Is my Nigerian or Ghanaian university on anabin (H+), and what if it isn't?
Short answer
The German Missions in Nigeria say your degree counts as recognised in two cases: your university is rated H+ and the degree is rated "entspricht" or "gleichwertig", or your university is rated H+/- and the degree is listed with that university with the same ratings. If neither fits, or you can't find your university or degree, the German Missions in Nigeria page says you must go through a certificate evaluation at the ZAB.
On this page
What is anabin and who runs it?
Anabin is a database with information on how foreign education certificates are assessed in Germany. The German education ministers' conference (KMK) has built it since 1997. The Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) in Bonn collects and manages the data.
The rules below are the German Missions in Nigeria's. We haven't treated them as Accra's rules; DAAD Ghana's advice is at the end.
Sources for this part1
Do I check the university or the degree on anabin?
The Nigeria missions say the anabin query must always cover both your degree and your university.
The university gets a status of H+, H+/- or H-. The degree gets an equivalence class: "entspricht", "gleichwertig" or "bedingt vergleichbar".
The Nigeria page walks through the search steps; follow them on anabin.kmk.org.
Sources for this part1
When is your degree recognised?
The German Missions in Nigeria page names two cases:
- Your university has status H+ and your degree is rated "entspricht" or "gleichwertig".
- Your university has status H+/-, your degree is listed with that university, and it is rated "entspricht" or "gleichwertig".
Sources for this part1
Does my degree title have to match anabin exactly?
The title on your degree has to match the title in anabin exactly, word by word. The German Missions in Nigeria page gives an example: a "Bachelor of Technology" in "Information Management Technology" is not the same as a "Bachelor of Management" in "Technology".
Before you assume it's the same degree, put your certificate next to the anabin entry and compare them line by line.
Sources for this part1
What if you are not listed or not rated well enough?
The German Missions in Nigeria page says you must complete a certificate evaluation procedure (Zeugnisbewertungsverfahren) at the ZAB if any of these is true:
- Your degree does not meet the two cases above.
- You can't find your degree or your university in anabin.
- Your degree entry has no evaluation (no "Bewertung" field).
Sources for this part1
What DAAD Ghana says
DAAD Ghana says a Bachelor's degree from an accredited Ghanaian institution lets you apply for postgraduate study in Germany.
DAAD Ghana says anabin shows whether other international certificates and qualifications are valid in Germany, and that you can ask its Accra office for advice.
Sources for this part2
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What do H+, H+/- and H- mean on anabin?
They are the status ratings of a university. The German Missions in Nigeria page lists all three but only explains what H+ and H+/- need in order to count as recognised. It doesn't explain H-; it says that if your degree doesn't meet the criteria, you must do the ZAB evaluation. 1
My university is H+. Am I done?
Not yet. The Nigeria missions say you must check the degree too. It must be rated "entspricht" or "gleichwertig", and the title must match anabin word for word. 1
I can't find my university on anabin. What now?
The German Missions in Nigeria page says you must go through a certificate evaluation procedure at the ZAB. The page does not give ZAB fees or waiting times, so we do not state any. 1
Does my degree title have to match anabin exactly?
Yes. The German Missions in Nigeria page says the title on your degree must match the anabin title word by word. Compare your certificate with the anabin entry line by line. 1
Sources
- 1Degree recognition through the ANABIN DatabaseOfficialGerman Missions in Nigeria · checked 29 Oct 2026
- 2Admission RequirementsOfficialDAAD Ghana · checked 29 Oct 2026
Official is the embassy or a German government page. Applicant reports are what applicants say happened at their appointment. Secondary is everything else we checked.
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