Have you obtained your school leaving certificate or degree abroad and would like to study at JGU? Then you need to have your international school and university certificates recognized, regardless of whether you are a German citizen or not. You can submit your application for recognition throughout the year.

Did you receive a temporary certificate with limited validity? Then you can apply for a final certificate of recognition. You will not have to pay another processing charge.

Simply send an email to studsek@uni-mainz.de. Be sure to attach your temporary certificate of recognition to your email.

The final certificate will be issued as soon as possible. The final certificate will be made available to you online once your application has been processed successfully.

What you usually need to submit:

  • Your school leaving certificate: diploma + transcript of records indicating subjects and grades
  • Your university entrance examination certificate (only for countries where a university entrance examination is required for admission to a program of study)
  • Your university certificates (if you have already studied): diploma + transcript of records indicating subjects and grades
  • An uncertified copy of the ID page of your passport
  • Complete up-to-date curriculum vitae
  • Additional documents depending on the country from which your certificates originate (see country-specific requirements)

Who can translate documents?
Certificates and diplomas must be translated by an officially certified body.
For example, you can have documents translated by an officially certified translator or translation agency, or you can submit translations from diplomatic missions of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The issuing institution may also translate their own documents or issue multilingual versions.

You can find qualified translators in the following database of translators and interpreters.

If you are applying for a master’s degree program, are currently completing your bachelor’s degree abroad, but are unable to submit your degree certificate by the application deadline, you may still apply. Please submit your application for recognition in good time and upload the following documents:

  • Confirmation from your university that you will complete your degree by March 31 at the latest (for applications for the summer semester) or by September 30 (for applications for the winter semester). The confirmation must have been issued no more than three months before you submit your application for recognition.
  • An up-to-date record of the credits and grades you have earned in your degree program to date (e.g., a transcript of records).
  • Documentation of your university entrance qualification (e.g., secondary school leaving certificate, university entrance examination). Please check the anabin databasemaintained by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) to find out which documents are required as proof of your university entrance qualification.

You will then receive a provisional certificate of recognition, which you can use to apply for a master’s program by the relevant deadline. Please note that you must obtain a final certificate of recognition by the end of your first academic semester. The final certificate can be issued once you have submitted your degree certificate and the corresponding transcript of records.

If you have a temporary residence permit (Aufenthaltsgewährung zum vorübergehenden Schutz) or a recognition of refugee status or subsidiary protection (Anerkennung der Flüchtlingseigenschaft bzw. subsidärer Schutz) in Germany, then you may also apply for recognition with incomplete documents.

If you no longer have any certificates, please make an appointment in advance with the Student Services – International Admissions Office.

Please enclose the following documents with your application: a complete curriculum vitae (including all school and university degrees and professional experience), a copy of your passport or residence permit showing your refugee status, any diplomas or certificates you have that allow conclusions to be drawn about your education, and an informal letter briefly explaining which documents you do not (or no longer) have. Incomplete documents are subject to the same formal requirements as complete documents.

You can submit an urgent request for recognition if you did not acquire the certificates for university admission until within the 6 weeks leading up to the application deadline and would like to apply for an undergraduate degree program (bachelor’s degree/state examination) at JGU Mainz.

After we have finished processing your application, we will upload your certificate of recognition.

  • Verify the information on your certificate of recognition.
  • Download your certificate of recognition in due time. Your account is only valid for a limited time.
  • Save your certificate of recognition.
  • Simply print out your certificate of recognition if you need to present it in paper form. The certificate of recognition is valid without a signature and stamp.

Now you can start your application for the Studienkolleg, the German language course, or a degree program.

We have evaluated your diplomas and will notify you of our decision regarding your university entrance qualification on your certificate of recognition. The document may consist of one or more decisions.

Your decision comprises

  • the decision text stating what type of university entrance qualification we can confirm for you
  • the grade of the decision, which you need for your application
  • the date of the decision
  • yourspecification of subject which determines the subject you can apply for

In general, everyone who wishes to apply to study at JGU with international certificates and is seeking a university degree needs to have these certificates recognized. There are only very few exceptions. Information on these exceptional cases can be found in this information handout.

Do you have questions about the recognition of international certificates or the application process?

The Student Services team is here to help!