Contact

Admission of international students (Admissions office)

Bachelor and Medicine (State Examination)

Michaela Klonczynski

+49 (0)441 – 798 4515

Master and adaptation course (teacher training)

Gernot Lucks

+49 (0)441 – 798 2517

PhD

Heinz-Bruno Aper

+49 (0)441 - 798 2514


Advisors for international students (International Office)

Katja Kaboth-Larsen

Information for refugees

Student exchange (Erasmus+)

Christine Trappe

Exchange studies

uni-assist - Frequently asked questions

1. What is uni-assist?

The registered association uni-assist e.V. supports universities in Germany in registration matters. Furthermore, uni-assist supports international students with their application for studies at German universities. Its core task is the pre-editing and pre-examination of international applications at universities.

2. Do I have to apply via uni-assist?

You have to apply at the University of Oldenburg via uni-assist if you acquired the diploma/degree from outside of Germany. This includes

  • International students
  • EU-citizens
  • (DAAD) scholarship holders
  • German citizens with a high school diploma/degree from outside of Germany.

The diploma or degree which qualifies you to study at a German University is relevant for this classification.

Other regulations apply for the degree programme State Examination in Medicine.

3. Are there any exceptions from the applications via uni-assist?

If you are applying for one of the following degree programmes, please apply using the indicated website:

4. I already have a VPD (Vorprüfungsdokumentation) from uni-assist. Do I still have to apply again via uni-assist at the University of Oldenburg?

Yes, for technical reasons it is necessary to apply at the University of Oldenburg. Also, we cannot use the VPD due to different admission requirements.

5. I already have a certificate evaluation (“Zeugnisbewertung”) / equivalence notice (“Gleichwertigkeitsbescheid”) from the ZAB. Do I still have to apply via uni-assist?

A Zeugnisbewertung / Gleichwertigkeitsbescheid from the ZAB is intended to give you access to the German job market with a foreign (university) qualification. However, important information is missing for an application to a university. Therefore, an application via uni-assist is required. However, you can also submit the Zeugnisbewertung / the Gleichwertigkeitsbescheid of the ZAB with your application to uni-assist in order to facilitate the examination.

6. Which documents do I need to submit with my application?

The following documents are required for the examination of your application by uni-assist:

  • Your High school diploma / Secondary School certificate (+ a list of all subjects and grades)
  • High school entrance examination certificate (if available)
  • A list of all subjects/disciplines and grades from previous studies (Transcript of Records) (if available)
  • Your university diplomas (including Diploma Supplement if applicable) (if available)
  • Proof of your German language proficiency (exception: degree programmes taught in English)
  • Proof of your foreign language proficiency (if necessary)
  • APS-Certificate (if necessary)

Usually not necessary are

  • Letter of motivation
  • Letter of recommendation
  • Curriculum vitae (however, we recommend submitting a curriculum vitae as well)

If these or other documents (e.g. additional questionnaire on study content (only for some selected Master's programmes)) are required, this is indicated on the information page of the respective programme. 

The additional questionnaires on study content (for selected Master's programmes) are provided in the online application via my.uni-assist.de in the course of study-related questions.

7. Do I need to send the documents via mail as well?

No, the application via uni-assist is accomplished online only: All you need to do is to fill in the application form and scan and upload your application documents to uni-assist.

Do not send any application documents via mail to uni-assist or to the University of Oldenburg.

Exceptions apply for (school / university) certificates from

  • China
  • Vietnam
  • India

In this case, an APS-Certificate is required. One original APS-Certificate needs to be sent to uni-assist in the mail.

8. What does uni-assist do with my application?

  • Uni-assist examines your submitted documents.
  • Your school-leaving certificated and university diplomas as well as the list of your subjects and grades will be examined to determine whether you are eligible to study the selected degree programme at a university in Germany.
    • For this, the Germany-wide consistent standards of the (German) Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) are applied. Eventually, the result of the examination is forwarded to the University.
  • In addition, uni-assist examines further admission requirements, particularly the applicant’s proof of German and/or English language proficiency.
    • Uni-assist follows the guidelines of the University of Oldenburg on which certificates are accepted.

9. What are the consequences if I forget to submit an important document with my application?

Uni-assist will contact you, if they notice a missing document when examining your application.
These could be a necessary translation or a study plan, if required by the (German) Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).

You can submit missing documents to uni-assist until the application deadline. uni-assist will then process your application again free of charge. We recommend to apply as early as possible.

 

10. Can I check if I am eligible to study in Germany by myself?

Abone-mentioned websites enable you to receive a noncommittal preliminary check of your diplomas.

11. What is the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB)?

The Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) is the central office for the for the nationwide standard evaluation of foreign qualifications in Germany.

12. Why can I only receive non-committal information about my eligibility for studying in Germany in advance?

The assessment of international certificates sometimes changes. Unfortunately, these changes cannot be entered into the data bases without delay. Therefore, the data bases are not always up to date.

As a result, the pre-assessment may be based on obsolete data and consequently non-commital.

13. Why does uni-assist assess my certificates differently than expected?

uni-assist practices the assessment of application documents daily and at a high number. Because of this high frequency, in some cases uni-assist possesses more current knowledge and information about the assessment of international certificates than can be found in the data base of the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
Due to this, the assessment of your certificates through uni-assist may have a different result.

14. How long does it take before uni-assist assesses my documents?

The assessment of your documents by uni-assist usually takes about 4-8 weeks, but a maximum of 4 weeks after the application deadline of the degree programme you have applied for. You can view the current average processing times at uni-assist. Please consider this in your time management, especially if you need a visa for entering Germany.

Please keep in mind that if you apply for a Master's degree programme, the responsible Master's admissions committee must then decide on your application.

15. Will I be charged for my application via uni-assist?

Due to the higher effort in the review of the diplomas, you will be charged for the application via uni-assist.

16. How much do I have to pay for my application via uni-assist?

Please visit the fees for uni-assist website for information on the current costs and and payment options.

17. Who do I contact if I have questions regarding my application?

If you cannot find the answer to your question nor in our FAQs neither in uni-assist’s FAQs, please contact us or uni-assist.

Who can help you best, depends on the content of your concern.

18. For which questions do I contact uni-assist?

  • FAQ uni-assist for questions on the payment of the handling costs, technical questions on the portal (e.g. implementation of a second application, upload of your documents, …), questions about generally required documents (Is a legalisation / certification of my certificates by the German Embassy or an apostille required for my documents?)  or questions on messages from uni-assist
  • Contact uni-assist for other questions

19. Which questions should be addressed to the University of Oldenburg?

If you have questions on

  • our range of courses
  • the language requirements
  • documents that need to be submitted in addition to your diploma
  • the application periods and deadlines
  • the current state of your application

Please visit International students or Language requirements to see if your questions are answered on these websites.

If you do not find and answer to your question, please contact our admission officers by using the respective e-mail address:

  • For bachelor and state examination programmes:
  • For bachelor pedagogic acting in migration society, master programmes and adaption course:

Kindly note that we cannot provide information on the current state of your application before uni-assist has processed your application (4-8 weeks or max. 4 weeks after the corresponding deadline).

20. What is an APS-Certificate?

The Academic Test Centre (“Akademische Prüfstelle”, APS) is a service facility for applicants with a study qualification from China, India and Vietnam.

After the applicant’s documents (which may also include Plausibility-Interviews and TestAS) have been examined successfully, the APS issues a certificate. This certificate evidences that the documents submitted by the applicant are genuine and that he/she acquired sufficient academic performance to apply for a German university.

(Changed: 20 Jun 2024)  | 
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