Uni-assist

What Uni-assist does

Uni-assist e.V. (Arbeits- und Servicestelle für internationale Studienbewerbungen) is a Berlin-based, non-profit registered association founded in November 2003 by 41 German universities together with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Rectors' Conference (HRK). It provides centralized processing and evaluation of international student applications on behalf of approximately 150 German state-recognized member universities, handling roughly 350,000 applications per year from candidates in over 190 countries. Its core function is credential evaluation: assessing foreign school and university certificates against German standards using the authority version of the KMK anabin database, converting grades, checking admission requirements, and issuing standardized preliminary review documentation (VPD) where required.

The service is delivered through the My assist online portal, a proprietary digital platform where applicants register, submit documents, pay processing fees, and track status. The platform integrates via dedicated interfaces (Schnittstellen) with common German campus management systems, the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung's distributed admission procedure (DoSV/Hochschulstart.de), and the TestDaF Institute for language test verification. Supporting tools include a credential admissibility checker (Check: Hochschulzugang), country-specific guidelines, a university directory, checklists, a glossary, and sign-language video tutorials. A self-disclosure form for refugees addresses applicants unable to provide standard educational documentation.

Uni-assist is financed through two streams: transaction fees paid by applicants (€75 for the first course application per semester, €30 for each additional course) and annual membership fees from universities (€2,000–€85,000 depending on student population and international share). As a non-profit, fees are tied to actual costs; initial funding came from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research via DAAD. The organization is governed by an honorary board chaired by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Strackeljan, with Ulrich Schneider serving as Managing Director, and employs approximately 200 permanent staff in Berlin.

Name

Uni-assist

Legal name

Arbeits- und Servicestelle für internationale Studienbewerbungen (uni-assist) e.V.

Website

https://uni-assist.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Uni-assist e.V. is a Berlin-based non-profit association, founded in 2003 by German universities with DAAD and HRK, that processes approximately 350,000 international student applications annually for around 150 member German universities, providing credential evaluation and a centralized digital admissions portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Credential Evaluation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Assistive Technology (AT) Evaluations & Needs Assessments (EDAKAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Assistive Technology (AT) & Accessible Learning Tools (EDALAGAB)

Keywords

• International student applications
• Credential evaluation services
• University admissions processing
• Certificate equivalence assessment
• Study application processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Application Processing Fees: Fees charged to international students for processing their study applications. First application costs €75, additional applications in the same semester cost €30 each.
2. University Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from German universities. Fees range from €2,000 to €85,000 depending on the university's student population and proportion of international students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Uni-assist is a non-profit association that processes and evaluates international student applications for approximately 150 German universities. It provides centralized credential evaluation, foreign grade conversion to German standards, and standardized preliminary review documentation (VPD) through its digital My assist portal. The organization charges application processing fees to students and annual membership fees to member universities.

Product overview

uni-assist e.V. is a non-profit association supported by approximately 150 German universities that provides centralized processing and evaluation of international student applications. The core product is a unified service combining the My assist online portal (for digital application submission, document upload, and status tracking) with a certificate evaluation service that assesses international educational credentials against German standards. For some universities, uni-assist issues the Vorprüfungsdokumentation (VPD), a preliminary review certificate that applicants submit directly. Supporting tools include a university admission checker database (Check: Hochschulzugang), country-specific guidelines (Länderhinweise), a university directory, checklists, glossary, and video tutorials. Special services exist for refugees who lack documentation due to asylum circumstances.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• My assist (Online Application Portal) Digital self-service platform where international students register, create study applications for member German universities, upload required documents, pay processing fees, and track application status throughout the review process.
• VPD (Vorprüfungsdokumentation) Preliminary review certificate issued by uni-assist confirming that an applicant's educational certificates have been evaluated and meet admission requirements for German higher education; applicants submit the VPD directly to participating universities.
• Certificate Evaluation (Zeugnisbewertung) Evaluation of international school and university certificates against German educational standards, following guidelines of the Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen (ZAB), with conversion of foreign grades into the German grading system.
• University Portal (Hochschulportal) Dedicated portal through which member universities access processed international applications, download evaluation documents, and integrate uni-assist evaluation results with their campus management and admission systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Processing time: 4-6 weeks for standard applications
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2003Founding member of uni-assist e.V. Provided initial funding during the founding phase using funds from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Continues as a statutory board member represented by Dr. Michael Harms, Deputy Secretary General.
• HRK (German Rectors' Conference)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of uni-assist e.V. Represented at board meetings as a permanent guest with advisory function by Marijke Wahlers, Deputy Secretary General.
• German Universities (Member Institutions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApproximately 150 German state-recognized universities are members of uni-assist e.V. They provide strategic direction through the general assembly and board, and rely on uni-assist for processing international student applications.
• Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung (Foundation for University Admission)coreTechnology or Integrationuni-assist maintains interfaces (Schnittstellen) to the distributed admission procedure (DoSV) operated by the Foundation for University Admission through hochschulstart.de.
• KMK (Kultusministerkonferenz/Standing Conference of German Ministers of Education)coreStrategic or Co-development Partneruni-assist evaluates educational certificates based on recommendations from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) at the KMK. The organization works with the authority version of the anabin database.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• ENIC-NARIC Networks: ENIC-NARIC is the European network of national credential information centers, of which uni-assist operates as the German node for higher education. The network itself is not a competitor but the broader ecosystem within which uni-assist's credential-evaluation activities are situated.
• Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung (Hochschulstart): Hochschulstart operates the centralized DoSV portal for restricted-admission programs in Germany and is integrated with uni-assist's applicant data flow. It is a parallel admission infrastructure player rather than a competitor — both serve the same international applicant base through complementary technical interfaces.
• DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst): DAAD is a founding statutory board member of uni-assist and the main German agency promoting international academic exchange. It is not a competitor but a strategic partner that channels scholarship students and information flow toward uni-assist's platform.

Emerging players

• Studyportals: Studyportals is a global study-search platform helping prospective students find and compare programs. It targets the same upstream international-student audience as uni-assist but operates at the discovery layer rather than the evaluation layer.
• ApplyBoard: ApplyBoard is an international student recruitment and application platform connecting students to universities worldwide. It is adjacent rather than directly competitive — focused on recruitment and application routing rather than credential evaluation — but serves the same international-student-to-university funnel.

Direct peers

• International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS): IQAS, operated by the Government of Alberta, evaluates international educational credentials for use in Canada. It shares uni-assist's combination of government/agency backing, standardized grade conversion, and per-application transaction fees for international applicants.
• Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC): Ecctis is the UK's national credential evaluation service, comparing international qualifications to UK frameworks for universities, employers, and immigration. It is structurally analogous to uni-assist — a national reference point for credential equivalence with institutional integrations across the UK higher-education system.
• World Education Services (WES): WES is the largest credential evaluation service for international students and immigrants pursuing education or employment in North America. It mirrors uni-assist's core offering — evaluating foreign credentials, converting grades, and producing standardized reports for institutions — under the same transaction-fee model.
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE): ECE is a US-based credential evaluation provider producing course-by-course and document-by-document reports for international students. Like uni-assist, it charges per-evaluation fees, works directly with universities, and operates a digital submission portal for applicants.

Broad incumbents

• AACRAO International: AACRAO is a US-based association of registrars and admissions officers that also provides credential evaluation services through AACRAO International. It serves a broader portfolio (membership association plus evaluation services) but operates in the same credential-evaluation space as uni-assist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uni-assist-e.-v.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Uni-assist