Rec­og­ni­tion of in­ter­na­tion­al cer­tif­i­cates

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You are entitled to study at a German university if your prior secondary school leaving certificate is considered equivalent to the German 'Hochschulreife' or 'Abitur'. In case your university degree is accredited as a 'Bachelor' or 'Diplom' in Germany, you may also study in Germany.

In these cases, you hold the university entrance qualification, the so-called 'Hochschulzugangsberechtigung (HZB)'.​

The official verification of your certificates is done by the service organisation uni-assist e.V. once you hand in your application. Hochschule Düsseldorf (HSD) itself does not verify whether your certificates entitle you to study in Germany.

But to find out in advance whether or not you are eligible for studies in Germany, you can do some research in the Anabin database provided by the German ministry of  education or consult the HSD International Office for advice.

German citizens can obtain accreditation for their foreign school leaving certificate from the German district government (Bezirksregierung). The district governm​ent in Düsseldorf (German only) is in charge of accreditation for those applicants, who either live in Düsseldorf or want to study at a university in North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW).

How to check your certificates at Anabin database - Manual

Open the website anabin.kmk.org​ 

• Please select 'Schulabschlüsse mit Hochschulzugang' (School leaving certificates with university entrance qualification) on the left side and then the search function 'Suchen'.

• Find your home country at 'Bitte wählen Sie ein Land' (Select a country) and then click on the school or university graduation diploma/certificate you obtained.

• You can now determine whether you:
  > can study in Germany directly ('Direkter Zugang') or
  > need to attend a preparatory course before beginning your studies ('Feststellungsprüfung/Studienkolleg') or
  > need to confirm one or several years of study in your home country.

• If you find the term 'fachorientierter Zugang' (subject-specific admission) next to your certificate/diploma rating, then you are entitled to study certain subjects only.

 
If you already studied at a university in your home country,

• please select the menu item 'Institutionen' (Institutions) and then the search function 'Suchen'.

• Select your home country as well as the city where you studied. Then select your university from the list that appears, or enter the name of your university into the search field.

• Check the status of your university: If it is H+, it means your university is accredited in Germany as a higher education institution.

As the Anabin database is only available in German, we also recommend the uni-assist database as well as the DAAD database. Both websites have an English translation of the information provided in Anabin.  

Studienkolleg

You will need to attend a preparatory course called 'Studienkolleg', if your secondary school leaving certificate is not sufficient, to have direct access to German universities.

You also need to attend a Studienkolleg, if your admission is restricted to a specific subject area, but now you plan to study an entirely different subject.  

A Studienkolleg prepares you systematically for studying at a German university. It teaches language aspects as well as contents in specific subjects, depending on your future study programme. Studienkollegs typically last  ten to twelve months and end the so-called "Feststellungsprüfung" (university entrance examination).
By completing the preparatory course and passing the Feststellungsprüfung, you obtain the required university entrance qualification, which enables you to apply for undergraduate study programmes at German universities.

Hochschule Düsseldorf does not have its own Studienkolleg.
An overview of all German state Studienkollegs (usually tuition free) can be found at studienkolleg​s.de.

The state North Rhine-Westphalia does not offer any state Studienkollegs. But private Studienkollegs, for which you will have to pay tuition fees, are offered in Cologne, Pulheim​, ​Mettin​gen, Paderborn and Bochum.
Further information on Studienkollegs can also be found on the study-in website.

Prep-courses which prepare you for taking the external "Feststellungsprüfung" at Bezirksregierung Düsseldorf (German only) are offered by different institutions in Düsseldorf, Bonn, Cologne and Dortmund as well.

Each study programme at Hochschule Düsseldorf requires a specific Studienkolleg-core course (Schwerpunktkurs). Therefore you need choose your Studienkolleg according to its core course: