Finding your university in Anabin with a positive status does not mean that every check on your degree is complete. The institution and the qualification it awarded answer different questions: one tells you where you studied, the other what degree you obtained. Overlooking this distinction can mean discovering a missing piece of evidence too late when preparing your documents.
This guide is for applicants preparing to check a foreign higher education qualification. It does not provide a ready-made assessment of a particular Uzbek university or degree. Work with your exact degree title, study dates and the notes in the relevant entry. Another graduate's screenshot is not personal confirmation for you.
What does Anabin show?
The official Anabin portal provides information about how foreign educational qualifications are assessed within the German education system. It has separate sections for higher education institutions and academic degrees. Finding a single name in the search results therefore does not complete the check.
Anabin is not an individual visa decision issued in your name. Check the receiving organisation's requirements to find out how to present a database entry as evidence for your purpose. An explanation for an employer, immigration paperwork and university admission are different processes.
First, write down your purpose in one sentence: “I need to explain the level of my degree for this job application” or “I am preparing evidence of my qualification for the visa route I have chosen.” This helps avoid ordering unnecessary documents or searching in the wrong section.
Preparing for the search
Note the original degree title, awarding organisation, city, country and graduation date. If the university later changed its name, keep the name used when the qualification was issued. For a branch campus, joint programme or degree awarded by another organisation, establish exactly who issued it.
Prepare alternative spellings for the search: the original Latin spelling, another language used in your documents and any former official name. Do not select a similarly named university instead of your own. Compare the result with the city, notes and the institution's history.
Distinguish the degree title from the subject studied. For example, “bachelor” may be a degree type, while the subject is separate information. Avoid concluding that the degree is missing after searching only for the faculty name. You must also check whether the conditions of a general degree entry apply to your specific situation.
Part one: the university entry
In the institutions section, find the country and your institution, then open the detailed entry. Anabin's explanation of institutions explains that H+ means the organisation is recognised as a higher education institution in its own country and is regarded as that type of institution in Germany. This is not an individual assessment of every qualification it awards.
For a conditional status such as H+/-, do not draw a positive or negative conclusion without reading the accompanying notes. The date of issue, programme or other restrictions may matter. If the explanation is unclear, seek official advice with the full entry and your degree details.
Save the source of your result: the complete entry, link and date checked. A small crop showing only a green symbol can lose important context. When submitting evidence, use the format requested by the receiving organisation; do not assume that a screenshot for personal notes is sufficient in every case.
Part two: the qualification or degree entry
Now search for the relevant entry in the academic degrees section. Compare the degree title, type or duration of study and accompanying notes with your original document. The same translated title can refer to programmes from different periods.
The official guide to assessing academic qualifications explains why the university and degree results should be considered together. It also highlights the importance of a positive degree assessment such as entspricht or gleichwertig . A single H+ entry does not resolve the question about the degree itself.
If you cannot find your exact degree, do not choose the “closest-looking” entry. First recheck the spelling, country and degree title. If the available entries are genuinely insufficient, an individual ZAB assessment may be needed. This means neither automatic rejection nor an automatic positive result.
Put your findings in one table
| Question | Information found | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Is this my exact institution? | Name, city and relevant notes | Clarify any former name or branch campus |
| What does the status mean? | The full explanation of the designation | Obtain official clarification of a conditional status |
| Does the degree entry match? | Original degree title and assessment | Compare the relevant period and requirements |
| Is the evidence sufficient? | The receiving organisation's checklist | Prepare it in the required format |
“Not sure” is a valid answer in any row. Instead of hiding the gap, write down the question you need answered. Giving an adviser the original name, graduation date and entry you found is more useful than simply asking whether your university is acceptable.
Illustrative example: H+ found, degree missing
Imagine an applicant has correctly identified their institution and found an H+ entry, but cannot find a suitable assessment for the degree on their certificate. A friend says, “I moved abroad with a degree from that university.” This is a checking exercise, not the outcome of a real application.
The applicant does not copy the friend's document. They first compare their own degree title and graduation period, then check whether the relevant entry is genuinely absent. If the official requirements call for an individual assessment, they begin preparing a ZAB application. Another person's education and visa basis may differ from yours.
The mistake here is treating a university's positive status as blanket approval for all its degrees. The right next step is to identify the specific missing evidence and address that gap.
Which questions does Anabin not settle?
If practising a profession requires a separate licence, information about an academic degree does not itself grant one. Professional requirements for a regulated occupation, for example, must be checked separately. An employer's decision to hire you does not replace that step either.
An Anabin result also does not guarantee admission, a job or a visa. Do not overstate what the evidence proves. Connect your overall relocation plan with the guide to moving to Germany for work , while keeping the separate requirements for each permission in mind.
Frequently asked questions
Does a missing university entry make my degree invalid?
No. Not finding an entry is not enough to reach that conclusion. Recheck the name and database section, then identify the appropriate official assessment route. Choosing a similar institution's entry as your own is not a solution.
If I find the degree, can I skip checking the university?
Check both parts. A degree title appearing in the database does not fully answer questions about the awarding institution or your own course of study. Prepare all the evidence requested by the receiving organisation together.
Can I rely on a PDF prepared by an adviser?
Check the name, entry and source in the PDF yourself as well. A cropped or outdated copy of official information may lead to the wrong conclusion. Do not submit a document without understanding what it is being used for.
Should I check the result again for each application?
It is sensible to check the current requirements and entry when preparing an application. Do not reuse an old screenshot without comparing it with the latest document requirements. If something has changed, record the date and version you relied on.
