anabin Explained: What H+ Means When a University Is Listed There

What is the anabin database?

anabin is the information portal of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs on foreign educational qualifications. It is maintained by the Central Office for Foreign Education. It shows how a qualification obtained abroad is to be classified within the German education system.

Its scope is considerable. According to the Central Office, more than 25,000 institutions, 22,000 university degrees, and 25,000 individual expert opinions are documented for around 180 countries, along with nearly 5,800 vocational qualifications and around 1,500 secondary school certificates (anabin, as of August 2026). The collection has been built up over around ten years.

It is important to understand who works with it. anabin is not an advisory portal for prospective students, but the reference work of the authorities: state examination offices, immigration authorities, universities for applications from abroad, employers for the EU Blue Card. That is precisely why it is worth consulting before the decision on a study location is made.

What does it mean when a university is listed in anabin?

An entry with the status H+ means: the institution is a state or state-recognized university in its home country. Degrees from there are generally eligible for recognition in Germany. The entry says nothing about the quality of teaching and nothing about your individual degree.

This distinction is the most common misconception. The listing is an entry ticket, not a result. It opens the procedure; it does not replace it.

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What do H+, H- and H+/- mean?

The Central Office works with three status categories. H+ stands for a recognized university. H- stands for an institution that does not qualify as a university in the assessment's terms. H+/- stands for a university for which additional criteria must be met.

The Standing Conference emphasizes one point that should be known: the status determination does not involve any equivalency assessment. anabin therefore explicitly does not answer the question of whether a foreign institution is equivalent to a German university or a German university of applied sciences. The status clarifies the university status, nothing more.

In the case of H+/-, it is worth looking at the general information on the respective education system. This states which additional conditions apply, such as a certain duration of study or a specific type of degree.

How do I find a university in anabin?

The search is free of charge and available without registration. Four steps are sufficient:

1. Open the institution search: anabin.kmk.org/db/institutionen
2. Select the country where the university is located in the "Countries" filter.
3. Enter part of the name in the free-text field, preferably in the local language or English spelling.
4. View the "Status" column in the search results and click on the entry.

There is no direct link to an individual entry. The search results are loaded in the browser dynamically, so the address does not change. Those wishing to share evidence should link to the institution search and specify what needs to be searched for.

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Why can't I find my medical faculty in anabin?

Because entries are maintained at the university level, not at the level of individual faculties. Those searching for the faculty find nothing and incorrectly conclude that the university is not recognized.

An example from our daily work: there is no separate entry for the Medical Faculty in Foča. What is listed is the University of East Sarajevo, to which the faculty belongs. The status applies to the university and therefore also to its faculties. You will find the same pattern at almost all locations in the Balkans and Eastern Europe.

Practical tip: search with the name in the local language if the German or English spelling returns no results. University names in anabin are often listed in the original language, with the German translation in a separate column.

When does anabin matter for medical studies abroad?

Primarily at locations outside the European Union. Within the EU, the Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC governs the automatic recognition of the medical profession. Outside the EU, the state authorities examine the equivalency of the training on a case-by-case basis, and there the anabin status is the formal basis.

From Medschool Experts' placement experience, this can be summarized as follows: for EU locations, almost no one asks about anabin, because the directive prescribes the pathway. For locations like Foča, the entry is the first thing that is checked. This is an assessment from our own cases, not an official statistic.

What does anabin explicitly not say?

Three limits that everyone using the database as evidence should know. First, no equivalency assessment takes place. Second, anabin makes no claim to completeness — a missing university is therefore not automatically an unrecognized university. Third, the status applies to the institution, not to your individual certificate.

In addition: entries can change. Universities are founded, accreditations expire, ownership changes. A screenshot from today is not evidence for the day after tomorrow. Those making a decision about six years of study should check the entry themselves before signing any contract rather than relying on information in a brochure.

What to do if the university is not in anabin?

The next step is then a certificate evaluation from the Central Office for Foreign Education. This officially classifies a foreign university degree and is accepted by authorities and employers. Unlike the database query, it involves a fee and takes several weeks.

For prospective students, the sequence is simpler than it sounds. First check whether the university is listed. If yes, the formal framework is clarified. If no, clarify before registration how the competent state authority classifies the university. We go through this point with you in the free consultation before anything is signed.