Uni-Assist VPD Explained (2026): What It Is, Cost, Processing Time & How to Apply

Many German universities do not check foreign certificates themselves. They ask uni-assist e.V., a central service that evaluates international applications for its member universities. For some of those universities, uni-assist does not forward the full application. Instead it issues a VPD, a short official document that tells the university three things:

• Whether your qualification gives you access to higher education in Germany – direct entry, entry only to certain subjects, or entry only after a Studienkolleg or an assessment test.
• Your overall grade converted to the German scale, where 1.0 is the best and 4.0 the lowest pass.
• Key details of your previous studies, such as the degree, duration and credits, which the university uses to decide on Master’s admission.

The VPD is not an admission. It is the evaluation the university relies on when it decides whether to admit you. The university still makes the final decision, often together with other criteria such as language certificates, a motivation letter, a GRE or an entrance test.

For the bigger picture – what uni-assist is and how its full-service applications work – see our complete uni-assist guide. This page goes deep on the VPD alone.

You need a VPD only when your chosen university and course ask for one. The admissions page of the course will say something like "VPD from uni-assist required" or "apply for a VPD first". For example, the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences (HSBI) asks international applicants to request a VPD from uni-assist and then upload it in its own portal.

You usually do not need a VPD if:

• the university evaluates foreign certificates itself and takes direct applications (many universities do);
• the university uses the full uni-assist service, in which case uni-assist forwards your application instead;
• you are treated like a German applicant, for example because you hold a German school-leaving certificate.

VPDs are common for Master’s programmes and for some Bachelor’s programmes at universities of applied sciences. Always check each course separately: two programmes at the same university can use different procedures.

Processing usually takes 4 to 6 weeks, counted from the day uni-assist has both your complete documents and your payment. In the weeks before the main deadlines – 15 January for the summer semester and 15 July for the winter semester at many universities – it can take longer. If uni-assist asks for a missing document, the clock effectively starts again when you upload it.

Because the VPD must be in your hands before you can complete the university’s own application, work backwards from the university deadline:

Some universities set an earlier deadline for applicants from outside the EU, so treat the dates above as the latest safe dates, not the ideal ones. Our application timeline for studying in Germany lays out a full 12-month plan.

1. Confirm the procedure. On the course page, check that the university asks for a VPD (not a full uni-assist application or a direct application) and note its deadline.
2. Get your APS certificate. Indian applicants cannot complete a uni-assist application without it.
3. Create your uni-assist account in the online portal (My assist) and fill in your personal data and educational history exactly as it appears on your documents.
4. Choose the university and select the VPD option for the course you want. Add every university that needs a VPD for the same semester in the same account.
5. Upload your documents – certified copies, transcripts, the grading scale and the APS certificate.
6. Pay the fee online: EUR 75 for the first university, EUR 30 for each additional one. Processing starts only after payment arrives.
7. Track the status and reply quickly to any request for missing documents.
8. Download your VPD as a PDF from your uni-assist account once it is issued.
9. Apply in the university’s own portal and upload the VPD there before the university deadline.

There is no single national rule: each university decides how long it accepts a VPD. HSBI, for example, accepts a VPD for two years from the date of issue. Other universities ask for a VPD issued for the current application semester. If you apply again in a later semester, check the course page before reusing an old VPD.

A VPD is also tied to the university it was issued for. Applying to another university that wants a VPD means requesting another one in uni-assist (EUR 30 if it is in the same semester as your first).