A German master's with a Chinese bachelor's

The rows come from uni-assist's and APS's own pages. The final decision is always the university's.

uni-assist also states that it does not process every application to every member university. The programme's page says whether the application goes to uni-assist or straight to the university.

According to uni-assist's master's page, you generally need a completed bachelor's in a related subject. The degree should be equivalent to a German bachelor's and, depending on the programme, last 3, 3.5 or 4 years, from a university recognised under the laws of its country. You can check this yourself in anabin; if you are unsure, uni-assist checks it while processing the application.

Everything above that is set by each university: internships, grades, deadlines, translations. Some master's courses require a minimum grade, so the binding list is the programme's page. How your grade converts is in our grade conversion guide. [1]

uni-assist's China page lists, for applicants who studied at a Chinese university: the original APS certificate, stating that it cannot accept copies, not even officially certified ones, and that the check applies irrespective of citizenship; the transcript of a four-year bachelor's at an accredited university; the degree certificate if you have completed the degree; and your senior middle school diploma. So a master's file includes school-level documents too.

One more rule: if your APS was a document screening without an interview, you must submit certificates covering every school year from primary school on. Double-degree holders may submit either transcript, but a Chinese one must include all modules completed at the German university; details are in our double degree guide. [2]

Applicants with study at a Chinese university go through APS's China procedure: a document authenticity check plus an interview or TestAS. The APS certificate is a precondition for the uni-assist application, and uni-assist accepts only the original. So APS belongs at the very front of the timeline, not alongside the university application. What each of the six procedures asks for is in our APS guide. [3][2]

According to uni-assist, not every university accepts preliminary certificates, meaning an application before graduation. Of those that do, some accept them only if your bachelor's is taken in Germany or another EU country. A bachelor's taken in China does not meet that condition. uni-assist does not say which universities fall into which group, so ask your target programme before you apply.

Many master's courses are taught in German, and uni-assist states these generally require adequate German. English-taught courses may require little or no German; DAAD's overview states that postgraduate programmes taught in English are exempt from the German requirements and ask for proof of English instead. Whether an English-taught programme still asks for German is covered in our English-taught programmes guide. On deadlines, uni-assist states that many universities set earlier deadlines for master's courses. [1][5][4]

• The APS certificate: which procedure are you in?→
• How a Chinese grade becomes a German one→
• Does an English-taught programme in Germany still need German?→
• German-Chinese double degree: which transcript does uni-assist want?→

1. [1]uni-assist e.V., information for master's applicants · Last reviewed: 09/10/2026
2. [2]uni-assist e.V., country information China · Last reviewed: 09/10/2026
3. [3]APS, China-Verfahren · Last reviewed: 29/07/2026
4. [4]uni-assist e.V., deadlines and processing time · Last reviewed: 21/09/2026
5. [5]DAAD, requirements for studying in Germany: overview · Last reviewed: 09/10/2026