program at your school must have international accreditation, so you should look at the third heading and make sure that your school is accredited.

Step 7: You should find your school under “Verleihende Institutionen” and see H+ in the “Status” column. This will show that the program you graduated from is accredited.

What should you do if you cannot find the program you graduated from on the list?

Anabin is a constantly updated list. Some undergraduate programs may not be included in the list. First of all, ask your school if the program you graduated from has international accreditation.

If your school has accreditation and is not on the list, you may need to apply to be added to the list. However, basically, if the school is recognized and the program is accredited, there will be no problem. If you need to apply, visit this link for details.

Did I help you? If you have any questions, you will probably find the answer on these pages, but you can still contact me at recep[at]recepdayi.com.tr and on my social media accounts. I try to improve my articles according to your feedback, so please send me your comments. Thank you in advance.

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